Essay On Alternatives To Incarceration

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An “alternative to incarceration” is any kind of punishment other than time in prison or jail that
can be given to a person who commits a crime.
Frequently, punishments other than prison or jail time place serious demands on offenders and
provide them with intensive court and community supervision. Just because a certain punishment
does not involve time in prison or jail does not mean it is “soft on crime” or a “slap on the wrist.”
Alternatives to incarceration can repair harms suffered by victims, provide benefits to the
community, treat the drug-addicted or mentally ill, and rehabilitate offenders. Alternatives can
also reduce prison and jail costs and prevent additional crimes in the future. Before we can
maximize the benefits of alternatives to incarceration, …show more content…

 They strengthen families and communities. Prison or jail time separates the offender
from his or her spouse and children, sometimes for decades at a time. Alternatives to
incarceration keep people with their families, in their neighborhoods and jobs, and allow
them to earn money, pay taxes, and contribute to their communities.
 They protect the public by reducing crime. Over 40% of all people leaving prison will
reoffend and be back in prison within three years of their release.3
Alternatives to prison
such as drug and mental health courts are proven to confront the underlying causes of
crime (i.e., drug addiction and mental illness) and help prevent offenders from
committing new crimes.
 The public supports alternatives to incarceration. Eight in ten (77%) adults believe
that alternatives to incarceration (probation, restitution, community service, and/or
rehabilitative services) are the most appropriate sentence for nonviolent, non-serious
offenders and that prison or jail are appropriate only if these alternatives

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