NCJ Number
146052
Date Published
1994
Length
394 pages
Annotation
Focusing on current major problems and proposed solutions in corrections in the United States, this volume examines prison crowding, high recidivism rates, AIDS in correctional facilities, difficulties associated with the increasing numbers of elderly and female inmates, alternatives to incarceration, and many other issues and the efforts to address them.
Abstract
The analysis focuses on the historical and ideological background, the current nature of the most serious problems in the United States correctional system, and the use of deterrence and rehabilitation in efforts to change offenders. The text critically examines reform initiatives, including intensive supervision programs, house arrest, electronic monitoring, day fines, community service programs, restitution, prison boot camps (shock incarceration), and privatization in corrections. Capital punishment is also discussed with respect to its rationales, current status, effects, public attitudes, and probable future. Public attitudes toward corrections, the importance of public knowledge as a force in the development of effective correctional policy, and probable future trends in correctional policies are also examined. Summaries of recent research, profiles of specific correctional programs and reform initiatives, chapter notes, and index