Effectiveness of Community based Correctional Programs: A Case Study

Abstract

Community-based alternatives to prison claim to be more effective in reducing recidivism than are traditional prisons, to be cheaper than prisons, and to reduce overcrowding in prisons and jails. This study uses a case study approach of a community based program in the Midwest United States to determine if those community corrections alternatives achieve those results. The findings from this case study show that the recidivism rates of community corrections are lower than those of the prison inmates only in some cases and that the costs are cheaper only in some cases. It also shows that community corrections serve as a true alternative to prison in some instances but more often only widens the net and increases the state's control over criminal offenders.