NCJ Number
57675
Date Published
1979
Length
51 pages
Annotation
FIVE COMMUNITY-BASED CORRECTION PROGRAMS ACROSS THE COUNTRY ARE DESCRIBED AND EVALUATED. THE NILECJ-SPONSORED PROGRAMS WERE BASED ON A DES MOINES, IOWA PROTOTYPE.
Abstract
THE DES MOINES PROJECT WAS BUILT ON TWO SPECIFIC AXIOMS: (1) PERSONS SHOULD NOT BE PUNISHED BEFORE THEY HAVE BEEN CONVICTED, NOR SHOULD THE ECONOMIC CIRCUMSTANCES OF A DEFENDANT OR OFFENDER BE A DETERMINANT FOR PUNISHMENT, AND (2) PERSONS SHOULD NOT BE REMOVED FROM THEIR HOME COMMUNITIES UNLESS THERE IS A COMPELLING REASON TO DO SO. CONSISTENT WITH THESE BELIEFS, THE DES MOINES PROGRAM OFFERED RELEASE ON RECOGNIZANCE ALTERNATIVES, PRETRIAL PROGRAMS, AND RESIDENTIALLY BASED CORRECTIONS CENTERS. THE REPLICA PROGRAMS IN DULUTH, MINN., SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH, BATON ROUGE, LA., SAN MATEO COUNTY, CALIF., AND ORANGE COUNTY, FLA., ALL VARIED FROM THEIR PROTOTYPE ACCORDING TO THE NEEDS OF THEIR CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM, THE OVERCROWDING IN PRISONS, CASELOAD CONDITIONS IN THE COURTS, AND THE AMOUNT OF POVERTY AMONG THE OFFENDER POPULATION. EVALUATION DATA INDICATED THAT JAIL POPULATIONS IN DULUTH, SALT LAKE CITY, AND SAN MATEO COUNTY DECLINED SIGNIFICANTLY A YEAR AFTER THE PROGRAM BEGAN, THE PERCENTAGE OF DEFENDANTS IN ALL SITES DECREASED DURING 1975 (ALTHOUGH ONLY IN DULUTH WAS THE DECREASE SIGNIFICANT), AND THE PROGRAMS SECURED THE RELEASE OF A SMALL NUMBER OF DEFENDANTS WHO OTHERWISE WOULD HAVE BEEN DETAINED TILL THE DISPOSITION OF THEIR CASES. PROGRAM STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SUPERVISED RELEASE OF OFFENDERS WERE IMPLEMENTED EVENLY FOR ECONOMICALLY ADVANTAGED AND DISADVANTAGED PERSONS AT ALL THREE SITES. FURTHER FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ARE PRESENTED.