Alternatives to Prison - PDF

Running head: ALTERNATIVES TO PRISON
Alternatives to Prison
Name of the Student
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Author Note

1ALTERNATIVES TO PRISON
In recent years various debates were conducted regarding issues related to overcrowding
of prisons in United Kingdom. From the very beginning the correctional system of United
Kingdom is struggling with the accommodation of exceeding number of young offenders in
custody (Andersen and Andersen 2014). As a result of sudden increase in custodial sentencing,
considerable pressure were imposed on the correctional centers and therefore the only option left
was finding an alternative to prisons (Brooks 2015). It can be emphasized that with the evolution
of the Criminal Justice Act and the Anti Social Behavior Act in 2003 the subject-matter of
criminal justice system was rebalanced keeping in view the condition of the victim and the
society (Bacchi and Rönnblom 2014). The purpose of this essay is to explore the different
alternatives to prison and how such alternatives can be applied to different crimes. In this regard,
the essay is commissioned to examine the alternative approaches to custodial sentencing which
includes probation, restorative justice, electronic monitoring and community sentencing.
It can be stated that in modern era alternatives to incarceration are not treated as options
because these alternatives have introduced various methods of sentencing. It can be observed that
from the very beginning probation and prison served as effective methods of sentencing
however; with the increasing crimes various other alternatives enumerated (Butler and Maruna
2016). Previously these alternatives were considered as options however; with changing time
these alternatives are recognized as intermediate sanctions. Therefore it is important on the part
of the prison officers to examine different sentencing methods available and apply them
according (Fletcher et al. 2014).However, the concept of alternatives to prisons is no longer an
alternative, with changing pace it has become the mostly recognized legitimate sentencing
options.

2ALTERNATIVES TO PRISON
In order to emphasize on the importance of alternative to incarceration, it is essential to
mention two important methods of sentencing- probation and prison. Probation formed an
integral part of the U.K correctional system for over a century (Hamilton, Fitzgibbon and Carr
2016). In today’s world it is the most widely utilized correctional method. In this regard, it can
be stated that the purpose of probation and alternatives to detention were to serve the interests of
the community and the government in the prosecution of crime. Probation can be defined as the
sanction ordered by the Court for an individual who was found guilty of crime (Kutateladze et al.
2014). When probation is sanctioned by the Court, the offender stays in the community however;
he remains under the observation of a probation officer. However, the process is not same for all
the offenders as in case of grave offences, it is necessary for the offender to serve considerable
period in prison. It is evident that prison focuses on the practice of incapacitation and
punishment. On the other probation is regarded as the most efficient alternative which
emphasized rehabilitation and community involvement in order to provide appropriate response
to crime (Mela 2016). It is noteworthy to mention here that from the beginning probation forms a
significant part of community supervision. Probation proved to be an efficient because it allowed
the offenders to communicate with their families and the society under the supervision of
correctional or probation officers (Piché, Gaucher and Walby 2014). In many cases probation are
often supplemented with various programs and tools which can be referred as electronic
monitoring which can be applied in order to address community risk factors. However, certain
restrictions are imposed on the liberties of the offenders in order to monitor their activities
(Rhodes et al. 2016). Therefore, it is required on the part of the probation officer to fulfill the
conditions of probation and the Court is at the authority to determine the activities of these
probation officers. In order to contribute towards the peace and security of the community