Reforming sentencing and corrections for just punishment and public safety

Source: (1999) Sentencing & Corrections: Issues for the 21st Century (Research in Brief). No. 4 (September). Papers from the Executive Sessions on Sentencing and Corrections. Washington, DC: United States Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, National Institute of Justice.

Smith and Dickey assert that sentencing courts and corrections agencies in the United States are fundamentally disconnected about the nature and purpose of sanctions. Yet, the authors argue, the desiderata of justice and public safety require that courts and agencies work in harmony. Hence, major restructuring is necessary for penal and corrections law, and for correctional strategies and penal measures. Toward this end, Smith and Dickey explore the nature of public safety, the nature of sentencing under the rule of law, and the implications of rule-of-law sentencing for corrections.