Critical Elements in the Planning, Development and Implementation of Successful211 Correctional Options

摘要

In the fall of 1995, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) reported that the211u001eNation's prisons and jails held nearly 1.6 million incarcerated inmates, compared 211u001ewith 1.5 million inmates in 1994. This correctional population explosion caught 211u001emany jurisdictions by surprise and found them ill equipped to handle the problem. 211u001eIn response, many States have begun and, in some cases, completed large-scale 211u001eprison and jail construction projects. However, this massive construction effort 211u001ehas not been able to keep pace with burgeoning correctional populations. As 211u001ecapital and operational costs soar in a correctional system that is continually 211u001eexpanding, correctional officials are recognizing the need for more effective and 211u001eless expensive approaches to sanction and supervise nonviolent offenders. 211u001eRecognizing this need, the U.S. Congress authorized the Correctional Options 211u001eAmendments to the Crime Control Act of 1990. With that authorization, the Bureau 211u001eof Justice Assistance (BJA) was charged with providing financial and technical 211u001eassistance to public agencies and nonprofit organizations for the development and 211u001eevaluation of cost-effective correctional options that reduce reliance on 211u001etraditional models of incarceration while enhancing the reintegration of 211u001enonviolent offenders into the community. These interventions include community-211u001ebased alternatives to incarceration, institution-based drug treatment or training 211u001eprograms, early release with intensive reentry services and supervision, or a 211u001ecombination of these and other programs.