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vi CONTENTS
Unjust Punishment 52
Sentencing Disparity 52
focus on correctional policy
Politics and Sentencing: The Case of Crack Cocaine 53
Wrongful Conviction 53
focus on correctional technology
DNA Testing of Evidence 54
Summary 55
P ART
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CONTENTS vii
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viii CONTENTS
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CONTENTS ix
P ART
3
Institutional Corrections 139
Chapter 6 Prisons 140
Links to the Past 142
focus on correctional technology
Combating Inmate Cell Phone Use 144
The Goals of Incarceration 144
Prison Systems 145
The Federal Prison System 146
State Prison Systems 147
The Design and Classification of Prisons 148
Today’s Designs 149
The Location of Prisons 150
The Classification of Prisons 151
Private Prisons 152
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x CONTENTS
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CONTENTS xi
P ART
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xii CONTENTS
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CONTENTS xiii
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xiv CONTENTS
Costs 342
Glossary 357
Index 363
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PREFACE
This is the third edition of American Corrections in Brief. We wrote this text in order
to offer faculty who have used American Corrections, now in its eleventh edition, a
briefer, more applied corrections text that lives up to the authors’ rigorous standards
for scholarship and state-of-the-art coverage. This text is designed to thoroughly intro-
duce students to the dynamics of the corrections system without overwhelming them,
in a format that students will find exciting and that will encourage them to achieve at
a higher level.
We developed American Corrections in Brief to be not simply an abridged version
of American Corrections but to be a whole new book. This third edition strengthens
what teachers found most useful in the first two editions and reworks some of the ma-
terial to provide more complete topical coverage of the field of corrections. The result
is, we think, an American Corrections in Brief that offers exceptional coverage of the
field in a format that is accessible, applied, and richly informed by scholars, reviewers,
and adopters like yourself.
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xvi PREFACE
suggestions for change. We believe that when human freedom is at stake, policies must
reflect research and be formulated only after their potential effects have been carefully
considered. In other words, we hope that any changes we inspire will be good ones. We
also hope that a new generation of students will gain a solid understanding of all the
aspects of their complex field.
In learning about corrections, students gain a unique understanding of how social
and political forces affect the way that organizations and institutions respond to a par-
ticular segment of the community. They learn that social values come to the fore in the
correctional arena because the criminal sanction reflects those values. They also learn
that in a democracy, corrections must operate not only within the framework of law
but also within the boundaries set by public opinion. Thus, as a public activity, correc-
tions is accountable to elected representatives, but it must also compete politically with
other agencies for resources and “turf.”
Two key assumptions run throughout the book. One is about the nature of correc-
tions as a discipline; the other concerns the best way to analyze correctional practices:
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PREFACE xvii
and prison management (Chapter 8). Chapter 9 is devoted to the developing recogni-
tion of the unique correctional needs of the various groups of people managed within
the correctional context, indicating a greater willingness of correctional officials to ad-
dress new realities Taken together, Parts Two and Three offer a succinct yet compre-
hensive introduction to the development, structure, and methods of each area of the
existing corrections system, portraying them in light of the continuing issues described
in Part One of the text.
Part Four, “Correctional Issues,” is unique to this text in that we examine a number
of cutting-edge issues and trends that are at the forefront of correctional discussions.
These issues have been chosen because of their currency and focus. They present di-
lemmas for correctional researchers and administrators who are trying to deal with
problems that are new to the system. Chapter 10 describes the great expansion of the
number of incarcerated offenders reentering the community and the current efforts to
more effectively manage those offenders who struggle with adjustment, short of rein-
carceration. Chapter 11 deals with legal issues surrounding prisoners’ rights as well as
the law with regard to the death penalty. This chapter, perhaps more than any other, il-
lustrates the dynamic nature of the law. Prisoners’ rights is far from being a settled area,
as new and interesting questions are periodically taken up by the courts. For example,
although the use of lethal injections is lawful, certain chemicals used in the process may
not be. This question is now on the calendar of the U.S. Supreme Court. Chapter 12
offers an expanded treatment of juveniles, drawing lessons from long-standing reform
movements that have been taking place in that arena. In Chapter 13, “The Future of
Corrections,” we take both a retrospective view of American corrections and a view
toward its future. These chapters are designed to raise questions in the minds of readers
so that they can begin to grapple with important issues.
