NCJ Number
221646
Date Published
2008
Length
738 pages
Annotation
This introductory textbook on corrections provides students with a practical understanding of current corrections operations, with a focus on descriptions of what is being done in correctional settings, why it is being done, and the challenges that face correctional staff and administrators.
Abstract
Part I of this five-part textbook reviews theories of crime and how society responded to crime before the 18th century. Also discussed are the development of correctional practices and the theories underlying various correctional approaches. In addition, chapters describe procedures that precede sentencing (pretrial diversion, bail, jail, and conviction), along with sentencing approaches and post sentencing processes for managing offenders. The chapters of part II address the features of the corrections enterprise, including jails and detention facilities, probation and intermediate sanctions, prisons, parole, and prisoner reentry. Part III focuses on the various categories of correctional clients, the offenses they commit, their distinctive needs, and the special circumstances they face in the course of completing their sentences. The categories of offenders discussed are male and female offenders, juvenile offenders, drug offenders, mentally ill offenders, elderly offenders, violent offenders, sex offenders, and offenders with serious infectious diseases. Part IV describes prison life from the perspectives of inmates and staff. Also discussed are how correctional administrators organize and manage prisons, how custody and treatment are provided, how legal rights of inmates have been developed and are managed, and how the death penalty is administered in the United States. In part V, the challenges facing directions now and in the future are identified and examined, including accreditation, privatization, staff diversity, overcrowding, tightening budgets, measures of program effectiveness, and political intervention. Chapters throughout the text include case studies, information on corrections careers, and real examples of situations that help students understand the practical aspects of working in corrections. Chapter summaries, review questions, endnotes, and a glossary and subject index