COMMUNITY-BASED CORRECTIONS - THEORY AND OPERATION (FROM ANATOMY OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE - A SYSTEM OVERVIEW, 1980, BY CLEON H FOUST AND D ROBERT WEBSTER - SEE NCJ-64520)

• NCJ Number: 64530
• Author(s): R P SEITER
• Date Published: 1980
• Length: 14 pages
• Corporate Author: Lexington Books
• Publication Format: Document
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

COMMUNITY-BASED CORRECTIONS ARE RECOMMENDED AS A SUBSTITUTE FOR PRISONS, AND A NEW CORRECTIONS SYSTEM PROVIDING GRADES OF PUNISHMENT, DIVERSIONARY PROGRAMS, AND COMMUNITY-BASED CORRECTIONS IS PRESENTED.

Abstract

ALTHOUGH USE OF COMMUNITY-BASED CORRECTIONS IS INCREASING, MOST PROGRAMS ARE POORLY PLANNED AND NO SYSTEMATIC CORRECTIONAL PROCESS FOCUSING ON COMMUNITY-BASED PROGRAMS HAS BEEN DEVELOPED. COMMUNITY-BASED PROGRAMS CORRECT OFFENDERS IN THE COMMUNITY RATHER THAN IN PRISON. COMMUNITY-BASED PROGRAMS ALSO STRESS MINIMUM PENETRATION (THAT AN OFFENDER SHOULD BE PLACED IN THE LEAST SECURE PROGRAM OR FACILITY ADVISABLE) TO MINIMIZE DISRUPTION OF THE PERSON'S COMMUNITY BEHAVIOR. COMMUNITY-BASED CORRECTIONS INVOLVE COMMUNITY RESOURCES AND LINK THE OFFENDER TO THE COMMUNITY AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. ALTHOUGH PRISONS HAVE BEEN USED IN THE U.S. SINCE THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, THE ARTICLE ASSERTS THAT THEY HAVE ALWAYS BEEN INHUMANE, VERY COSTLY, AND LARGELY INEFFECTIVE: CURRENT ESTIMATES OF RECIDIVISM AMONG EX-PRISONERS RANGE FROM ONE-THIRD TO 80 PERCENT. MANY PENOLOGISTS BLAME THIS HIGH RATE OF INEFFECTIVENESS ON PRISONERS' BECOMING SOCIALLY MALADJUSTED THROUGH ISOLATION. FOUR COMMON MODELS OF CORRECTIONS ARE DISCUSSED, AND THE REINTEGRATIVE MODEL (A FRAMEWORK TO RECONCILE THE OFFENDER AND COMMUNITY THROUGH MUTUAL INVOLVEMENT) IS PRESENTED AS A BASIS FOR A NEW CORRECTIONS SYSTEM WITH TRADITIONAL CORRECTIONS GOALS. NOTES, CHARTS, AND AN APPENDED COMMENTARY ARE INCLUDED. (PAP)