NCJ Number
155060
Date Published
1995
Length
57 pages
Annotation
This study documents key features of existing day reporting centers (DRC's) and describes important trends in their development.
Abstract
The DRC is an intermediate sanction that blends high levels of control with intensive delivery of services needed by offenders. The development of DRC's in the United States during the 1980's arose out of Great Britain's popular use of day centers, as American correctional administrators sought ways to reduce rising jail and prison populations and associated costs. Using data from two primary sources -- results of a nationwide mail survey and case studies based on four indepth DRC site visits -- this volume profiles current DRC activities and assesses the future of day reporting as an intermediate sanction. One section explains the origin of day reporting, focusing on related programs in England and the conditions in the United States that created a need for such centers here. The report then describes the characteristics of DRC's in the United States before 1990, when the National Institute of Justice first conducted a study of what was then an innovation in the American correctional system. This section is based on survey results published in the 1990 National Institute of Justice document "Day Reporting Centers for Criminal Offenders: A Descriptive Analysis of Existing Programs." Next, the report presents an overview of both common and variable features of the DRC's that responded to the 1994 mail survey, along with case studies of the four DRC's visited by researchers. Following this, the report discusses the apparent emergence of a general model of DRC's, but advises that, given recent indications of a declining emphasis on supervision, day reporting may increasingly resemble intensive supervision instead. The final section reviews key issues in the future development of DRC's. 28 notes, 5 figures, and 8 tables