Among the forces that have affected corrections in recent years, accreditation and privatization have been among the most influential. The future of corrections will be affected by everything from the national economy and current public opinion to drug-related crime and the aging of prison populations. The trends that will continue to impact corrections are intermediate sentencing alternatives, restorative justice, more pragmatic treatment, regionalization of jails, and direct supervision/unit management strategies. Directed towards both the practitioner and student, this book explores the past, describes the present and looks towards the future of the American correctional system. It begins by focusing on an overview of the nature, scope, and function of corrections, which is accomplished first by a description of what is included in the vast collection of facilities, programs, and services called corrections. It explores the impact of sentencing policies on corrections, looking back to see how corrections has evolved. In part 2, both community-based and institutional corrections are explored from the types of offenders involved to the types of services provided. In understanding that almost all inmates will eventually be released to society, part 3 of the book explores just what does happen when an offender is incarcerated, beginning with the inside view of prisons and their custodial procedures to exploring the transition from confinement. The first three parts of the book in its discussion of correctional services, facilities, and programs have described current practices and procedures for dealing with conventional adult offenders. The last and final section of the book addresses groups that present special problems or unique challenges, from female offenders to those who are older, AIDS-afflicted, alcoholic, drug addicted, physically challenged, or mentally disordered. Some of these groups, such as the women have been in the minority within correctional caseloads and facilities. Figures, learning goals, close-ups and references