NCJ Number
127291
Journal
Corrections Compendium Volume: 11 Issue: 1 Dated: (July 1986) Pages: 1,8-11
Date Published
1986
Length
4 pages
Annotation
A notorious case in Michigan, in which the killer of a police officer out of prison because of good-time and early-release laws killed another officer, has illuminated the problems inherent in these programs. Early release is often used to solve prison overcrowding, State budgetary shortfalls, and court interventions; 17 States have some form of power to release prisoners early.
Abstract
Many of these emergency powers derive from authority to reduce sentences without regard to behavior, and the pressure to use these powers as a means of relieving overcrowding is growing. Detractors of early release programs call them a cause of higher crime rates, while supporters claim that the recidivism rate for offenders given early release is equal to or lower than that of those released at the normal times. Interest in emergency release may wane across the country as a result of the Michigan incident. Some States use good time as a punishment, rather than a reward. Other jurisdictions have resorted to using "safety valve" systems that reduce sentences incrementally in order to reduce prison populations.