Managing Correctional Change in Community Corrections (From Sentencing & Corrections Workshop: Prepared Papers, 1996)

• NCJ Number: 163788
• Author(s): M P Jacobson
• Date Published: 1996
• Length: 12 pages
• Sponsoring Agency: National Institute of Justice (NIJ); US Dept of Justice NIJ Pub; Office of Justice Programs (OJP)
• Sale Source: NCJRS Photocopy Services
• Publication Type: Conference Material
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: See NCJ 163785-163790 for additional papers.

Annotation

One of the greatest changes in store for community corrections over the next decade will result from the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, referred to as the Crime Bill.

Abstract

The Crime Bill does not acknowledge community corrections as a significant part of the criminal justice system, even though 75 percent of individuals under correctional supervision are in the category of community corrections. Instead, the Crime Bill emphasizes imprisonment and appropriates substantial funding to build more prisons. Community corrections will need to be managed carefully in light of increased caseloads and decreased funding. Recidivism, and especially violent recidivism, should be the baseline measure for evaluating the success of community corrections. The case for increased funding of community corrections should be made primarily in public safety terms and only secondarily in terms of financial savings or other measures of success. Strategies that community corrections agencies can embrace to productively use their resources include identifying the population which receives the bulk of community supervision resources, making the violence-prone population a priority group for community supervision, and refocusing resources. 7 footnotes