NCJ Number
134901
Date Published
1990
Length
47 pages
Annotation
A questionnaire survey of European countries revealed that all European governments consider imprisonment to be a sanction that is costly and that has serious negative effects on prisoners and that therefore should not be used for offenders for whom an alternative to institutionalization would work as well.
Abstract
Consensus also exists that certain offenses and certain types of offenders deserve imprisonment. However, skepticism regarding the prison as a place of treatment has not become a part of formal criminal policy in almost every European country. The most common community-based sentences are probation and suspended or conditional incarceration with supervision or treatment as the condition. Community service as a separate sanction is a fairly recent European innovation. Fewer than half the countries use open, ambulant, or contract treatment. Deprivation of rights, removal of professional status, and suspension of driving or other licenses are other sanctions used. Noncustodial sanctions are expected to reduce correctional costs and recidivism and promote social reintegration, although it is not clear whether or not they have these benefits. Reference notes, tables, and descriptions of the use of work release in Hungary and community service orders in The Netherlands are included.