NCJ Number
98546
Date Published
1984
Length
8 pages
Annotation
This paper identifies major issues facing corrections in the 1980's and into the 1990's and proposes approaches for addressing them.
Abstract
A recent survey of corrections professionals revealed a consensus on the major issues facing corrections: system overload; financial limitations; management issues; and external attitudes, demands, expectations, and support. The management issues pertain to maintaining control in volatile institutional populations where crowding exacerbates the potential for violence and institutional disturbances. Issues derived from external attitudes, demands, expectations, and support include judicial intervention in corrections management to try and reduce prison overcrowding, and public opinion and expectation that gives priority to imprisonment as a means of both incapacitating and changing offenders. One approach for addressing these issues is the creation of a broadened constituency for corrections. Constituency building should focus on the creation of laws which clearly define the purposes of corrections, prison overcrowding and public support for 'alternative punishments' such as restitution and community reparations, and other actions to reduce institutional overcorwding. These should include establishment of facility capacity limits, use of risk assessment instruments to distinguish between dangerous and nondangerous offenders for sentencing purposes, and repeal of mandatory sentences. Finally, financial limitations for corrections requires the exercise of cutback management involving the elimination of nonessential staff positions, more effective us of personnel, and establishment of incentive programs to cut costs in institutional operations.