NCJ Number
43489
Date Published
Unknown
Length
322 pages
Annotation
A 14.25 PERCENT INCREASE IN PRISON POPULATION IN THE PAST 5 YEARS GAVE RISE TO THIS SURVEY OF SIX STATES TO DETERMINE CORRECTIONAL NEEDS. BASIC DATA WERE FOUND LACKING; RECOMMENDATIONS FOR DATA AND PLANNING ARE MADE.
Abstract
THE NATIONAL CLEARINGHOUSE FOR CRIMINAL JUSTICE PLANNING AND ARCHITECTURE CONDUCTED THIS SURVEY OF REGION 5 (THE STATES OF ILLINOIS, INDIANA, MICHIGAN, MINNESOTA, OHIO, AND WISCONSIN) TO DETERMINE PRESENT PRISON POPULATIONS, OVERCROWDING, AND FUTURE NEEDS. IT WAS FOUND THAT THE MOST IMPORTANT DATA FOR LONG-TERM PLANNING, WHICH IS AVERAGE LENGTH OF STAY FOR EACH OFFENSE, WERE NOT AVAILABLE. RECOMMENDATIONS ARE MADE FOR FORMS OF DATA COLLECTION WHICH WILL HELP CORRECTIONS AGENCIES PLAN FUTURE NEEDS. IN GENERAL, PRISON POPULATIONS ARE SEEN INCREASING DRAMATICALLY OVER THE NEXT FEW YEARS BECAUSE OF RISING CRIME RATES, MORE EFFECTIVE POLICE WORK, AND A 'GET TOUGH' ATTITUDE ON THE PART OF THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM. A TOTAL SYSTEMS PLANNING APPROACH MUST BE USED. PRISONS CAN NO LONGER ABSORB ALL THE OFFENDERS SENT TO THEM BECAUSE CONDITIONS ARE TOO OVERCROWDED, WHILE PRISONERS' RIGHTS MOVEMENTS ARE WINNING LAWSUITS MANDATING LESS CROWDED CONDITIONS. THE SITUATION IS EXPECTED TO GET WORSE BECAUSE THE 'BABY BOOM' OF THE 1950'S MEANS THE AGE GROUP MOST LIKELY TO BE COMMITTED TO A PENAL INSTITUTION, THOSE 19-29, IS EXPECTED TO INCREASE 50 PERCENT BY 1980. A SYSTEMS APPROACH TO CRIMINAL JUSTICE COULD DECREASE THE COMMITMENT RATE BY INCREASING THE USE OF DIVERSION OPTIONS PRIOR TO SENTENCING AND INCREASING USE OF NONINCARCERATORY SENTENCES FOR A LARGER PROPORTION OF CONVICTED OFFENDERS. SUCH NONINCARCERATING SENTENCES INCLUDE EXPANDED USE OF PROBATION, CONDITIONAL DISCHARGE, DAY FINES, RESTITUTION, AND PERIODIC IMPRISONMENT PROGRAMS. TWO AVENUES CAN BE TAKEN TO DECREASE THE LENGTH OF STAY IN A CORRECTIONAL FACILITY, I.E., REDUCING MAXIMUM SENTENCES FOR FELONIES AND INCREASING THE PAROLE RATE. WORK RELEASE, PRERELEASE, AND/OR HALFWAY HOUSES SHOULD ALSO BE INVESTIGATED. A STATE-BY-STATE SUMMARY OF THE SITUATION IS THEN GIVEN FOR EACH OF THE REGION 5 PRISON SYSTEMS, INCLUDING PRESENT PRISON POPULATION, PROJECTED PRISON POPULATION UNDER SEVERAL ASSUMPTIONS, AND BUDGET THIS CORRECTIONAL POPULATION WILL REQUIRE.