Chapter 1—What Is Corrections? starts with a new chapter introduction updated with
current statistics and correctional trends. One emerging trend, private prisons, is in-
troduced here. This chapter also discusses evidence-based corrections and justice rein-
vestment as two movements that may indicate a new era in correctional policy. Lastly,
we have updated the Focus on Correctional Practice box (“Two States Struggle with
Mass Incarceration: Texas and California”) with more recent data.
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xviii PREFACE
Chapter 3—Jails: Corrections at the Local Level includes several new topics, such as the
debate over private jails and the declining populations and changing gender mix in jails.
There are two new boxes: the Focus on Correctional Policy box (“California Turns to
Its Jails to Deal with Crowding”) and a Do the Right Thing box, which takes a look at
“pay to stay” programs in jails. The Careers in Corrections box (“Correctional Officer—
Local Jails”) has been updated to include the most current earnings information.
Chapter 6—Prisons picks up the discussion of private prisons from Chapter 1 and
explains more about this controversial trend.
Chapter 7—The Prison Experience has a new Focus on Correctional Practice box
(“Prison Commissary Items”) and an updated “The Prison Economy” section.
Chapter 10—Reentry into the Community begins with a new chapter-opening vignette
concerning the former governor of Virginia, Robert McDonnell, who was found guilty
of public corruption. We elaborate more on release mechanisms, including the trend of
prisoners maxing out, and have a fuller discussion of revocation.
Chapter 11—Legal Issues and the Death Penalty more thoroughly examines the issues
experienced by women in prisons, specifically the controversy concerning the shackling
of female prisoners while they are in active labor and/or during delivery; this practice
has Eighth Amendment challenges. There is a new section titled Lethal Injections–Are
They Painless? This section addresses the most recent debate about the effectiveness of
particular drugs used in lethal injection executions.
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PREFACE xix
Special Features
Several features make this book an especially interesting introduction to corrections:
■■ Focus On: In this feature, the real-world relevance of the issues discussed in the
text is made clear by vivid, in-depth accounts by correctional workers, journal-
ists, prisoners, parolees, and the relatives of those who are in the system. American
Corrections in Brief includes three types of Focus boxes: Correctional Technology,
Correctional Policy, and Correctional Practice. Each box provides an example of the
focus and presents critical-thinking questions for analysis and discussion. Focus on
Correctional Technology presents examples of the use of contemporary technologies
such as the use of “telemedicine” in prisons found in Chapter 7. Focus on Correc-
tional Policy in Chapter 5 examines policies to meet current challenges such as deal-
ing with people convicted of drug offenses. Focus on Correctional Practice describes
contemporary practices such as the experience of a young offender’s experience in
jail (Chapter 3). We believe that students will find that the material in each Focus
box enhances their understanding of the chapter topic. Instructors will find that the
Focus boxes will provoke class discussion that will enhance the text.
■■ Myths in Corrections: This feature contrasts popular beliefs about corrections with
the reality as presented by research findings. One of the big challenges for people
who teach about corrections is that students come in with preconceptions that are
often inaccurate. By showing that “the facts” can counter commonly held percep-
tions, we make it possible for teachers to point out other areas where commonly
held opinion is not necessarily completely correct.
■■ Careers in Corrections: In appropriate chapters, students will find one or more boxes
in which a particular occupation is described. The material includes the nature of the
work, required qualifications, earnings, and job outlook, plus a source for further
information.
■■ Do the Right Thing: Correctional workers are often confronted with ethical dilem-
mas. In these boxes we present a scenario in which an ethical question arises. We
then ask students to examine the issues and consider how they would act in such a
situation. The scenarios have been developed to encourage students to grapple with
the “right thing” and to provide the basis of a writing assignment.
