NCJ Number
135971
Journal
Crime and Delinquency Volume: 38 Issue: 1 Dated: special issue (January 1992) Pages: 88-104
Date Published
1992
Length
17 pages
Annotation
Prison construction is struggling to catch up with increasing prison populations, and the goals of new prison siting are discussed in terms of public safety and economic concerns.
Abstract
The security of the local population is a frequent concern of communities being considered for prisons. Statistical comparisons for target and control areas, however, have indicated no actual harm to public safety in areas surrounding prison facilities. In the economic realm, correctional facilities have become a major governmental enterprise in the United States. Correctional facility operations rival private industries and have attracted the private sector into the corrections marketplace to run prisons. Research shows few negative consequences of locating a correctional facility in a community. In actuality, economic consequences are generally positive such as increased revenues from property and sales taxes in communities near prisons and positive effects for local businesses and industries. Regardless of the prison siting process, available research indicates that predesignation of sites may be the preferable approach. Corrections officials must learn how to identify communities where citizens are amenable to the location of prisons and where correctional goals can be met. Such determinations will require good longitudinal data on communities including careful assessment of resident receptiveness to new land uses, local political considerations, and evaluation of site viability. Methods for improving prison siting are described, and more study is suggested to determine which communities can best absorb correctional facilities and other types of potentially undesirable land uses. 34 references