Review - Corrections: Foundations for the Future, 2nd Edition, Jeanne B. Stichcomb
By: Don Leach, Editorial Board Member of the Americans for Effective Law Enforcement
Corrections Made Readable!
I must preface my review by stating that when I received Dr. Stinchcomb’s treatise I was a bit overwhelmed by it voluminous nature. Then I began to read random chapters. At the outset, Dr. Stinchcomb states that the purpose of her writing the book was for it “to be read”. What she achieved is a book that would serve well as the foundation text in any university-level criminology, sociology or corrections seminar. Her range of topics provides for both introductory courses as well as more advanced studies of the issues surrounding corrections across the nation.
Dr. Stinchcomb has written a comprehensive, yet eminently readable, textbook that takes a in-depth look at modern correctional practices. Interestingly, her first chapter focuses on the “business” of corrections; what she titles the “Correctional Conglomerate”. This section serves as a framework from within which to place successive chapters into perspective.
The structure of the book includes the standard graphs and illustrations but goes further with insightful “breakout” pieces that further an understanding of the topic under discussion. At the end of each chapter are thought provoking questions, many of which are not easily answered. For example, her question, “Explain what social, economic, and political forces propelled American public policy from the medical model to the justice model. Given economic conditions today, analyze the likelihood of yet another policy paradigm shift.” Did Dr. Stinchcomb forecast the Supreme Court’s decision in the California Department of Corrections predicament?
Dr. Stinchcomb makes a effective separation between jails and prisons. Jails are not relegated to some passing mention but receive a thorough discussion of the issues facing jails. Can she have been more precise in her description of the state of American jails than in her statement, “... jails have endured a legacy of insufficient funding, inappropriate facilities, idle inmates, inadequate staffing, and a public largely indifferent to it all.” From this point of view, she enters into a sweeping review of jails, their functions, designs and operations that provides a ready reference point for educating that largely indifferent public.
Of particular interest to me was her chapter on “Treatment and Related Programs”. Specifically, I wanted to know about her perspective on inmate classification. Having been involved in training, developing and implementing classifications systems in jails, I found her discussion of the issues surrounding classification to be discerning and knowledgeable. As in other chapters, you can sense the presence of the “Correctional Conglomerate” paradigm and it’s influence on objective classification. That earlier framework she developed can be seen her assessment of the resultant benefits derived from classifying inmates.
Dr.Stinchcomb could easily have written a whole book about the legal issues and liabilities facing corrections. Rather, she has distilled such a broad topic down to the essential points that everyone working in corrections needs to be aware of. She does not weigh the reader down with extensive legal terms and mind-numbing case recitation, choosing to focus on those core cases that have had the most meaningful impact on corrections in the past, and into the future.
As Dr. Stinchcomb desired, this is book that can be read in pieces and parts, or as a whole. The style she uses permits a ready understanding of the material and draws the reader into the deeper issues she poses at the end of the book. By the time the reader reaches the “Current Issues and Future Trends” chapter, there has been a sufficient basis established that permits thoughtful, informed discussions of those trends and issues. That is the best outcome she could have hoped to achieve - a reader whose opinions are derived from the knowledgeable base she has provided.