■■ Glossary: One goal of an introductory course is to familiarize students with the ter-
minology of the field. We have avoided jargon in the text but include terms that are
commonly used in the field. Such indispensable words and phrases are set in bold
type, and the term and its definition have been placed in the margin. A full glossary
with definitions of all terms is located at the back of the book.
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xx PREFACE
■■ Graphics: We have created tables and figures that clarify and enliven information so
that it can be perceived easily and grasped accurately.
■■ Integrated Learning Objectives and Other Student Aids: At the beginning of each
chapter is an outline of the topics to be covered, followed by the learning objectives
mentioned above. These tools are designed to guide students as they progress through
the chapter. At the end of each chapter, students will find a summary (again, keyed to
the learning objectives) as well as discussion questions and a list of key terms.
■■ The death penalty: The introduction in the 1970s of lethal injection as an execution
method has resulted in a flurry of court cases challenging this approach as a viola-
tion of the cruel and unusual punishment clause of the Eighth Amendment to the
Constitution. In 2008 this claim was examined by the U.S. Supreme Court, which
ruled in Baze v. Rees that attorneys for the death row inmates had not proven that
lethal injection was in conflict with the amendment. However, the last word on this
issue seems not to have been spoken, as botched executions continue to command
headlines and new cases enter the judicial system. Because an ever-increasing number
of death row inmates are being released when new evidence shows that they were er-
roneously convicted, the use of the death penalty will continue to be a major source
of debate among legislators, scholars, and correctional officials.
■■ Incarceration trends: Although rates of violent crime have dropped to 1970 levels,
the incarceration rate remains high. Today, however, there is an emerging consensus
that incarceration rates are too high and policy makers should find ways to reduce
the number of people behind bars. Advocates on both the left and the right are now
urging states to find ways to begin to cut down on the number of prisoners. As
almost half the states now experience small reductions in prison populations, there
will be ripple effects throughout the corrections system. These issues are discussed in
Chapter 1 and elsewhere throughout the book.
■■ Reentry: Each year approximately 700,000 offenders are released from prison and
returned to their communities. Disturbingly, in some states recidivists make up the
largest group of new admissions to prison. In response, assisting felons in the reentry
process has become a major focus of correctional policy. The problems encountered
by parolees as they adjust to the community are dealt with extensively in Chapter 10.
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PREFACE xxi
Public statements by former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and the development of
programs within the U.S. Justice Department’s Office of Justice Programs have spurred
this thrust. Probation and parole officers are encouraged to make decisions based on
methods that have been shown to be effective by well-designed research methods.
■■ Correctional law: Beginning in the 1970s, the U.S. Supreme Court started devel-
oping an extensive case law designed to uphold the rights of probationers, prison-
ers, and parolees. Many of these decisions were in response to the prisoners’ rights
movement, which directed attention to the conditions of confinement in many penal
institutions. Although the Court has not been as active in developing new laws dur-
ing the past decade, prisoners continue to bring cases that challenge aspects of their
incarceration.
■■ Private prisons: Since the advent of private prisons in the 1970s, questions have been
raised about whether they are more cost-effective than public prisons. Until recently,
research on this question has been lacking. As states deal with severe budgetary
problems, the future of private prisons is uncertain.
■■ The prison experience: Prison gangs have been a major problem in some corrections
systems for some time. Different strategies have been developed to deal with these
gangs. Prison rape is also an issue that has brought a national spotlight on inmate
safety. New evidence provides national estimates on the prevalence of sexual vio-
lence in prisons and how correctional officials handle victimization reports.
Ancillary Materials
Cengage Learning provides a number of supplements to help instructors use American
Corrections in Brief in their courses and to aid students in preparing for exams. Supple-
ments are available to qualified adopters. Please consult your local Cengage Learning
sales representative for details.
To access additional course materials, please visit www.cengagebrain.com. At the
CengageBrain.com home page, search for the ISBN of your title (from the back cover of
your book) using the search box at the top of the page. This will take you to the prod-
uct page where these resources can be found.
