NCJ Number
138510
Journal
Crime and Delinquency Volume: 38 Issue: 3 Dated: (July 1992) Pages: 357-368
Date Published
1992
Length
12 pages
Annotation
This article examines the contributions of policy decisions to the current problem of prison overcrowding in Illinois, identifies policies implemented to counteract prison growth, and illustrates the use of projection technology to explore other policy alternatives.
Abstract
The past decade has witnessed a shift in initiatives designed to either increase or decrease prison population growth in Illinois: determinate sentencing, forced release, and the war on drugs. These recent shifts in criminal justice policies explain the growth in prison population by 4,719 inmates or 21 percent in fiscal year 1990. In response, State officials implemented alternative policies and programs to stabilize growth and minimize the need for more prisons. Several policy options are simulated: making residential burglary a probation offense, shortening community supervision terms (parole and mandatory supervised release), and expanding the use of meritorious good time. Other options include shortening the length of stay in prison and expanding the boot camp program. Projection technology can help determine who should go to prison and for how long by estimating policy impacts on future prison population levels and associated costs. 4 figures, 3 tables, and 3 references