At the state level parole violators constituted 37 percent of 1998 prison admissions, compared to 18 percent in 1980. 4 Crowded facilities have less room for needed programs. 5 Incarceration is an important but limited element in the maintenance of public safety. However, incarceration alone is a limited and costly response that causes harm when improperly employed, and is not an effective alternative to treatment for offenders with mental health and substance use disorders. Community health and safety require a periodic assessment of the policies that determine which offenders are to remain in the community, which are to be incarcerated, and which interventions are to be employed in each setting.
Incarceration is a costly approach.
Cost variation is explained primarily by caseload. The average caseload for regular probation was 175, for regular parole 69. There are also indirect costs of incarceration. For example, it drains resources from other criminal justice activities and ultimately from other social services. Further, there are social costs including tax and welfare revenue and costs to families and communities of having a relative and resident removed.