Male And Female Sentencing A Look Into Alternative...

Female V Male Sentencing A Look into Alternative Sentencing Ritchey, Christian American Military University Author Note This paper was prepared for CRMJ201. Abstract With incarceration rates rising and jail and prison populations at an all-time high, alternative sentencing is being used more often with non-violent offenders. This paper looks at male and female incarceration rates, the use of alternative programs for sentencing between the two and the effectiveness of such programs. During the paper we will analyze sentencing differences between male and female offenders. We will also analyze the use of alternative programs for sentencing and their effectiveness. Female V Male Sentencing A Look into Alternative Sentencing The sentencing†¦show more content†¦These A look at statistics According to the 1998 Census Bureau (which was revised in 2000) female offenders made up 51.6% of the population while male offenders made up 48.4%. This indicates that women account for more than half of the population age 10 and older. (bjs.gov) In order to look further into alternative sentencing we need to ask ourselves: 1. What is alternative sentencing? 2. Who is eligible for alternative sentencing? 3. What is the goal of alternative sentencing? 4. Does it work? What is alternative sentencing? â€Å"An alternative to incarceration is any kind of punishment other than time in prison or jail that can be given to a person who commits a crime†. (famm.org) These types of â€Å"punishment† have several benefits. They can help provide things for communities, lower prison and jail costs, help rehabilitate and treat offenders who are addicted to drugs or are mentally ill. Some forms of alternative sentencing are drug-court, probation, house arrest, community service, half-way houses and fines/restitution. Drug-courts are special branches of courts that exist within courts that already exist. Drug-courts provide offenders with court supervised treatment. Probation/parole allows the offender to be â€Å"free† of incarceration, but, keeps the offender from leaving the community. While on probation/parole the offender will have to report to the probation/parole officer. This keeps the offender accountable and helps deter them