NCJ Number
168929
Date Published
1993
Length
28 pages
Annotation
This overview of corrections briefly reviews popular corrections options and the ideology that drives them, along with the consequences.
Abstract
The first section of the chapter briefly considers the program described by some as "Scared Straight," in which redeemable first offenders are taken on a tour of a prison that includes listening to inmates describe brutal prison conditions. The intent is to deter the first offenders from further crimes out of the fear of ending up in prison. This program has no measured effectiveness, but its cost is low. A discussion of the impact of sentencing guidelines advises that the development of sentencing formulas is useful in dealing only with populations that behave predictably and repetitively. A brief review of methods of control mentions supervision, fines, victim restitution, and treatment. Other sections discuss offender fees; large fines; and the prevalence of the use of jail, probation, and parole. A profile of New York City's jails is followed by a discussion of innovative jail facilities, shock incarceration, and the consequences of the current "get tough" corrections approach (prison overcrowding). An overview of the political influences that are driving the increased use of prisons is followed by a discussion of prison abuses and the battle between inmates and prison staff for control of prisons. A discussion of capital punishment argues for its value as a deterrent but holds that extensive safeguards must be followed to reduce the possibility of erroneous convictions.