NCJ Number
86168
Date Published
1981
Length
23 pages
Annotation
The Minnesota Community Corrections Act was evaluated with respect to its effect on social justice, which was defined as a combination of the appropriateness of sanctions imposed on offenders and the protection provided to the public.
Abstract
Data on adult offenders formed the basis of the development of indicators of public protection and appropriate sanctions and comparisons of these indicators with and without participation in the Community Corrections Act. For 9 of the 10 geographic areas analyzed, social justice was maintained. In no case did this result occur because of a gain for one group and an offsetting loss for another group. In the 10th geographic area, social justice increased as a result of an increase in the appropriateness of sanctions for offenders. The data available on juveniles were not sufficient for analyzing the concept of social justice. The raw data showed that the increases in arrest rates were greater than the decreases in commitment rates, but the arrest data were probably less reliable than the commitment data. It was concluded that the Community Corrections Act had had little impact on public protection or on the appropriateness of sanctions for offenders. Social justice has been maintained but not improved as a result of the act. Tables, figures, and one reference are included.