ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the extent of correctional populations and explains how few philosophies of punishment underlie the operations of community and institutional corrections. It also describes how vested interests influence the operations of correctional systems and the differences between the direct and indirect costs of correctional interventions. The chapter discusses few key trends shaping corrections today. Most people under correctional supervision are on probation and these individuals are typically supervised by probation officers working for local or county-run agencies, although these operations are also provided by state employees. The area most closely associated with our notion of corrections is secure institutional confinement and this option falls into two broad categories: jails and prisons. The deterrence philosophy is based on the idea that people weigh the costs and benefits of engaging in a crime and then decide whether they should commit that crime.
