Disir
Platinum Member
- Sep 30, 2011
- 28,003
- 9,608
- 910
Every year, more than 8,000 criminal offenders enter Wisconsin's prisons. Nearly all of these offenders will eventually return to society. This reality gives those of us on the outside an important stake in how our prisoners spend their time behind bars.
In the federal prison system, as well as the prison systems of most other states outside of Wisconsin, one important carrot is "good conduct time," which provides inmates with an opportunity for accelerated release to supervision in the community. Inmates earn good conduct time by avoiding disciplinary violations and participating in employment, education or rehabilitative programming.
As our legislators continue their ongoing consideration of sentencing and corrections reforms, they would do well to include good conduct time in their discussions.
Washington state has an established program that Wisconsin might use as a model. With good behavior and participation in available programming, non-violent offenders might reduce their prison terms by up to one-third. As a safety precaution, the Washington Department of Corrections is empowered to block the exit of inmates who lack an acceptable release plan.
Good conduct time programs work. Research in Washington and other states indicates that such programs are capable of reducing disciplinary infractions in prison, reducing re-offense rates after release, and saving taxpayer money by moving relatively low-risk offenders out of expensive prison beds more quickly. As many states are coming to discover, with well-designed "smart on crime" reforms, it is indeed possible to reduce prison populations and corrections costs without any loss of public safety.
Wisconsin prisons should consider good conduct time
OP-ED piece that is pretty good.
http://scholarship.law.marquette.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=5230&context=mulr
Much lengthier above.
In the federal prison system, as well as the prison systems of most other states outside of Wisconsin, one important carrot is "good conduct time," which provides inmates with an opportunity for accelerated release to supervision in the community. Inmates earn good conduct time by avoiding disciplinary violations and participating in employment, education or rehabilitative programming.
As our legislators continue their ongoing consideration of sentencing and corrections reforms, they would do well to include good conduct time in their discussions.
Washington state has an established program that Wisconsin might use as a model. With good behavior and participation in available programming, non-violent offenders might reduce their prison terms by up to one-third. As a safety precaution, the Washington Department of Corrections is empowered to block the exit of inmates who lack an acceptable release plan.
Good conduct time programs work. Research in Washington and other states indicates that such programs are capable of reducing disciplinary infractions in prison, reducing re-offense rates after release, and saving taxpayer money by moving relatively low-risk offenders out of expensive prison beds more quickly. As many states are coming to discover, with well-designed "smart on crime" reforms, it is indeed possible to reduce prison populations and corrections costs without any loss of public safety.
Wisconsin prisons should consider good conduct time
OP-ED piece that is pretty good.
http://scholarship.law.marquette.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=5230&context=mulr
Much lengthier above.
