correctional contexts contemporary and classical readings

In the 1970s there was a seismic change in thinking about the role of the state and the offender, informed by works such as Martinson 1974 (cited under Classic Works), whose review of program evaluation led to the conclusion that “nothing works” that is, efforts to work with offenders did not result in reducing recidivism. Within this paradigm, individuals tended to be pathologized and without agency: they were the subjects of treatment. The early developments in corrections were focused on treatment, within a model of medicalization, which largely focused on “curing” or “correcting” offenders through treatment. This is not the focus of this discussion, however, and additional resources are provided in the section Related Bibliographies.

One of the main developments over time in the field of corrections, reflecting shifts in theoretical and empirical scholarship, has been the overarching institutional philosophy informing practice within and beyond imprisonment (with related developments in the area of community corrections). Since the middle of the 20th century, the main changes have reflected various understandings of the offender, increasing awareness of the victim, changing roles and expectations of the state, the intention and operation of the criminal justice system, and systems of punishment. The key waves of scholarship in this field have echoed broader sociopolitical understandings and approaches to crime, justice, victimization, and offending. Moreover, there is an emphasis on the understanding that prisons and the system more generally are designed to change people. However, the focus here is on corrections and the particular developments over time in the broad range of policies and practices that are the subject of theoretical and empirical inquiries that address parole, imprisonment, and probation. It is important to note that the study of corrections and that of penology overlap to some extent, and at times the terms are used interchangeably in some scholarship. For the most part, the focus is the developments over time in corrections practice, looking to the dominant models of understanding that have influenced practice primarily, but not exclusively, in Western nations such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. The latter use is the primary focus here, the scholarship dedicated to theoretical and empirical inquiry of correctional practice.

It is also used as a term to encapsulate a significant field of criminological inquiry.

It is used both as an applied term, referring at times to an institution, most often prison, and more frequently to refer more broadly to the system of collective agencies involved in punishment, supervision, and in some cases treatment (i.e., parole and bail systems, as well as community corrections). Corrections is a term used to refer to a key component of the criminal justice system.

Correctional contexts contemporary and classical readings