1. The Future of
Corrections
Chapter 13

2. Dilemmas Facing Corrections
1. Mission
2. Methods
3. Structure
4. Personnel
5. Cost

3. Five Dilemmas Facing Corrections
 Mission
 Corrections lacks a clear mission
 Different clients
 Offenders, public, other government agencies
 Attempt to meet all expectations
 Must articulate a philosophy of corrections

4. Five Dilemmas Facing Corrections
 Methods
 Difficulty choosing between competing
methods
 Often do not seem to work
 Fads
 Fairness

5. Five Dilemmas Facing Corrections
 Structure
 Internally
 Divided against itself
 Externally
 Little formal capacity to control demand for
services

6. Discussion Question
Discuss the internal and external dilemmas that
face corrections. What is meant by corrections
being a process divided against itself?

7. Five Dilemmas Facing Corrections
 Personnel
 Attracting the right kind of people
 Low salaries
 Entry-level position
 Motivating currently employed to stay
 Collective bargaining
 Demoralization
 Assessment

8. Discussion Question
What if you were placed in charge of a
correctional institution that has been plagued
by a high turnover rate and under-educated
correctional staff? How would you go about
correcting this problem? How would you
attract more educated individuals who want
to excel and stay in the field?

9. Five Dilemmas Facing Corrections
 Costs
 Building
 Personnel
 Crowding
 Fiscal restraint
 Privatization

10. Discussion Question
Should cost be a factor in sentencing an
offender? What are the pros and cons of
taking costs into consideration?

11. Four Trends in the Correctional
System
 Evidence-Based Practice
 What works?
 Recidivism
 Evaluation
 Random field trial

12. Four Trends in the Correctional
System
 Techno-Corrections
 Electronic monitoring
 High-risk clients
 Drug-testing
 Eye-recognition
 Spatial monitoring
 Computer-aided decision making

13. Four Trends in the Correctional
System
 Falling Crime Rates
 Relationship is not straightforward
 Change in public opinion
 Opportunity for innovation and improvement

14. Discussion Question
Discuss the falling crime rates in society. What
policies could be implemented to address this
issue?

15. Four Trends in the Correctional
System
 Professionalization
 Academic discipline of criminal justice
 Journals
 Professional associations
 Consequences
 Higher standard
 A new voice

16. Three Challenges for the Future
of Corrections
 Challenge 1: Reinvigorate a New Correctional
Leadership
 Acting in ways that correctional clients see as
“legitimate”
 Maintaining safe, drug-free environments in prisons
and jails where staff and those confined inside can
stay “clean”
 Making management “transparent”

17. Three Challenges for the Future
of Corrections
 Challenge 2: Refocus Our Investments in What
Works
 Early prevention
 Risk-focused, evidence-based programs
 A national council on early prevention
 Local-level prevention
 Communities that care

18. Three Challenges for the Future
of Corrections
 Challenge 3: Reclaim the Moral and Ethical
High Road
 American punitiveness
 Harsher than other countries
 Health care
 Social costs

19. Discussion Question
What if you were placed in charge of a 78-year-
old correctional institution that has not been
renovated since its construction. You are
currently operating at 115% capacity and
have 23 less staff than the operational
manual suggests. What challenges do you
face? How do you fix these?

20. Changing Corrections: A Final View
 Government Agencies
 National Institute of Corrections
 National clearinghouse of information about
correctional practices
 Source of technical assistance to local and state
correctional agencies that wish to upgrade their
practices
 Training operation, both basic and advanced, open
to any correctional employee

21. Changing Corrections: A Final View
 Professional Associations
 American Correctional Association
 Lobbyist
 American Probation and Parole Association
 Organization

22. Discussion Question
Discuss whether the future of corrections looks
promising. Take into consideration what has
been explained in this text. What direction
does corrections appear to be heading?
Rehabilitation? Get tough? Medical Model?
What direction do you think it should go?