NCJ Number
116783
Date Published
1989
Length
20 pages
Annotation
Prison overcrowding is a major problem facing corrections today, and, as a result, caps have been placed on prison populations.
Abstract
This has severely limited sentencing options, has created more stress in the correctional system, and has imperiled the public safety. The National Institute of Justice has done intensive research into a wide range of intermediate sanctions that expand the options judges have and that might help to provide the most appropriate and effective correctional environment for many offenders. Electronic monitoring of offenders under community supervision is now used in 33 States. Initial evaluations suggest that offenders successfully completing such programs range from 100 to 50 percent. Shock incarceration involves offenders in a military boot camp type environment that emphasizes military drills, physical training, and discipline. Because of the link between drug use and crime and because many offenders also are users, drug testing may provide an effective means of improving offender supervision. Intensive supervision programs serving higher risk offenders use lower officer-offender ratios and more frequent contacts, usually in combination with restitution or community service. Fines also provide a sanctioning option that could reduce prison and jail overcrowding. Finally, new facilities are needed, as are new approaches to their effective management.