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Correctional Theory
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Correctional Theory
Context and Consequences

Second Edition


March 2016 | 352 pages | SAGE Publications, Inc

The Second Edition of Correctional Theory: Context and Consequences continues to identify and evaluate the major competing theories used to guide the goals, policies, and practices of the correctional system. Authors Francis T. Cullen and Cheryl Lero Jonson demonstrate that changes in theories can legitimize new ways of treating and punishing offenders, and they help readers understand how transformations in the social and political context of U.S. society impact correctional theory and policy. Designed to motivate readers to become sophisticated consumers of correctional information, the book emphasizes the importance of using evidence-based information to guide decisions, rather than relying on non-scientific common-sense or ideology-based beliefs.

 
Preface
 
PART I. Crisis in American Corrections
 
CHAPTER 1. From Theory to Policy: Evidence-Based Corrections
Theories of Corrections

 
Six Theories in Brief

 
Utility, Opinion, and Evidence

 
Evidence-Based Corrections

 
Conclusion: What’s Ahead?

 
 
CHAPTER 2. Correctional Theory in Crisis: America’s Changing Context
What Is Rehabilitation?

 
The Rise of the Rehabilitative Ideal

 
Attacking Rehabilitation

 
The “Nothing Works” Doctrine: Martinson and Beyond

 
Conclusion: Crisis in Correctional Theory

 
 
PART II. The Punishment Response
 
CHAPTER 3. Just Deserts: Doing Justice or Getting Tough?
The Concepts of Retribution and Just Deserts: Punishing the Crime

 
Retribution: Just and Painful

 
Four Problems for Retribution

 
The Justice Model: Restraining State Discretion

 
What Went Wrong? Winning the Battle but Losing the War

 
Conclusion: The Need for Crime Control

 
 
CHAPTER 4. Deterrence: Scaring Offenders Straight
The Concept of Deterrence

 
Is Deterrence a “Conservative” Theory?

 
The Theoretical Assumptions of Deterrence

 
Studying Whether Deterrence Works: Assessing Types of Evidence

 
Policy Changes That Increase Punishment

 
Macro-Level Studies of Punishment and Crime Rates

 
Perceptual Deterrence Studies

 
Deterrence in the Community

 
The Effects of Imprisonment

 
Conclusion: The Limits of Deterrence

 
 
CHAPTER 5. Incapacitation: Locking Up the Wicked
Too Many Prisoners

 
More Than Enough Criminals

 
The Concept of Incapacitation

 
Estimating the Incapacitation Effect: Studying Individual Offenders

 
Estimating the Incapacitation Effect: Macro-Level Studies

 
Conclusion: Compared to What?

 
 
PART III. The Social Welfare Response
 
CHAPTER 6. Restorative Justice: Reintegrative Shaming
The Concept of Restorative Justice

 
The Appeal of Restorative Justice

 
Three Problems

 
Does Restorative Justice Work?

 
Conclusion: The Limits of Harm

 
 
CHAPTER 7. Rehabilitation: What Works to Change Offenders
The Concept of Rehabilitation

 
Knowing What Works

 
Challenging Nothing Works: Narrative Reviews

 
Challenging Nothing Works: Meta-Analytic Reviews

 
What Does Not Work

 
What Does Work: Principles of Effective Intervention

 
What Else Might Work?

 
Conclusion: Reaffirming Rehabilitation

 
 
PART IV. Extending the Vision of Corrections
 
CHAPTER 8. Reentry: Saving Offenders from a Life in Crime
From Parole to Reentry

 
The Reentry Problem

 
Reentry Programs

 
The Effectiveness Problem

 
Two Things to Keep in Mind

 
Conclusion: Saving Offenders From a Life in Crime

 
 
CHAPTER 9. Early Intervention: Saving Children From a Life in Crime
Lessons From Childhood Criminology

