This edition of Corrections in the United States: A Contemporary Perspective, 4/e has the following new features: Concise synopsis of the history of American corrections, featuring development and parole Complete discussion of presentence investigation reports and their functions and preparation Extensive jail and prison coverage, including jail and prison characteristics, functions, and goals Comprehensive discussion of juvenile corrections, including community corrections strategies Description of women's prisons, including their history and evolution in the United States: women's prison and community programs, inmate mothers and infant care New personality highlights from both prisoners and professionals working in all aspects of corrections, their views, and their advice to students Discussion of jail and prison officer recruitment and training, including state and federal hiring requirements, pay scales, and fringe benefits Elaborate presentation of inmate classification and screening for offender risk and needs Description of complete range of community corrections programs, including electronic monitoring, global satellite tracking, home, confinement, intensive supervised probation/parole, work/educational release, prerelease, halfway houses, day fine programs, restitution, and community service Key correctional issues discussed, including jail/prison architecture and design, new generation jails, privatization, overcrowding; health issues (HIV-AIDS, tuberculosis), and jail/prison reforms Extensive examination of key federal and state cases concerning probation/parole revocation and problems related to supervised releases Detailed discussion of major sentencing systems, including indeterminate, determinate, mandatory, and guideline-based or presumptive sentencing Ancillaries include test bank, comprehensive glossary, and bibliography

Corrections in the United States: A Contemporary Perspective (4th ed.)is about the punishment phase of the criminal justice system. When crimes are committed and suspects are apprehended, prosecuted, and convicted, correctional agencies take over. Corrections is the vast collective of persons, agencies, and organizations that manages criminals. The most visible part of corrections is prisons and jails. Various notorious prisons have been popularized by the media. Prisons, such as San Quentin, Alcatraz, Sing Sing, Leavenworth, Attica, and Marion, are familiar to the general public. But prisons and jails, though important, are only two parts of the larger corrections mosaic. Another part of corrections manages offenders who either have been granted early release from prison or have been convicted but not incarcerated. Community correctional agencies are increasingly popular as nonincarcerative alternatives for probationers and parolees. One reason for their popularity is that they are more cost-effective than maintaining inmates in prisons and jails. In some instances less serious offenders are not prosecuted, but rather, they are diverted from the criminal justice system. They are also managed by certain corrections agencies for a specified period. Community corrections supervises two thirds of all convicted and unconvicted offenders. Today, correctional agencies and organizations face several significant challenges. Rising crime rates and greater numbers of criminal prosecutions are establishing new prison and jail population records. At the same time, new prison and jail construction is not keeping pace with these escalating prison and jail populations. Overcrowding is inevitable, and it fosters living conditions for inmates that are both intolerable and unconstitutional. In recent years a litigation explosion has occurred where thousands of lawsuits have been filed by prisoners against prison and jail administrators and correctional officers. Inmate rights is an increasingly important issue. The organization of this book is as follows. Chapter 1 examines the history of corrections in the United States and contrasts several important philosophies that have influenced correctional reforms. The goals and functions of corrections are outlined and discussed. Several correctional models are presented that guide the thinking of correctional administration and staff. Chapter 2 presents several types of sentencing systems used in the United States. Offenders are profiled. The sentencing process is described, including sentencing hearings and the preparation of presentence investigation reports. Aggravating and mitigating circumstances that influence sentencing decisions are presented. Several contemporary issues associated with sentencing systems are discussed. Chapter 3 examines some of the preliminary events following arrests of alleged offenders. Pretrial diversion is examined, where prosecutors temporarily suspend prosecutions against particular suspects. The eligibility criteria for diversion are examined. Another pretrial option is alternative dispute resolution, where selected criminal cases are diverted from the criminal justice system for possible civil resolution. The strengths and weaknesses of alternative dispute resolution are discussed, together with an examination of the types of cases that result in such outcomes. When offenders are convicted of crimes, they may or may not be incarcerated. This chapter continues with an examination of the probation option, where many offenders are sentenced to terms in their own communities. These sentences are always conditional, requiring offenders to participate in rehabilitative programs, perform community service, and/or pay fines. The philosophy and functions of probation are presented. Probationers are profiled, and typical probation programs and their conditions are examined. For some offenders, they may be sentenced to shock probation,