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xxii PREFACE
manual is available for download on the password-protected website and can also be
obtained by e-mailing your local Cengage Learning representative.
ONLINE TEST BANK Each chapter of the test bank contains questions in multiple-
choice, true/false, completion, essay, and critical-thinking formats, with a full answer
key. The test bank is coded to the learning objectives that appear in the main text, ref-
erences to the section in the main text where the answers can be found, and Bloom’s
taxonomy. Finally, each question in the test bank has been carefully reviewed by
experienced criminal justice instructors for quality, accuracy, and content coverage.
The Test Bank is available for download on the password-protected website and can
also be obtained by e-mailing your local Cengage Learning representative.
ONLINE POWERPOINT® LECTURES Helping you make your lectures more engag-
ing while effectively reaching your visually oriented students, these handy Microsoft
PowerPoint slides outline the chapters of the main text in a classroom-ready presenta-
tion. The PowerPoint slides are updated to reflect the content and organization of the
new edition of the text and feature some additional examples and real-world cases for
application and discussion. Available for download on the password-protected instruc-
tor companion website, the presentations can also be obtained by e-mailing your local
Cengage Learning representative.
Acknowledgments
Ours has been a collective effort in which drafts of each chapter were reviewed by at
least one other author, revised, and then set out to review by a group of criminal justice
faculty who teach at a range of colleges and universities. These reviewers were enthu-
siastic about the project and gave us helpful advice on the text’s organization and con-
tent. We hope that this book reflects our enthusiasm for our field and the satisfaction
we have found in it.
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PREFACE xxiii
Todd R. Clear
[email protected]
Michael D. Reisig
[email protected]
Carolyn Petrosino
[email protected]
George F. Cole
University of Connecticut
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1
P A R T
The Correctional
Corrections in
Context
the Community
Chapter 1
What Is Corrections?
Chapter 2
The Punishment
of Offenders
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1
What Is
Corrections?
Something remarkable is happening in statistic applying to the United States. In
American corrections. For over 40 years— other words, nothing else in contemporary
longer than most readers of this book have U.S. history has grown the way corrections
been alive—the corrections system has has grown.
been growing. Between 1973 and 2010, the The expansion of imprisonment illus-
corrections system grew more than six-fold, trates these changes. In 1973, when the
a faster rate of growth than any other social current increase in the number of people in
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After reading this chapter you should be able to . . .
Learning Objectives
1 Describe the growth of the U.S. 5 Distinguish the basic assumptions
corrections system in the last of the penitentiary systems of
40 years and discuss at least three Pennsylvania and New York.
issues raised by that growth.
6 Discuss the elements of the
2 Define the systems framework and Cincinnati Declaration.
explain why it is useful.
7 Understand the reforms advocated
3 Name the various components of by the Progressives.
the corrections system today and
describe their functions. 8 Discuss the forces and events that led
to the present crime control model.
4 Discuss what we can learn from
the “great experiment of social 9 Describe the changes that are going
control.” on today and why they are important.
prison first started, the prison incarceration At first, for most of the 1970s, this
rate was 96 per 100,000 Americans. For the growth was caused by rising rates of crime.
next 37 years, the number of prisoners in- But the prison population growth contin-
creased—during periods when crime went ued during the 1980s, when crime rates
up, but also during periods when crime de- stabilized, and continued to grow through-
clined; during good economic times and out the 1990s, even though crime rates
bad; during times of war and times of peace. fell between 1993 and 2008 by more than
3
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(continued from previous page)
●● American Corrections Today
50 percent.1 Since 1990, the swelling prison
●● The Purpose of population seems to be entirely the result of
Outline
Corrections
tougher criminal justice policies rather than
●● A Systems Framework for changes in crime rates.2 (See “Myths in Correc-
Studying Corrections
tions: High U.S. Crime Rates.”)
