Corrections - Definition and Overview

Corrections refers to one of the components of the criminal justice system. This includes halfway houses, parole programs, prisons, and probation programs. In some countries, as well as in Western countries in the past, this also included judicially-ordered corporal punishment. Corrections is the process of trying to correct an individual so that they do not engage in criminal behavior.

See also: criminal justice, death penalty, deterrence, individual rights, justice, penology, prison, social control