NCJ Number
105677
Date Published
1986
Length
41 pages
Annotation
This 1986 report of the Connecticut Prison and Jail Overcrowding Commission reviews the status of implemented commission recommendations for reducing prison and jail overcrowding in the State.
Abstract
A significant number of existing programs either reduce the number of persons incarcerated or provide additional correctional bed space. The alternatives to incarceration address a variety of clients at both the pretrial and postrelease stages, saving more than 2,000 bed spaces daily. These programs involve expanded release on bail, supervised pretrial release and temporary shelter, the expanded use of halfway houses, supervised home release, bail review in correction centers, and the expansion of the alternative-sentence-planning capability available to public defenders. After reviewing progress in facility expansion at various sites, the report reviews the implementation of emergency release legislation, which provides for an orderly release of inmates when specified inmate populations are exceeded. Recommendations for continued reductions in prison and jail overcrowding focus on facility construction, expanded use of halfway houses, resources for alternative probation programs, intensive probation, and funding increases for a network of community-based offender services agencies.