NCJ Number
151255
Date Published
1995
Length
773 pages
Annotation
This text details the history and evolution of corrections, its role and operation in the United States, and current issues related to policy and practice.
Abstract
Four chapters trace the historical development of corrections from 2000 BC to the present, as well as the recent history of changes in corrections philosophies and ideologies. The next four chapters explain how offenders pass through and deal with the judicial system after being charged with crimes. Additional chapters examine the main features and interactions of the major correctional subsystems: probation, intermediate sanctions, imprisonment, and parole. Further chapters examine the rights of offenders in various situations and legal environments, focusing on prisoners' rights, capital punishment, and the rights of ex- offenders. The characteristics and needs of specific types of offenders, including jail inmates, female offenders, men in prison, juvenile offenders, and offenders with physical and mental problems, are also examined. Further chapters explore the conflict between custody and treatment in view of overcrowding, reduced budgets, and other issues; the functions and interactions of local, State, and Federal correctional systems, including community corrections; and recent changes and future trends in corrections. Photographs, figures, review questions, lists of important terms, chapter reference notes, lists of recommended readings, name index, subject index, and appended glossary and policy statements adopted by the American Correctional Association