 
The Need for Early Intervention

 
Five Programs That Work—At Least When Done Right

 
Two More Reasons to Support Early Intervention

 
Conclusion: Beyond Adult-Limited Corrections

 
 
CHAPTER 10. Six Correctional Lessons: Choosing Our Future
Three Themes

 
Four Lessons

 
Conclusion: Choosing Our Future

 
 
References
 
Index
 
About the Authors

Supplements

Instructor Resource Site
Calling all instructors! It’s easy to log on to SAGE’s password-protected Instructor Teaching Site for complete and protected access to all text-specific Instructor Resources. Simply provide your institutional information for verification and within 72 hours you’ll be able to use your login information for any SAGE title! Then, pick and choose from this list, depending on what each site offers.

Password-protected Instructor Resources include the following:
  • A Microsoft® Word® test bank is available containing multiple choice, true/false, short answer, and essay questions for each chapter. The test bank provides you with a diverse range of pre-written options as well as the opportunity for editing any question and/or inserting your own personalized questions to effectively assess students’ progress and understanding.
  • Editable, chapter-specific PowerPoint® slides offer you complete flexibility in easily creating a multimedia presentation for your course. Highlight essential content and features.
  • Learning objectives that reinforce the most important material.
  • Key words that reflect key topics in the chapters.
  • Chapter-specific discussion questions help launch classroom interaction by prompting students to engage with the material and by reinforcing important content.
  • EXCLUSIVE! Access to certain full-text SAGE journal articles that have been carefully selected for each chapter. Each article supports and expands on the concepts presented in the chapter. This feature also provides questions to focus and guide student interpretation. Combine cutting-edge academic journal scholarship with the topics in your course for a robust classroom experience.
  • Student exercises facilitate students' use of internet and other relevant resources and support further exploration of topics.
 

“[The] writing style was clear and made the subject matter easily accessible to the students. Good, concise discussion of correctional theories including examples that enhanced the material being covered. The authors ask the readers to consider important questions that are not always considered in the public realm in thinking about whether certain correctional practices work or not.  These questions helped promote engaging discussions in class.”

Erin A. Orrick
Sam Houston State University

“Abstract theoretical concepts are thoroughly explained and illustrated. It’s all done in a brief, relatively readable format.”

Sheryl L. Van Horne
Arcadia University

“Not too heavy on academic jargon, making it easier for students to follow and grasp”

Jennifer Cobbina
Michigan State University

“Readable, Affordable, Theoretically Grounded”

Randolph Myers
Old Dominion University

“Focuses on the main and essential ideas while providing a clear and to the point conclusion”

Lior Gideon
John Jay College of Criminal Justice

“The text is an incredible composite of the literature that has shaped correctional practice. The authors have a great capacity for making research interesting and accessible.  Cullen and Jonson have accomplished their goal of motivating readers to become sophisticated consumers of correctional knowledge.”

Betsy Matthews
Eastern Kentucky University

“Book promotes thoughts and avoids the traditional corrections textbook structure and content.”

Jack Atherton
Northwestern State University of Louisiana

“It is my experience that students tend to think of theory as boring and unnecessary. This text does a good job of making theory interesting and explaining why it is important. The authors do a good job of connecting theory, methods, and results. The writing style and ways that the authors explain concepts convey a lot of information, which is often quite complex, in an accessible way.”

Jennifer L. Lanterman
University of Nevada, Reno

“This is an excellent text that contributes to the knowledge base by presenting correctional theories in such a way that makes it approachable for students. The discussion of the socio-historical context, how this influenced why the public and criminal justice professionals favored a particular theory, and the resulting policies are important concepts for criminal justice students to understand today… I see its value, and would not hesitate to adopt it for a course.”

Krista S. Gehring
University of Houston-Downtown

“[Strengths include] Writing style, ease of understanding the material, organization and length”

Charlene Y. Taylor
Boise State University

Sample Materials & Chapters

Chapter 5

Chapter 8


For instructors

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ISBN: 9781506306520
£76.00