NCJ Number
218111
Journal
European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research Volume: 12 Issue: 2 Dated: 2006 Pages: 143-164
Date Published
2006
Length
22 pages
Annotation
Supported as a European human rights instrument, this article examines the effectiveness of the reductionist penal policy.
Abstract
The different aspects of a reductionist penal policy are supported by several recommendations of the Council of Europe and by the standards of the Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT). After certain conditions are in place for a reductionist policy, a reduction in prison population may be achieved through either ‘front door strategies’ (i.e. limiting the input into prisons through decriminalization, limiting the use and length of remand custody and sentences of imprisonment, and an effective application of noncustodial sanctions and measures) or back door strategies, i.e. keeping detentions as short as possible and necessary and stimulating forms of early release of prisoners), preferably through a combination of both. In practice, detention rates in European countries vary greatly, and many countries have witnessed an increase in their prison population. References