Goals
Interconnectedness In 2008 the U.S. imprisonment rate reached
Environment 506 per 100,000. Correctional budgets had
Feedback
grown by over 600 percent during that 35-year
Complexity
period. Today, almost 3,000 people are on death
●● The Corrections System
row,3 and another 140,000 are serving life sen-
Today
tences.4 Counting prisons and jails, more than
●● The History of Corrections
2.2 million Americans are incarcerated, making
in America
The Colonial Period the total incarceration almost 700 per 100,000
The Arrival of the Penitentiary residents, a stunning 1 percent of all adults.
The Reformatory Movement
Corrections in the Twentieth Century
Where Are We Today?
●● The Correctional Challenge
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CHAPTER 1 What Is Corrections? 5
5
Number of sentenced offenders (millions)
3
Probation
Prison
1
Parole
Jail
1980 1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014
Year
Figure 1.1
Correctional Populations in the United States, 1980–2013
Although the increase in prison population receives the most publicity, a similar level of correctional growth has
occurred in probation and parole.
Sources: Latest data available from the Bureau of Justice Statistics correctional surveys, www.ojp.usdoj.gov: Annual Survey of Jails,
Annual Parole Survey, Annual Probation Survey, National Prisoner Statistics Population Midyear Counts, Correctional Populations in
the United States, 2013.
since the 1970s. And even though many states had reductions in the number of prisoners, the
overall prison population grew in half the states.
So, while something remarkable is going on in the American corrections system,
whether we are seeing a brand-new trend or just a slowing down of the old one is yet to
be determined. Either way, by any measure, the U.S. corrections system has seen a sus-
tained period of extraordinary, steady growth for more than a generation. This is some-
thing that has never happened before in the United States or anywhere else (see “Focus
on Correctional Policy: The Great Experiment in Social Control”). Unless something
changes, it has been estimated that almost 7 percent of people born in 2001—teenagers
today—will go to prison at some time during their lives.9
Today, a chorus of voices debates the wisdom of the large corrections system. Both
liberals and conservatives rightfully worry that the expansion of corrections has affected
some groups more than others. Nearly one-third of all African American men in their twen-
ties are under some form of correctional control, and one in six African American males
has been in prison.10 Americans of all political stripes also share a concern that the costs
of corrections, more than $70 billion per year, are out of line. Prison budgets—by far the
most expensive portion of the overall penal system—grow even when money for education
and others services lag. Probation caseloads and daily jail populations have also grown,
and they obviously cost money, as well. With growing public concern about the quality of
schools and health care, people of all political persuasions are tempted to ask if so much
money is needed for corrections. This is especially true during a period when budget deficits
loom large in most states. Political leaders are particularly leery about continuing to invest
in what many, especially conservatives, see as a system that is not as effective as it ought to
be.11 As crime continues to go down, more and more people wonder if we need so many
fellow citizens under correctional control.
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6 part 1 The Correctional Context
More than two out of every five Americans are under some form of
correctional supervision. Most of them live among us in the community.
David R. Frazier Photolibrary, Inc./Alamy
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CHAPTER 1 What Is Corrections? 7
Most of you reading this were born after 1972. Indeed, nearly control came about as people grew ever more exasperated
half of the U.S. population was born after 1972. For members with crime and disorder, and a multitude of changes in sen-
of this group, it is entirely “normal” to see the populations of tencing and correctional practices came together to make
Americans in prison, in jail, and under correctional supervi- correctional populations grow, whether crime rates rose
sion increase every year. For their entire lives, they have seen or not.
corrections grow in good economic times and bad, during Yet why this punitiveness occurred is far less interest-
periods of rising crime and of dropping crime, while the ing than what its results have been. Over the coming years,
“baby boom” generation (Americans born between 1946 researchers, scholars, and intellectuals will begin to try to
and 1964) hit their twenties and thirties—the peak crime- understand what we have learned from this great experiment.
