NCJ Number
132851
Date Published
1991
Length
115 pages
Annotation
A Georgia program allowing judges to make 90 days in prison a special condition of probation was evaluated with respect to its operation and outcomes from its beginning in 1983 through 1998.
Abstract
The Special Alternative Incarceration (SAI) program was designed as an intermediate sanction between community supervision and prison. Its first phase was prison confinement featuring manual labor, rigorous physical conditioning, and military-style discipline; it differed in several respects from the State's more recent correctional boot camp program. The analysis focused on the incarceration rates, during a 3-year followup period, of the offenders completing the program between 1983 and 1986. In addition, site visits gathered information regarding the program's operation. Results showed a return-to-prison rate of 40.65 percent which was lower than the comparable rates for four regular inmate groups. The program is cost-effective and well accepted by the public, the media, and criminal justice professionals. Its problems could be resolved by eliminating the waiting list, strengthening the post-release followup, making more constructive use of offenders' time, simplifying the procedures for removing participants who are inappropriately placed, and other measures. Figures, tables, and 47 references