NCJ Number
141588
Journal
Criminal Justice Policy Review Volume: 5 Issue: 3 Dated: (September 1991) Pages: 157-182
Date Published
1991
Length
26 pages
Annotation
This exploratory study seeks to shed light on complexities surrounding the determinants of State corrections expenditures; the investigation focuses on the absolute and relative influence of six groups of variables on per capita spending by the 48 contiguous States in 1984.
Abstract
The framework is based on the simple premise that the level of State financial support for corrections, the policy output of interest, is a function of two general factors: internal institutional characteristics and external environmental characteristics. The study hypothesizes that corrections spending will be about the same in two States similarly situated in terms of institutional and environmental characteristics. The institutional factor represents legislative, legal, and prison system variables. The environmental factor includes economic, sociodemographic, and intergovernmental variables. Findings from a cross-section analysis of the 48 contiguous States indicate that variables associated with a State's external environment offer the best predictors of corrections expenditures. Significant internal variables are limited both in number and in importance. The authors conclude that State governments exert little direct control in determining corrections expenditures. Implications and suggestions for future research on corrections expenditures are discussed. 75 references, 6 notes, 6 tables, and 1 figure