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Alternatives to Custody

NCJ Number
103976
Editor(s)
J Pointing
Date Published
1986
Length
213 pages
Annotation
Eleven papers describe and assess British programs that promise to reduce the number of offenders imprisoned.
Abstract
Some papers address direct alternatives to custody for offenders who have never been imprisoned but probably would have been except for the alternative program provided. Such programs include the Close Support Unit, which is a detention center for juveniles that provides intensive, community-based supervision intended to modify delinquent behavior, and the Driver Retraining Scheme, which is intended to prevent recidivism among juveniles convicted of 'taking and driving away' vehicles. Other programs reviewed are for previously incarcerated offenders who require planned intervention to help them avoid recidivism and another custodial sentence. Such programs include day centers that provide group activities and individual counseling for probationers and parolees, aftercare employment services, alcohol treatment programs, wilderness adventure weekends, and traditional probation services. All programs are empirically assessed, usually through interviews with staff and clients, to identify their benefits and shortcomings. The findings generally indicate that alternatives to incarceration do not promise a high degree of success in modifying offender behavior, but they do offer many benefits not characteristic of imprisonment and avoid many of its harms. Tabular data, notes, subject index, and 135-item bibliography. For individual papers, see NCJ 103977-103984.