NCJ Number
191238
Journal
Prison Journal Volume: 81 Issue: 3 Dated: September 2001 Pages: 299-312
Date Published
September 2001
Length
14 pages
Annotation
Based on presentations given at a roundtable entitled "Corrections and Sentencing in the 21st Century," held at the 2000 annual meeting of the Division on Corrections and Sentencing of the American Society of Criminology, this article reviews the changes that have occurred in U.S. corrections and sentencing philosophy in the past 30 years and discusses the evolving philosophy as corrections moves into the 21st century.
Abstract
As is evident from the roundtable papers presented in this journal issue, a certain amount of tension exists in contemporary corrections and sentencing. On one hand, the professional philosophy has moved from one of "nothing works" to an examination of "what works." "Evidence-based corrections" focuses on the use of science to understand and answer questions about the effectiveness of programs; however, policies and decisions are not always made on the basis of the best scientific evidence, as one paper on the future of supermax confinement shows. This paper finds little scientific support for the use of such confinement. Many policies, programs, and decisions in corrections and sentencing do not have a basis in scientific evidence. Some people advocate policies of incapacitation and deterrence; others focus on rehabilitation. There is apparently a general acceptance that changing the behavior and attitudes of offenders is the goal of corrections, but policymakers and managers differ on how this change can be achieved. Today, advocates of rehabilitation accept the evidence that treatment can be effective when people are coerced. Many of the new treatment and management strategies, such as drug courts and parole and probation supervision, combine criminal justice system oversight with rehabilitation programs, so offenders are coerced into treatment, and their progress is monitored under the threat of sanctions. 43 references