Chapter 5 Intermediate Sanctions

Alternatives to incarceration Operated by probation/parole agencies No need to create new bureaucracies More punitive than traditional community supervision Most are cheaper than imprisonment Community-based treatment more effective

Logic of Intermediate Sanctions 1)Increase incapacitation, retribution, deterrence 2)Increase offenders’ sense of responsibility via demands for employment, self-discipline 3)More treatment and educational resources available in community – higher success rates 4)Restitution more easily provided 5)Avoid the negative influences of the prison 6)Less cost; more space for serious offenders

Graduated Sanctions Punishment/intrusiveness of community supervision increased slowly if offender fails to cooperate Reduces recidivism, revocation, at least among drug offenders Increasingly popular

Types of Sanctions Limited only by official creativity, initiative Front door: Prior to prison Back door: Early release from prison Restitution/community xervice Intensive supervision Home confinement/electronic monitoring Ignition interlock systems

Types of Sanctions (continued) Day reporting centers Transitional facilities Split sentences Correctional bootcamps Therapeutic communities –The only alternative sanction oriented primarily to “treatment”

Restitution and Community Service Required for over 30% of probationers –Most common alternative sanction Repopularized by victims, restorative justice Can be combined with mediation Restitution centers: semi–secure dormitories with transportation to job sites Community service used when society is victim

Perpetual Incarceration Machine Increased emphasis on fees, fines, restitution Popular demands for retribution Dominance of new penology’s cost- efficient orientation Increases frustration, failure among impoverished offenders

Intensive Supervision Programs (ISPs) Designed for high-risk offenders 2–4 times more monthly contacts with parole officer Increases revocation/recidivism rates through greater scrutiny Most effective when combined with intensive counseling Usually employed for punishment, public safety

Home Confinement and Electronic Monitoring Technology enforces strict curfew Work, therapy, basic errands only No adverse impacts on mental health Weekly schedule approved by officer Monitoring usually via phone by private contractor Quality varies with contractor, client selection

Ignition Interlock Systems Used with drunk driving offenders Checks alcohol content of breath before car can be started Random checks after car is put in gear with some units Usually supplied by private contractors Usually paid for by offender

Day Reporting Centers Structured, monitored environment for unemployed offenders Service (job counselors, educators, therapists) visit or work at center Offenders leave only for medical care, job interviews Use limited by location problems

Transitional Facilities Halfway Houses –Non-secure facility –Living quarters and use of phone Work Release Centers –Less secure than minimum security prison Both provide control intermediate between prison and parole

Split Sentences or Shock Probation Brief incarceration followed intensive supervision in community Seeks deterrence without adverse effects of imprisonment Costly, little impact on recidivism Often utilize bootcamps

Correctional Boot Camps Modeled on military, stress discipline Success → ISP Failure → Prison Popular with public and politicians No effect on recidivism unless treatment emphasis is added Costlier than prison Many problems with physical, sexual abuse

Therapeutic Communities Residential treatment facilities Intensive, use variety of therapies Most common for drug/alcohol offenders High drop-out rate but recidivism rare among graduates Length of treatment critical to success rate Costs roughly equal prison but stay often shorter

Effectiveness of Intermediate Sanctions Each sanction addresses different goals Cost efficiency requires use with offenders who would otherwise be imprisoned Most common use is to make community supervision more punitive This addresses demands for greater retribution but is not cost efficient

Dangers of Intermediate Sanctions Growing “culture of surveillance” –Americans already the most closely monitored people in world Expanding the net of social control –The easier it is to supervise people, the more people placed under supervision –A financial and moral issue

Dangers (continued) Discriminatory use –Net widening impacts least powerful –Wealthy more able to avoid prison Control enhanced at expense of treatment Impact on third parties Risk reduction versus cost management Opportunity costs: would resources be better used in other ways?