History Of Intermediate Punishment

American Corrections
The main purpose of Corrections is to punish the people who break society’s rules. Many of the early American correctional methods were based off of English laws and practices. The Anglican Code was predominant in many of the colonies, and replaced the Quaker Code (in Pennsylvania) in 1718. There were 13 capital offenses listed in the Anglican Code. Larceny was the only one not punishable by death. Punishments for less serious offenses were: whipping, branding, mutilation, fines. Corporal punishment was carried out for the public to witness. Jails were used only to house offenders awaiting trial or individuals who could not pay their debts.
The Pennsylvania System
(1790) Society for Alleviating the Miseries of Public

Intermediate punishments—also known as intermediate sanctions—are more severe than traditional probation, but less costly than prison. Together with prison and probation, they form a ladder of punishments: probation at the bottom, prison at the top, and community-based, intermediate punishments on the middle rungs. Today, almost every state has at least one or two of these punishments, although almost nowhere have they been used to their full potential. Electronic monitoring and intensive supervision are among the most commonly used.
Many states have developed a systemic approach to these intermediate punishments. More than half the states, for instance, have adopted community corrections acts to permit counties to plan and control the intermediate punishments administered within their communities. And a few states have incorporated the sanctions into their sentencing guidelines to make sure that certain offenders receive these punishments rather than prison terms.
Intermediate punishments are delivered through a variety of programs: fines, intensive supervision, restitution, substance abuse treatment, electronic monitoring, boot camps and halfway houses. Different punishments may be coupled, such as restitution with intensive supervision or substance abuse treatment, or used in sequence, such as boot camp followed by intensive

An inmate can cost taxpayers between $14,000 and $25,000 a year, depending on the state, and not counting the cost of prison construction, providing welfare for the family or foster placement for the children. Annualized costs for an offender sentenced to an intermediate sanction are far lower: $2,500 for outpatient drug and alcohol treatment, for instance, and about $6,000 for intensive supervision probation. Inpatient drug treatment, probably the most expensive program, can cost almost as much as prison on a daily basis, but the stay is relatively short before the offender moves on to a closely monitored and much less expensive outpatient program. Moreover, while bonds may raise immediate funds for construction, they must be repaid with interest and the buildings maintained and staffed with funds that come directly from the state or county budget. Savings don’t happen immediately, however. Funding is required up front to establish good programs that are well supervised and carefully targeted. But using intermediate punishments for selected offenders who would otherwise is prison bound can avoid significant future costs. If they are used in a meaningful way, a prison wing can be closed or a new prison or jail