Expanding the Use of Non‐Custodial Sentencing Options: An Evaluation of the Kansas Community Corrections Act

Abstract

Abstract: Part II of the recent Green Paper Punishment, Custody and the Community has focussed attention on non‐custodial sentencing options. A similar emphasis on community‐based sanctions is currently to be found in the United States, where severe prison crowding conditions have resulted in court‐imposed restrictions on custodial sentences in several states, Partly in response to this problem a small number of states have introduced comprehensive Community Corrections Acts (C.C.A.s) which seek to provide viable ‘alternatives to incarceration’. Research evaluations of such programmes have highlighted several problem areas, particularly surrounding the issues of diuersion and public safety. While the ‘nothing works’ label is clearly inappropriate there is scepticism about the efficacy of extending the use of community based programmes. This paper discusses these issues and draws on the findings of a recent assessment of the Community Corrections Act of Kansas.