NCJ Number
136105
Journal
Prison Journal Volume: 71 Issue: 1 Dated: (Spring-Summer 1991) Pages: 77-92
Date Published
1991
Length
16 pages
Annotation
This article describes the preliminary phases of a study designed to explore the feasibility of establishing and managing a process for reducing prison overcrowding in New York City. This process would create a system-wide perspective in which joint responsibility would be accepted for the policies, programs, and processes that determine the size, composition, and outcomes of caseflow at different stages of the criminal justice process.
Abstract
New York City's correctional system has been involved since 1989 in the Intermediate Sanctions Project operated by the Center for Effective Public Policy in Washington, DC and sponsored by the Department of Justice's National Institute of Corrections and the State Justice Institute. Representatives from several municipal agencies participated in a series of national, regional, and on-site meetings with technical assistance experts to explore the potential for expansion and refinement of currently used intermediate sanctions for criminal offenders. In 1991, an 18-month pilot project, the New York City Criminal Sanctions Council, was established to test the feasibility of promoting more rational, systematic, and coordinated decisionmaking in the identification, adoption, implementation, and evaluation of effective strategies for controlling crime and the offender population. This article outlines the substantive issues involved in the CSC pilot program; possible response options including programs, policies and procedures, and technology; general impediments to change stemming from public opinion, professional attitudes, and information system deficiencies; preliminary information requirements; and adoption and implementation considerations. 11 notes and 9 references