NCJ Number
150437
Date Published
1991
Length
19 pages
Annotation
This chapter uses the problem of prison overcrowding as the springboard for a discussion of nonincarcerative correction.
Abstract
The concept of "subincarcerative correction" is used to denote all the forms of correction that exist short of full- scale sentences to prison or jail. These include intensive supervision, house arrest, electronic monitoring, urine screening, fines, community service, halfway houses and work release centers, shock probation, and treatment programs. Some forms of subincarcerative correction are designed to change criminal and antisocial behavior, and others are designed primarily to provide supervision that will reduce the opportunity for offending during the supervisory period. A review of the research on the effectiveness of subincarcerative correction compared to institutionalization apparently shows that the results are similar for the same types of offenders. Further inquiry is required to assess the rationale for using nonincarcerative corrections. More information is needed about how and how well traditional programs work. Research that focuses on traditional supervision needs to specify types of offenders, types of interventions, and types of intervenors. Information that compares the relative success of various correctional approaches is also needed. Also, the public policy context of correction must be better understood. Most policymakers infer public values, but the few public surveys that have been done show the public to be far less punitive than is ordinarily believed.