The Cost of Incarceration in Missouri and the Benefits of Sentencing Alternatives

Abstract

Many and probably most persons sentenced to prison are not good candidates for alternative sentences, either because they pose a danger to public safety or because they committed a crime for which a prison sentence is mandatory under current statutes. However, some are much better candidates than others, and it is possible to reduce the number of Missouri prison inmates by a sizable fraction without unduly increasing risks to the general public. By adopting capacity-sensitive admission policies and age sensitive release policies, the state can reduce the size of the prison population and control costs, while retaining supervision over lower-risk offenders in the community. By instituting alternatives to prison for non-violent drug offenders and introducing a sunset provision in current truth-in-sentencing statutes, long-term control over the magnitude and costs of imprisonment can be achieved. These cost- cutting reforms can be realized without sacrificing public safety through increased intensive supervision of non-violent and older offenders in the community.