Community Corrections

Community corrections, also termed community-based corrections, is a sentencing style that depends less on traditional confinement options and more on correctional resources available in the community. Community corrections includes a wide variety of sentencing options, such as probation, parole, home confinement, the electronic monitoring of offenders, and other new and developing programs

Parole is defined as, the status of a convicted offender who has been conditionally released from prison by a paroling authority before the expiration of his or her sentence, is placed under the supervision of a parole agency, and is required to observe the conditions of parole. (Schmalleger, 2011) The purpose of parole is to successfully ease an individual back into the community.  States differ as to the type of parole decision-making mechanism they use, as well as the level at which it operates. In many states, Parole boards grant parole based on their judgment and assessment and the overall goal is to not have a parolee offend and reenter the system. (Schmalleger, 2011)

There are many conditions to being on parole, these usually consists of special limits imposed on an offender who is released on parole fixed by the state and court. A few general conditions include not to leave the state and obey extradition requests from other jurisdictions, meet with parole officers and the officer making unannounced home and work visits. What truly helps a parolee not reoffend is successful and continued employment, it is also the biggest concern of the board and officers. That is why it is a condition that failure to find employment within 30 days can result in a return to prison, that is called a parole revocation. (Schmalleger, 2011)

Truth in sentencing is defined as, a close correspondence between the sentence imposed on an offender and the time actually served in prison. (Schmalleger, 2011) This has become an important policy focus of many state legislatures and the U.S. Congress. Also, under the old federal system, on average, good-time credits and parole reduced time served to about one-third of the actual sentence. At the time, the sentencing practices of most states reflected the federal model. While sentence reductions may benefited offenders, they often outraged victims, who felt betrayed by the sentencing process. (Schmalleger, 2011) The emphasis on truth in sentencing created, in effect, a sentencing environment of “what you get is what you serve.”

References

Schmalleger, F. (2011). Criminal Justice Todaay: An Introductory Text for the 21st Century. Prentice Hall.