AN ALTERNATIVE TO MORE AND LARGER PRISONS; A ROLE TRAINING PROGRAM FOR SOCIAL RECONNECTION

Abstract

Mr: J. Edgar Hoover recently announced that in 1960 crime rates in the United States had increased 12%. The Police Commissioner of the City of New York responding to the rise in the crime rate in New York City announced that he had hired some 1,300 additional policemen. The Commissioner of Correction of New York City noted the increase in crime and pointed out that the number of persons committed to correctional institutions in New York City had risen substantially. She stated that additional prisons would be required. Administrators dealing with the crime problem can only suggest additional police or additional penal institutions depending on which area they are administering. The author of this paper takes the view that it is a function of the social scientist not only to study or analyze existing conditions but to propose change when sociological theory and current research indicate that change is necessary.