NCJ Number
130246
Date Published
1991
Length
64 pages
Annotation
Following a review of the history of corrections, this chapter discusses issues in institutional corrections and intermediate sanctions.
Abstract
The summary of corrections history focuses on corporal punishment, corporal punishment versus imprisonment, and the development of the prison. The discussion of institutional corrections examines conditions in the contemporary prison as revealed in the case of Little v. Walker (1977), heard before the Seventh Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals. Factors in the growth of prison populations are then examined, with attention to the California Department of Corrections prison population projections for 1990-96, the cost of new prisons, and court responses to unconstitutional prison conditions. Other issues discussed in connection with institutional corrections are the pros and cons of privatizing prison construction and operations, prison riots, and the social significance of correctional practices (the disproportionate number of blacks under criminal sanctions and recidivism after imprisonment). Three county jails are then profiled. The discussion of intermediate sanctions focuses on issues in expanding options for criminal sentencing; the history, problems, and politics of probation; the pros and cons of fines; the increase in the electronic monitoring of offenders; retribution and treatment; and parole. 7 figures, 15 recommended readings, and discussion questions