Heller School for Social Policy and Management: National Institute for Sentencing Alternatives

Collection — Multiple Containers

Identifier: 06-MWalB00372A

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

Materials in this collection include correspondence, reports, proposals, memos, newspaper clippings, and journal and magazine articles created from 1980 through 1990. All of the materials relate to NISA’s mission to improve management and policy development within the criminal justice system. Some of the topics the materials address include: prison and jail overcrowding, sentencing reform, the cost of the criminal justice system, social responsibility and the courts, judicial intervention in the administration of corrections, and the management of probation and institutional corrections. The materials were created as a function of the training, technical assistance, research, and policy analysis/evaluation services that NISA provided.

Dates

1980-1990, undated

Conditions Governing Access

Some material is restricted; please consult the University Archivist.

Conditions Governing Use

Requests to reproduce or publish in accordance with the policies of the Robert D. Farber University Archives & Special Collections Department, Brandeis University.

Biographical or Historical Information

The National Institute for Sentencing Alternatives (NISA) was a criminal justice public policy center within the Heller School for Social Policy and Management. NISA was founded in 1980, with support from the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation, as a training program for judges, probation officials, and others interested in the use of restitution and community service as alternatives to incarceration. Over time, NISA expanded its mission to focus on the broader public policy issues of sentencing, the use of prison and jail, and the management of corrections resources. Through education and training, policy analysis, program development, and research, NISA provided services to legislators, judges, law enforcement agencies, corrections administrators, and others with a stake in the criminal justice system. NISA sought to increase understanding of the risks and needs of criminal offenders; the feasibility of prisons for purposes of punishment and public protection; and the emergence of sentencing alternatives such as restitution, intensive supervision, house arrest, and community service. The center closed circa 1990.

Extent

4.00 Linear Feet

4 record center boxes other_unmapped

2.00 Linear Feet

Additional Description

Arrangement

Arranged in three series: 1. Correspondence, 1980-1990, undated; 2. Reports, 1983-1988; 3. Proposals, 1981-1988, undated. Series one and two are arranged alphabetically by location. Series 3 is arranged alphabetically by recipient. For more information about each series, please consult the series descriptions in the box and folder listing.

Related Materials

Other related collections include Heller School for Social Policy and Management: National Center on Women and Aging, and Heller School for Social Policy and Management.