prone age—and clogged the criminal justice system. The effects of the great experiment in social control
The large and growing correctional populations that fall into three broad areas. First and foremost, there is the
seem so normal have not always been so. From 1900 until question of crime: How has the growth in the corrections
about 1970, U.S. prison populations were quite stable, hov- system affected rates of crime? Because so many factors
ering between 90 and 120 inmates per 100,000 citizens. affect crime, it is not easy to isolate the effects of a growing
After nearly 40 years of steady growth, the rate of incarcera- corrections system from other factors, such as the economy
tion is now five times as high as where it started. By 2010, or times of war. Researchers who have tried to do so reach
the number of prisoners reached the highest point in U.S. divergent conclusions, but even the most conservative
history—and the highest in the world. Further, at no other scholars of the penal system now seem to agree that further
time in history, here or elsewhere, has a 35-year growth in growth will have little impact on crime. 14 Others note that
prisoners occurred. because the crime rate today is about the same as it was in
We might call this phenomenon the “great experiment the early 1970s, when the penal system began to grow, it is
in social control,” for it has defined a generation of Americans not likely that the effects of the corrections system on crime
who have witnessed the greatest expansion in government have been large.15
control ever undertaken by a democratic state.13 Research- A second category of effects is social. Here, there is a
ers have tried to explain the sources of this growth in the growing worry that a large corrections system—especially
U.S. corrections system. Some of it is caused by increases in a large prison system—damages families and communities
crime, just as some is caused by the increased effectiveness and increases racial inequality.16 For example, it is estimated
of criminal justice at apprehending, arresting, and convicting that more than 1.5 million children have parents in prison.
criminals. But mostly this experiment has to do with changes How does that experience affect their life chances? And
in punishment policy. In the United States the chances of a what does it mean to have more than one in four African
felon getting a prison sentence instead of probation have American males end up in prison?
increased steadily for several decades, to the point where
the chance of getting a probation sentence is now a fraction
of what it used to be. Not only are more felons being sent to
Critical Thinking
prison rather than receiving probation; the amount of time 1. How does a large penal system affect the pursuit
they face in prison has increased as well. of justice?
Some scholars have tried to explain the unprecedented 2. Is it right to have people who break the law end
punitiveness of the late-twentieth-century U.S. policy. They up being sanctioned in the way that America
discuss the importance of American politics and culture, and punishes them?
they expressly point to the effects of two decades of the 3. Have we become a more just society as a result
“war on drugs.” Simply put, the policy experiment in social of this great experiment in social control?
Copyright 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).
Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.
8 part 1 The Correctional Context
Copyright 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).
Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.
CHAPTER 1 What Is Corrections? 9
State Prison
19.8% Jails
Parole 10.6%
12.2% Federal prison
2.6%
F I GU R E 1 . 2
Percentage of People in Each Category
of Correctional Supervision
Probation Although most people think of corrections as prisons and
54.8% jails, about two-thirds of offenders are in fact supervised
within the community.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs,
December 2014.
A Systems Framework
for Studying Corrections
Corrections is every bit as complex and challenging as the society in which we live.
Having a framework will help you sort out the complex, multidimensional nature of
corrections. In this book we use the concept of the corrections system as a framework
for study. A system is a complex whole consisting of interdependent parts whose op- system
erations are directed toward common goals and are influenced by the environment A complex whole consisting
in which they function. For example, interstate highways make up a transportation of interdependent parts
whose operations are
system. directed toward common
Students of criminal justice are used to thinking of it as a system that deals with crime. goals and are influenced by
The various components of criminal justice—police, prosecutors, courts, corrections— the environment in which
are seen as integral parts of that system. Corrections functions within that system as they function.
a set of operations that processes people who have been accused of or convicted of
crimes. But what does this term really mean? Can the systems concept also be used as
a framework for the study of corrections? To answer this question, we outline some of
the important elements of the system and apply them to corrections.
Goals
Corrections is certainly a complicated web of processes that, ideally, serve the goals of fair
punishment and community protection. These twin goals—punishment and protection—
not only define the purpose of corrections but also serve as a criterion by which we
evaluate correctional work. Correctional activities make sense when they seem to
punish offenders fairly and offer some community protection.
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Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.
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