PROPOSED CORRECTIONAL ALTERNATIVES ACT WOULD GIVE $200 MILLION TO STATES - Focus Would Be On Job Training For Inmates

Sep 30, 2026

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Proposed legislation introduced in mid-May 1989 would create a federal discretionary grant program providing $200 million to states to reduce prison overcrowding through new alternatives to incarceration. The act emphasizes job training and rehabilitation, arguing that current prison practices fail to deter crime and instead warehouse offenders at high daily costs. It supports private sector and state partnerships for vocational education, requiring specific shared funding matches and setting rules for grant use by the Justice Department’s Bureau of Justice Assistance.

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Proposed Correctional Alternatives Act Would Give $200 Million to States

Focus Would Be On Job Training For Inmates

What The Legislation Will Do..

Corrections Digest

Job Listings

Vol.20 No.11 In Congress... # PROPOSED CORRECTIONALALTERNATIVES ACT WOULDGIVE $200 MILLION TO STATES Focus Would Be On JobTraining For Inmates Rep.Charles B.Rangel(D-N.Y.)on May 16introduced the“Correctional Alternatives Act of1989,"which would provide for the establishmentof a Federal discretionary grant program to assiststate efforts in instituting new and innovative alter-natives to imprisonment. “American prisons today are not doing the jobof rehabilitating prisoners or deterring futurecrime,"Rangel said at a news conference."Weare in effect warehousing prisoners at incrediblecosts and when they come out the simply are bet-ter criminals.At an average cost of $50 a day perinmate we are spending over $300 million a dayon a system that is not working and has failed usmiserably.We need to explore a new approach.” President Bush,in his May 15 address oncrime,concentrated on prisons and incarceratingcriminals,but this approach won't work,Rangelargues. "Punishment and preventing recidivism areseen as the answer to the problem of the prisonpopulation sitting around doing nothing exceptmaking license plates,”Rangel said.“The realanswer to avoid continuing incarceration andrecidivism is through programs that begin to traininmates to be productive citizens. “Even if we build more prisons as the Presi-dent proposes,why should we not require that May 31,1989 IN THIS ISSUE CORRECTIONALALTERNATIVES ACT:Would Give States $200 Million For Job Training Programs… …… ……1JOB LISTINGS… … .2 # D.C.:Airport Security Jobs Held By Convicts………3NYC:More WomenOfficers Tell Of Threats Over Pregnancies…………… …3EXECUTIONS:Conducted In Three States… …4SPICY FOOD:Calms Rebellious Inmates… ………5ELECTRONIC PAROLE:Effective In California.……6DELAWARE:Sentencing Act Not Working?………6MASSACHUSETTS:Officers Sue To End Overcrowding… ……7TEXAS:Fired Parole Officers Rehired… …7KANSAS:New DOC Chief Chosen… …8IN THE COURTS… … … …… …8U.S.:Incarceration Rate High… …… …9AIDS:Free Seminar Scheduled…… ………10 N.Y.:Calm Returns To Prison… …10OREGON:Feds Open Prison … …10 CURE CONVENTION COMING UPI Citizens United for Rehabilitation of Errants(CURE)will hold its Second National Convention June 10-13 inWashington,D.C.CURE,which lobbies for legislation toensurejust treatment for prisoners,victims and their fami-lies,will conduct numerous workshops during the conven-tion,covering such topics as lobbying for criminal justicereform;what really works in drug treatment;abolition ofthe death penalty;inmate programming sex offendertreatment;women prisoners;mentally handicapped in-mates;AIDSin prison;post-release services;correctionalaccreditation;and much more.Registration is $20.Formore information,contact:Charles or Pauline Sullivan,CURE National Office,1115th St,N.E.,Suite\#6,Washington,DC 20002.Phone:202-543-8399. # CORRECTIONS DIGEST when inmates are released they return to society asbrick layers,electricians,painters,carpenters andskilled in other trades?”he asked. The“CorrectionalAlternatives Act of 1989”is directed towards the many nonviolent offenderswho are incarcerated and would be eligible for awide range of alternatives,including boot camps,house arrests,drug treatment and vocational edu-cation,among others.Since it is the states andlocalities where most of the prison overcrowding isoccurring in the U.S.,the bill provides support tothe states for these programs. A unique aspect of the bill is a private sector/state partnership to provide vocational andjobtraining programs to offenders. "We need to teach working skills to inmateswhile in prison not only for their benefit but for thebenefit of our society,”Rangel explained.“Ourapproach should be if you do a crime you aregoing to do time,but you are also going to comeout with a skill to become a productive citizen.Our legislation encourages the private sector tojoin with state c

FAQs

What is the Correctional Alternatives Act of 1989 intended to do?

It would establish a federal discretionary grant program to help states implement new and innovative alternatives to imprisonment, aiming to reduce prison overcrowding and improve rehabilitation.

How much funding would the act provide?

The act provides $200 million for the program for each of Fiscal Years 1990, 1991, 1992, and 1993.

What requirement does the bill place on state and private partnerships?

It requires that 20% of total funding be used for joint state/private vocational education and job training programs and also requires a 30% state/private sector match, with at least 15% from the private sector.

Sep 30, 2026

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