NCJ Number
80884
Date Published
1981
Length
45 pages
Annotation
This General Accounting Office (GAO) review uses a case study of prison overcrowding in Massachusetts to illustrate the impact of external factors on departments of corrections. It points out that corrections problems will not be resolved unless all contributing parties are involved in the solutions.
Abstract
The report observes that overcrowding in correctional facilities exists nationwide, safety and sanitation problems abound in prisons and jails, many prisons and jails are antiquated and dilapidated, and services in correctional institutions are deficient. Massachusetts was selected because it is a State which has traditionally used alternatives to incarceration to minimize its prison populations. Although Massachusetts is a leader in community-based corrections and has established 20 prerelease or halfway homes in the last 10 years, the inmate population is at an all-time high, with projections indicating continued increases. Of particular concern is the potential impact of mandatory sentencing proposals now pending in the State legislature. Reasons for overcrowding include the mandatory sentences for certain offenses, increased parole violations, the resistance to the construction and expansion of correctional facilities, and the deinstitutionalization of mental health care patients in the mid-1970's. Officials believe that former patients who cannot cope with life outside an institutional setting eventually end up in a correctional facility. Current efforts to alleviate overcrowding include a facilities expansion program, which is expected to add 318 beds to the State corrections system by July 1, 1981, and the coordination of all major components of the criminal justice system. This coordination's focal point is the Crime and Justice Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the administration of justice in the State. In addition, the report notes that policies and actions of all three branches of the Federal Government affect State and local criminal justice systems, including corrections. For example, congressional proposals for stricter criminal laws could set an example for the States, while Federal court decisions can serve as a catalyst for improving State and local correctional systems. In addition, the National Institute of Justice and the National Institute of Corrections provide specific assistance to States in several areas, including training and staff development, information, technical assistance, and program development. Tables, graphs, a list of State and local corrections problems are provided.