ESTIMATING THE SIZE, SCOPE, AND EFFECTIVENESS OF THE GLOBAL COMMUNITY CORRECTIONS SYSTEM: A Comparative Analysis

In this chapter, we provide an estimate of the number of individuals placed under correctional control globally based on data collected through the global community corrections initiative www.globcci.org. Using all available country-level data, our total corrections population estimates include individuals placed in carceral settings and community corrections. We offer the following assessment: the size of the global corrections population is currently close to 24 million, with 11.5 million people in the prison system (i.e., 48% of the estimated total) and 12.5 million individuals in the community corrections system (52% of the estimated total corrections population). We also collected and analyzed available country-level data on the performance of the community corrections systems in the 20 countries included in this Handbook. Four measures of the performance of community corrections were reviewed: completion of probation and parole terms without incident, revocations, rearrest/reconviction while under supervision, and return to prison. Using these four measures, intraregional and interregional variation in the performance of community corrections systems was identified. While the current state of evaluation research assessing the effectiveness of these community corrections systems can be characterized as poor, the results of our preliminary review are revealing, and provide additional support for the development of a global community corrections database with a wide range of performance measures.