Discuss the rise and decline of state regulatory boards and their influence on prison accountability.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

During the Progressive Era, from the 1890s to the 1920s, a number of states created boards or commissions to examine correctional practices and to report serious problems to the governor and the legislature. Generally, these bodies consisted of the heads of corrections departments and parole boards, other criminal justice professionals, and, in some instances, citizen advocates. There were efforts to align the terms of commission members to those of elected officials to establish groups that were "above politics." This goal was rarely achieved in practice. Further, these oversight bodies had few resources for conducting independent inquiries and were almost always staffed by employees of corrections departments. Although state regulatory bodies had a range of powers, most were advisory groups with limited legal authority that existed primarily to "rubber stamp" the operations of corrections officials. As lawsuits and judicial oversight became more common as a means of holding correctional systems accountable for their practices, regulatory boards became less relevant. Oversight boards still exist in many states, but most of these regulatory groups have lost influence.