NCJ Number
119083
Date Published
1988
Length
8 pages
Annotation
This paper discusses the practical correctional issues of overcrowding, AIDS, and public policy.
Abstract
Data indicate that virtually all countries have experienced an increase in prison populations and the number of offenders under supervision in recent years. Strategies for dealing with this problem vary. Some governments have allowed existing institutions to absorb the increases, thus risking the creation of inhumane prison conditions. Other governments have adopted programs to expand prison capacity by building new institutions or adapting existing facilities for correctional use. Other policies for dealing with prison overcrowding include the delayed scheduling of offenders' prison reporting dates, electronic monitoring to permit close surveillance of offenders in the community, and the use of sentencing guidelines to ensure the efficient and uniform use of sanctions. Another practical issue in corrections is AIDS in correctional institutions. Since groups at high-risk for AIDS are typically disproportionately represented in prisons, this presents problems of identifying who has the virus, testing inmates, developing preventive measures, and managing inmates with the virus. Another issue involves the public's conflicting and confused ideas about correctional goals. The public needs to be better informed about the possibilities and limitations of corrections.