NCJ Number
74440
Date Published
1980
Length
6 pages
Annotation
A 'public protection' model for the mission of corrections is advocated and contrasted with a 'justice' model for corrections.
Abstract
The justice model for corrections holds that the ultimate purpose of corrections is to provide a humane and just environment for offenders, particularly inmates, during the period of their sentence. While the objective of treating offenders justly is an important one for corrections, it should not be viewed as corrections' ultimate mission. The overall goal of corrections should be public protection. While rehabilitation should be removed from the pedestal it has held in corrections, it is still an important emphasis in the provision of public protection. The justice model for corrections treats the inmate as a passive recipient of a humane environment, whereas the rehabilitation emphasis yoked to the goal of public protection appreciates the importance of stimulating inmates to set and work toward self-improvement goals while serving their time. The public protection model also calls for the isolation or restraint of dangerous or recidivistic offenders. An effective classification system is an essential tool in determining the degree of isolation or restraint needed by each offender for public protection. Efforts should be made to improve methods of predicting behavior so that 'low risk' offenders can receive supervision in the community while 'high risk' offenders are incarcerated. By incorporating this philosophy, the correctional system will be moving toward a public protection model which operates justly.