INITIAL DRAFT OF PROPOSED STATEMENT OF PURPOSE*

 

H-Corrections would serve as a venue for seeking and sharing information and ideas about the history of correctional services.

"Correctional services" would be understood as referring to

  • detention of accused persons, youth and adult, before and during proceedings to resolve charges;
  • incarceration or other dispositions resulting from determinations in such proceedings;
  • alternatives to detention and incarceration (including probation and parole), and
  • rehabilitation efforts during and after detention, incarceration, probation and parole.

H-Corrections' intended audience would be a diverse, if not volatile mix of academics, practitioners, monitors, and reformers. These would include professors, instructors, and teachers in correctional subjects at universities, colleges and training academies and their students; current and former officials and staff of public, private and community-based agencies that provide correctional services or that monitor the performance of those who do; jurists, reform advocates, researchers, authors, documentarians, and journalists who regularly address correction-related issues.

 

Since those coming to the network from such varied backgrounds would bring with them perspectives likely to conflict with the viewpoints of others, the network operators would strive to avoid H-Corrections becoming, either in appearance or in reality, a tool for propaganda and advocacy of whatever persuasion. Rather its role would be that of the honest broker and good host, making all at the table feel welcomed and respected, encouraging their participation, and stimulating their conversation.

While not a forum for endless emotional debate about contentious contemporary correctional issues, the network's scholarly exchanges of information and ideas about matters of correctional history can be expected to engender discourses on research, interpretation, methodology, premises, conclusions, causation and consequences -- discussions that are desirable -- even potentially enlightening -- when conducted in a professional manner.

 

Note: The H-Net process for establishing an addition to its network of more than 100 history-oriented discussion lists includes submission of a statement of purpose. Above is an initial working draft of such a mission statement. It is provided at this juncture to outline very broadly the kind of Listserv envisioned. Feel free to suggest changes that fine-tune, fill glaring gaps, and otherwise improve or enhance this rough draft.

 

Thomas C. McCarthy,

www.correctionhistory.us webmaster

 

NY Correction History Society general secretary/webmaster**

www.correctionhistory.org
nychs2@nyc.rr.com

** for purposes of identification and communication