Transcript Deterrence theory Part II - Washington State University

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What can be done to make the act of crime or
deviance less attractive to the individual?
How can crime or deviant behavior be
prevented?
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"...crime prevention or at least crime
reduction, may be achieved through policies
that convince criminals to desist from
criminal activities, delay their actions, or
avoid a particular target." (Siegel, p.133,
1992).
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Target hardening (deadbolts, self-defense
skills, neighborhood watch programs, etc.),
Legal deterrents (more police, mandatory
sentencing, "three-strikes" laws, the death
penalty, etc.)
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Within the concept of specific deterrence is
the idea that punishment must be effective.
Most punishment in the modern societies
involves imprisonment.
Research demonstrates that recidivism
amongst convicted felons following release
from prison is as high as 63% and that most
prison inmates had arrest records and
convictions prior to their current offense
(Bureau of Justice Statistics).
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The conclusion, then, is incarcerate to
incapacitate.
Prison as punishment may not alter future
behavior, but it certainly reduces the chances
an individual has for engaging in any other
crime or deviance, and at least reduces the
threat they constitute to the general
population.
“Lock them up and throw away the key.”
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Refers to the effect of a sentence in terms of
preventing (rather than merely deterring)
future offending
Imprisonment incapacitates the prisoner by
physically removing them from the society
against which they are deemed to have
offended
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Cutting off a hand of a thief is an example of
specific incapacitation
This prevents the thief from stealing in the
future in a drastic manner
In addition, it has a perceived deterrent
effect on others.
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Is incapacitation a practical use of social
resources?
There is almost a universal understanding
among sociologists and criminologists that
aging out is a significant element of the
deviance/crime process, in other words, the
older a person becomes, the less likely it is
that they will engage in criminal/deviant
behavior.
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Prevention programs that utilize prison
settings in an effort to “scare” youths
Began in mid-1970’s in the Rahway State
Prison (New Jersey)
A group of inmates decided to give
something back to the society
Make teenagers aware if the dangers and
difficulties facing youngsters in prison
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Scared Straight programs became popular
before being thoroughly evaluated.
A comprehensive “What Works” report to the
U.S. Congress in 1997 of more than 500
crime prevention evaluations listed Scared
Straight under “what does not work.”
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Scared Straight programs not only fail to
deter crime, but have been shown to result in
increased juvenile offending when compared
with no intervention.
Research shows that Scared Straight-type
interventions increase delinquent outcomes
by 1% to 28%.
Youth who went through such programs had
higher rates of re-offending than youth who
did not go through the programs.
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There is no consistent proof which supports the
effectiveness of boot camp programs
To take care of rigorous behavior problems, boot
camp programs rely on destructive argument, harsh
discipline, extreme bodily exertion, and strict respect
to those with power.
The efficiency of boot camps varies with the
adolescent.
Some youth enlarge best under the stress of hardhitting love, but other needs just simple love.
The effectiveness of the boot camp can show a
discrepancy from adolescent to adolescent, and the
outcome is dependent upon the attitude of the youth
as well as the parents.