Chapter Activities

These lively and stimulating ideas for use in and out of class reinforce active learning. The activities apply to individual or group projects.

Activity 1:

There are many programs designed for correctional populations. In this activity, students will assess the evaluation data available on a chosen correctional program. Students may select from a program highlighted in the text, one offered by a jail or prison in your jurisdiction or choose a program from the National Institute of Justice’s website CrimeSolutions.gov (https://www.crimesolutions.gov/TopicDetails.aspx?ID=2).

Students will use the following criteria to evaluate the program:

  • Who is the target population?
  • What are the characteristics of the population?
  • What services are needed?
  • What specific services are rendered?
  • How can the program best deliver the needed services?
  • What resources does the program need to be effective?
  • Was the program evaluated for effectiveness; what were the results?

Activity 2:

Future of Technology in Corrections

In this exploratory essay, students will outline the use of technology in correctional facilities from one of the following perspectives:

  • Security (e.g., monitoring offenders in the community).
  • Health care (e.g., telemedicine).
  • Reentry (e.g., contact with family/friends).

Students should address in their essay the need for technological advances in their chosen perspective; current use of technology, and its limitations and potential; and how technology can be used to support the sentencing models introduced in Chapter 2.