North Carolina Community and Intermediate Sanctions Handbook for Court Officials and Community Corrections Agencies

• NCJ Number: 155211
• Author(s): S C Pearce; J H Madler
• Date Published: 1994
• Length: 70 pages
• Sponsoring Agency: State Justice Institute
• Corporate Author: North Carolina Sentencing and Policy Advisory Cmssn
• Sale Source: North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts; National Institute of Justice/; NCJRS Photocopy Services
• Publication Type: Policy/Procedure Handbook/Manual
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

The Structured Sentencing Act adopted by the North Carolina General Assembly establishes new policies for sentencing misdemeanor and felony offenders in North Carolina.

Abstract

The new law prioritizes jail and prison resources for violent and career offenders and channels nonviolent, noncareer offenders into community-based sanctions. Under structured sentencing, judges have an array of community and intermediate punishment options to select from when sentencing offenders. Community and intermediate sanction resources are limited, however, and courts and community corrections agencies must use these resources effectively. This may be accomplished by prioritizing specific community and intermediate sanctions for eligible offenders. Advisory policies are outlined for matching offenders who receive a suspended sentence to community-based sanctions. Focusing on three objectives (punishment, risk control, and reparation), these policies identify offenders best suited for certain community and intermediate sanctions. Steps involved in matching offenders to community and intermediate sanctions are detailed, a sample sanction decision chart is included, and recommendations are offered for further prioritizing the use of limited resources. An appendix contains additional information on community corrections resources in North Carolina. Charts