Democratic Justice: The Responsiveness of Prison Population Size to Public Policy Preferences

• NCJ Number: 133371
• Author(s): S L Rhodes
• Date Published: 1990
• Length: 39 pages
• Grant Number(s): 84-IJ-C-0078
• Sponsoring Agency: National Institute of Justice (NIJ); US Dept of Justice NIJ Pub
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Reprinted from American Politics Quarterly, V 18, N 3 (July 1990), P 337-375.

Annotation

A multivariate analysis, comprised of a simultaneous equation model of prison admissions, releases, and capacity, using time series data from California in the period between 1946 and 1980, was used to test the impact of a number of exogenous factors, including public preference, on correctional policy outputs. California was chosen as the study subject because of its size and leadership in the field of corrections.

Abstract

Two indicators of public preferences, the proportion of the gubernatorial vote cast for the Republican Party candidate and the percentage of national poll respondents who favored the death penalty, suggest a significant effect on correctional policy outputs. According to the findings, prison population size was affected by demographic trends, particularly the growth in the male population, and by public policy interventions, specifically the Probation Subsidy Act in effect in the 1960's and 1970's. The increased political attention paid to the crime problem and its prominence as an election issue urges further research into this issue. 3 figures, 9 notes, and 59 references