NCJ Number
95525
Date Published
1984
Length
67 pages
Annotation
The five papers presented at an Australian conference on correctional policies in the 1980's consider on correctional policies in the 1980's consider the development of a corrections model, the aims and achievements of corrections, offender management, and the role of self-help in corrections.
Abstract
The first presentation reviews models of criminal justice, the importance of punishment for any model, and the structural conflicts inherent in a corrections model of criminal justice, such as problems in creating conditions to facilitate an offender's reentry into society and differing role perceptions among criminal justice components. The next speaker stated the goals of the New South Wales Department of Corrective Services (DCS) for the 1980's, including diversion from prison, improvements in custodial facilities, and aftercare. The next paper emphasizes that two factors affect the incidence of crime: the probability of conviction and detention and the rewards for obeying the law. In discussing offender management, incapacitation, rehabilitation, and corruption are considered. A speaker who had been involved in programs for young offenders and victims advocated a more positive approach to crime prevention. He described a self-help project for young recidivists currently funded by the DCS. The final paper proposes victim-offender mediation as a viable alternative for offender management, citing examples from the United States. It advocatesd extending the present caseload of the New South Wales community justice centers to include minor criminal offenses. Discussions which followed the presentations are summarized.