Structural determinants of correctional policy : testing two models of sentencing reform

This research examines the political and economic antecedents of criminal sentencing reform in the U.S. from 1971-1982. For each of the 50 states, demographic, economic, and political data were collected. Using these data, the explanatory utility of two perspectives on correctional reform, one informed by Structural-Marxism and the other by Pluralism, is investigated. The objective is to determine the relationship between the scope of changes in sentencing codes and the conditions which prompt these changes. Analysis of the sentencing reform movement permits us to explore and identify the social contexts which constrain policy makers periodically to "reform" official control structures. I conclude by suggesting needed refinements and improvements in the operational and theoretical approaches to these social phenomena.