Final answer:
Intermediate sanctions are a true alternative to help with prison overcrowding, allowing for the diversification of punishment and rehabilitation strategies in order to manage different types of offenders more efficiently and cost-effectively.
Step-by-step explanation:
Intermediate sanctions are alternatives to incarceration that can address the issue of prison overcrowding. These sanctions provide various options for non-violent and lower-risk offenders, such as probation, house arrest, community service, and drug treatment programs, which can reduce the strain on prison systems. By utilizing intermediate sanctions, the criminal justice system can offer rehabilitation and reduce recidivism, while ensuring that higher-risk offenders, who are more effectively deterred by incarceration, remain in prison.
Moreover, they are often more cost-effective compared to the expense of incarceration, aligning with the preference for interventions with a high benefit-cost ratio. However, Caroline Krafft's analysis suggests that intermediate sanctions should be carefully applied, as not prosecuting non-violent misdemeanors can reduce subsequent crime, but continued incarceration also reduces crime with benefits approximately equal to the costs for certain types of offenders.