NCJ Number
94428
Date Published
1984
Length
77 pages
Annotation
This hearing reviewed possible responses of the Federal Government to the problem of serious overcrowding in State prisons and local jails.
Abstract
While the court system is stretched to meet demands, the prisons are becoming more and more overcrowded and the crime rate is increasing. Career criminals commit a tremendous portion of the violent crimes in this country. A small group of career criminals commits more than 70 percent of the felonies. By aiming to remove 200,000 of these career criminals from the streets, the justice system can possibly reduce violent crime by 50 percent. New emphasis should be on rehabilitating juveniles and first and second offenders, while at the same time instituting mandatory minimum sentences for the multiple-offense career criminal. Public hearings comprise an important step in moving towards a solution. However, with the existing overcrowding, and with the special problems presented by a long-term incarceration, some State officials question this solution unless it is first preceded by an increase in prison housing. Another pretrial solution is uniform statewide probation services professionally run, with an emphasis on intensity of supervision. Under this format, probation officers would team up to supervise 25 clients who might otherwise be imprisoned. Thus, they would not have the almost unmanageable caseload of 100 to 150 cases of most probation officers, and their clients would avoid prison, freeing up space for offenders guilty of more serious offenses. Attachments accompany some of the prepared statements.