Alternatives to incarceration

M3 Discussion: Day Reporting Centers

The Department of Corrections and Community Alternatives in the State of Confusion is planning a Day Reporting Center in the neighborhood called Nimby in Simpli City. Nimby is a walk-able, residential neighborhood with its own elementary school, public library branch, playground and park and business district. Probationers and parolees given various intermediate sanctions would be reporting regularly to the center in a renovated former school building and would attend on-site counseling, substance-abuse and mental-health treatment programs there. Plans call for a half-way house on the upper floors of the building.

Imagine that you are members of a team from the Department of Corrections and Community Alternatives, and the team is going to have to promote the center to residents of the Nimby community. Describe the programs and explain the objectives and advantages of probation, parole and intermediate sanctions for offenders. What objections are you going to expect them to raise? How will you address them? What programmatic precautions can you enact to ensure them that there will be benefits to the probationers and the parolees, as well as the community at large? Consider specific, related programs — such as home confinement, shock, boot camps — and the merits and demerits of each.

Post your response to this discussion assignment in a 250-350 word answer.