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DEFINING A CONTINUUM OF SANCTIONS

NCJ Number
144584
Journal
Perspectives Volume: 17 Issue: 2 Dated: (Spring 1993) Pages: 6-15
Author(s)
A T Harland
Date Published
1993
Length
10 pages
Annotation
Support has emerged for expanding the range of intermediate sanctions at a time when concern over public safety is rising and law enforcement budgets are decreasing.
Abstract
The criminal justice system's reliance on the polar extremes of routine probation and traditional forms of incarceration has recently come under extensive scrutiny and criticism, and a need for more sanctioning options has resulted. The importance of considering sentence and revocation decisions in terms of a continuum of choices has been emphasized recently in both professional and academic literature. Studies have identified such sanctioning options as warning, injunctive, economic, work-related, education- related, physical and mental health treatment, physical confinement, and monitoring compliance measures. The need for a balance between sanctions and punishment is stressed, as well as the importance of distinguishing between individual or specific sanctioning measures and programs or institutions that exist to administer them. The author also acknowledges the need for clear information and guidance about the precise nature of sanctioning options and discusses the mechanics of scaling and grading sanctions. 41 references and 2 figures