Chapter 8

1. Chapter 8 Residential Intermediate Sanctions

2. Introduction • Intermediate Sanctions are sentencing options between prison and probation that provide punishment that fits the circumstances of the crime and the offender • Widening the net occurs when prosecutors or judges choose offenders for intermediate sanctions who should have received probation

3. Residential Community Corrections Facilities • RCCFs are a popular intermediate sanction because they: • Provide more intensive supervision than probation and parole • Allow offenders to remain in the community where they have access to more treatment services than prison • Cost less than jail or prison • Offenders can contribute to their families as well as pay back victims

4. Residential Community Corrections Facilities, cont. • While there is no “average” residential facility, they do share these features: • Residents live in the facility (not at home) • Residents can leave the facility for work at a verified job • Residents must be preapproved to leave for any other reason, with appropriate limits

5. Halfway Houses • Halfway houses, also known as Community Corrections Centers, are staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and provide residential services for offenders who are either: • “Halfway-in”, or • “Halfway-out”

6. Halfway Houses, cont. • Halfway houses date back to the early 1800s in England and Ireland, and originated in the U.S. in 1816 • After only partial previous success, halfway houses received government assistance for the first time in the 1960s

7. Halfway Houses, cont. • Levels System: A Form of Behavior Modification • Increased freedom must be earned, based on: • good behavior • the amount of time in the program • the client’s financial situation • Workers at a halfway house are either: • Custody-oriented, or • Responsible for treatment and rehabilitation

8. Halfway Houses, cont. • Evaluations of RCCFs typically examine program success or failure rates by comparing recidivism of residents with a matched sample of probationers or parolees • Evaluations conclude: • Treatment participation by residents is critical to success • Clients that did not use drugs, had skill sets and community ties were more successful • Clients who were younger, used drugs and alcohol and with more extensive criminal histories were more likely to fail • The strongest predictor of program success is criminal history • RCCF clients are more successful than high risk parolees, but just the opposite with low risk offenders

9. Shock Incarceration • Shock incarceration refers to a brief period of imprisonment that precedes a term of supervised probation and is variously referred to as: • Shock probation • Shock parole • Intermittent incarceration • Split sentence • Boot camp

10. Shock Incarceration, cont. • Correctional boot camps began in Georgia in 1983 • Boot camps were the most common form of shock incarceration from 1983-late 1990s • Eligible offenders are generally: • First-time felony offenders • Convicted of a nonviolent offense • Fall within a certain age group • Meet certain physical requirements

11. Shock Incarceration, cont. • The two main types of boot camp programs are: • Prison Boot Camps • Probation/Jail Boot Camps • Programs are typically 90-180 days before graduation to probation or parole supervision

12. Shock Incarceration, cont. • Criticisms of boot camps are: • Net-widening • The confrontational style may have potentially negative consequences • Problems with staff retention • Evaluations of boot camp effectiveness examine: • Attitude or behavioral change • Decrease in institutional crowding • Reduction in budget costs

13. Other Types of Residential Community Corrections Facilities • Restitution Centers • Therapeutic Communities • Work and Study Release • Women Offenders Living with Children