Community-Based Corrections

Programs that punish offenders outside a secure environment but still provide a measure of supervision, also known as extra-institutional punishments, alternative sanctions, or intermediate sanctions. This includes programs such as probation (community supervision, by the Department of Probation, in lieu of incarceration), parole (community supervision, by the Division of Parole, after release from jail or prison), halfway houses (programs that provide supervision and a place for an offender to live), house arrest (requiring the offender to remain in his or her premises during specified time periods), electronic monitoring (an enhanced form of house arrest that requires the offender to wear a monitoring bracelet), fines (money paid by the offender to the state), restitution (money paid by the offender to the victim), asset forfeiture (economic sanctions that allow for the confiscation of property and money that are linked to criminal activity), and community service. Courts can mandate other types of programs as part of community-based corrections, including parenting programs, drug and alcohol counseling, driving information courses, therapy, or anger management.

Community-based corrections offer a variety of benefits. These alternatives reduce jail and prison overcrowding, they are more cost effective than incarceration, the treatment programs are more varied, they are less stigmatizing for the offender, and they aid in the reintegrative process of offenders. Servicing [Page 92]offenders in the community limits disruption to the offender's personal life (i.e., job, family, schooling, etc.). Others have criticized community-based programs for their limited effectiveness, for net widening (bringing more people under the control of the criminal justice system), and for possibly putting public safety in jeopardy.