NCJ Number
82060
Date Published
1981
Length
20 pages
Annotation
The Citizens Crime Commission of New York City presents arguments for support of the 1981 Public Safety Bond Act, which would provide $350 million for construction of new State prisons and the renovation of existing ones.
Abstract
As of September 29, 1981, New York State prisons housed 24,798 inmates, about 9 percent over capacity. This expanding inmate population is largely the result of a new focus on the most predatory offenders, which has resulted in longer sentences and increased conviction rates for career criminals and violent felons. Opponents of the Public Safety Bond Act argue that prison populations should be reduced by expanding alternatives to institutionalization for nonviolent offenders. Statistics show, however, that in December 1980, 82 percent of the inmates were serving time for murder, assault, rape, robbery, and burglary (State law declares first and second degree burglary to be violent felony offenses.) Further, failure to imprison those who commit nonviolent offenses would involve sentencing discrimination favoring white-collar criminals over street criminals. Alternatives to imprisonment currently exist throughout the State. Data indicate that the State often does not imprison violent offenders because of overcrowding in the prisons. Further, studies by CUNY Researchers and Rand Corporation show that imprisoning offenders yields lower crime rates. Passing the bond issue will provide some breathing space for a criminal justice system which is plagued by too few resources and too many predators. If the bond is not passed, recent successful programs designed to incarcerate violent repeat offenders wll fail in the long term and the number of violent offenders in the community will probably increase. Twenty-five references are listed.