Ten States enacted DSL's between 1976 and 1984; all abolished parole and most established presumptive sentences. Using a multiple time series design to control for national trends and facilitate the use of control variables, the research found that DSL's were clearly associated with prison population growth in only one State (Indiana) and with major reductions in two States (Minnesota and Washington). The remaining DSL's showed no evidence of increasing prison populations and may have actually reduced them somewhat. Estimated impacts on commitments were similarly varied. There was little or no evidence that DSL's affected crime rates. The authors conclude that DSL's are not likely to worsen prison overcrowding problems unless they are accompanied by "get tough" policies and that lawmakers can use DSL's to limit prison population growth if they so desire. 72 references and 4 tables
Downloads
Related Datasets
Similar Publications
- The Effects of a Co-Response Program on Patrol Call Volume for Mental Health Crisis-Related Calls: A Time Series Analysis
- Profile of Crime, Violence, and Drug Use Among Mexican Immigrants
- Research into Immigration and Crime: Advancing the Understanding of Immigration, Crime, and Crime Reporting at the Local Level with a Synthetic Population, Final Report