NCJ Number
177009
Date Published
1998
Length
417 pages
Annotation
This book is designed to provide students with an overview of the law of sentencing and prisoners' rights.
Abstract
Much of the book discusses the present state of the law that pertains to the rights of individuals during the sentencing process and the rights of individuals who have been incarcerated. The book also discusses the mechanics of litigating Section 1983 lawsuits and the remedies available to inmates whose constitutional rights have been violated. The book also looks toward the future, as it identifies some of the more critical constitutional questions in the areas of sentencing and correctional law that have yet to be resolved by the U.S. Supreme Court. In addition, the book discusses key proposals for making the Nation's corrections and sentencing systems more rational and cost-effective. Some of these proposals are the adoption by each State and the Federal Government of a comprehensive community- corrections act; the use of rational, capacity-based sentencing guidelines; and the incorporation of victim-offender mediation programs into jurisdictions' sentencing and corrections systems. One of the most significant developments that affects the enforcement of prisoners' constitutional rights occurred in 1996 with the enactment of the Prison Litigation Reform Act. The author discusses a number of the Act's key provisions. Table of cases and a subject index