Future of the Community Treatment of Offenders in Britain (From Coming Penal Crisis - A Criminological and Theological Exploration, P 137-151, 1980, A E Bottoms and Ronald H Preston, ed. - See NCJ-73802)

• NCJ Number: 73808
• Author(s): K Pease
• Date Published: 1980
• Length: 15 pages
• Sale Source: Scottish Academic Press Ltd
• Language: English
• Country: United Kingdom

Annotation

The influence of the rehabilitative ideal in British penal practice is expected to continue, while new trends such as noncustodial sentencing (e.g., fine and reparation) will grow in use.

Abstract

The rehabilitative ideal in the treatment of offenders is dead in theory but still expected to adversely influence penal policy in such matters as the inscrutability of the parole process and the use of discretion in deciding the length of imprisonment. However, there are trends toward a new model of penal policy which views the offender as the party responsible for the committed crime and recognizes the role of the penal system in meting out just punishment. The implementation of this new ideal will not result in harsher sentencing since imprisonment will no longer be justified by the need for treatment (as in the rehabilitative ideal). The use of noncustodial sentences (i.e., fines, community service orders, and reparation), which are more cost effective than imprisonment, will be preferred. However, even though the trend toward such measures as reparation is strong, their full use will involve restructuring the penal system to combine findings of guilt with the assessment of damages, which is not feasible in the near future. In the meantime, other means (such as insurance schemes) should be explored. Two notes are included.