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North Carolina's Prison System: Is the Crisis Corrected?

NCJ Number
121907
Journal
North Carolina Insight Dated: (August 1989) Pages: 21-38
Author(s)
M McLaughlin
Date Published
1989
Length
18 pages
Annotation
Since 1987 when the correction system was at the top of the North Carolina General Assembly's agenda, the State has adopted a prison population cap, embarked on an ambitious construction program, and expanded programs that would punish offenders outside traditional prisons.
Abstract
The State has been working to avoid the statutory ceiling, set at 17,640 inmates, that triggers emergency release measures; $800 million to be spent over eight years on the 89-unit system will improve conditions, but not increase capacity above the current 18,000 inmate limit. The legislature's Special Committee on Prisons examined alternatives to incarceration, initially finding skepticism among committee members, law enforcement officials, and the public. However, public education about alternatives and the 1989 Community Penalties program has allowed the groundwork to be laid in 18 judicial districts for institutionalization alternatives. Despite such progress, the prisons remain overcrowded as the number of arrests increase yearly. A more permanent solution, proposed by the North Carolina Center for Public Policy Research, would mandate better coordination among the branches of government and a more aggressive State policy through a standing Correction and Sentencing Policy Commission. 2 tables.