Policy makers and voters are favoring intermediate sanctions for nonviolent offenders due to the decreasing cost of imprisonment. In some states, they have employed policies to decrease the cost of criminal justice by setting aside prison beds for the most dangerous criminals only. As a result, pilot programs have been generated to implement intermediate sanctions for non-violent offenders. These programs create significant cost savings by diverting low-risk offenders to another course of action. However, there has been a nationwide interest in exploring options to reduce corrections costs. As requested by the Legislature, OPPAGA identified alternatives for reducing prison costs by expanding the use of community-based intermediate sanctions.
