Prison Crowding - A Cross-National Study (From International Corrections - An Overview, P 17-25, 1987 - See NCJ-106200)

• NCJ Number: 106203
• Author(s): P Jenkins
• Date Published: 1987
• Length: 9 pages
• Sale Source: American Correctional Association
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

In response to severe prison overcrowding and an ever-growing inmate population, Great Britain and France have adopted sweeping policies of pardon and early parole.

Abstract

With the installation of the Mitterand government in 1981, France initiated massive correctional reforms including the abolishment of the guillotine, mass pardoning of offenders serving short terms, dismantling high-security units, closing outdated facilities, and improving facilities for juveniles. By 1985, prison populations were again expanding and the Chirac government began considering such policies as privatization, rather than deinstitutionalization, as a solution. Britain's response to overcrodwing included amnesty, the abolishment of imprisonment for offenders under 21, remission of up to 6 months, and the partial suspension of shorter sentences. In the United States, solutions to crowding have focused on increasing prison construction in the face of public attitudes emphasizing tougher crime control measures. 25 references.