Community-based corrections compose the alternative to prison or jail, allowing placing offenders in the community under correctional supervision. The primary purpose of such correction seems to be associated with the idea that effective rehabilitation may happen only in the real world. Usually, only low-level and non-violent criminals are placed in communities to remain their parts and benefit from it.
For example, one may state that work-release programs imply that an offender can leave the prison for job needs and return in the evening. Another option is the release for studying at a school or college, which also helps to socialize and develop the ability to communicate with others. It is also possible to note that some offenders who were noticed driving drunk can be sent to residential correctional facilities and assigned mandatory substance treatment.
In case if a person was not fully isolated from society, he or she is more likely to have successful rehabilitation and avoid recidivism. At the same time, it is important to state that the rapidly growing offender populations in the US occurred in the 1960s, which caused the problem of prison overcrowding. Accordingly, researchers suggested introducing community-based corrections, and administrators introduced this assumption into the practice.
The need to punish and control the increased number of people is another significant reason for the mentioned type of correction. In other words, overcrowding in prison and the idea of regenerating offenders compose the primary purpose of using communities as the place for sentencing and rehabilitation simultaneously. The opportunity to combine societal rehabilitation and community-based services, along with correctional supervision, led to the design of various programs, including parole supervision, probation, pretrial services, and residential correctional facilities.