NCJ Number
81721
Date Published
1980
Length
13 pages
Annotation
Using a structured group exercise as a format, the development of recommendations for expedient and effective alternatives to building more prisons is explored.
Abstract
The setting presented is that of a State where the prison population is rapidly escalating; crime rates are rising in all offense categories, with the greatest increase in serious crimes; there is considerable media criticism of current correctional policy and public pressure for more prisons and incarceration, the legislature is fiscally conservative with respect to social programs, and there is more support for building new prisons than major expansion of nonprison alternatives; the executive branch supports the building of new prisons; and the prison system is being reorganized, with a new team coming in for the second time in 2 years. The group is directed to consider itself a committee asked by the legislature to recommend a course of action for corrections other than building new prisons. Based upon a review of what other States have tried, the recommendation areas are narrowed to (1) reducing current prison population through such short-term measures as conditional or unconditional early release; (2) creating nonincarcerative programs for defendants and offenders at every stage of criminal justice processing; (3) monitoring the flow of persons through the criminal justice system to control the use of incarceration; (4) limiting commitment levels through restrictions on new commitments to prison; and (5) changing the sentencing structure to reduce the use of prisons. For each of these recommendation areas, examples of programs are listed, along with strengths and weaknesses of the overall recommendation strategy. Directions are given for the group planning task, including the provision of a report form and an optional tally sheet. The group is then left to select no more than two recommendation areas to be included in the report.