NCJ Number
182214
Journal
Social Policy Volume: 30 Issue: 1 Dated: Fall 1999 Pages: 50-54
Date Published
1999
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This article describes educational programs as alternatives to incarceration for some offenders.
Abstract
With both costs and prison populations continuing to rise, society has a compelling need to find alternatives to incarceration that are effective and save money. One possible solution would be to target education instead of incarceration programs at offenders aged 18 to 25, offering them solid education and career opportunities instead of the “school of rage and criminal thinking” that they receive behind bars. The first year of the program would be spent earning a GED or HSED, if necessary, with the next 3 or 4 years at a technical school or State university in a program of the offenders’ choice. They would live in housing owned by the State Department of Corrections specifically for program members. The Department would cover all expenses and specially trained probation agents would monitor program participants, who could move about the community and hold part-time jobs, as long as they received acceptable grades. Once the offender successfully completed the program, the crime for which he or she was convicted would be wiped from the record. Should an offender commit any crime--no matter how minor--during the program or intentionally fail in school, the stayed sentence of the maximum time would automatically be imposed.