CRI 205 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Deterrence Theory, Testability, Gary Kleck
Document Summary
Deterrence theory: crimes and punishments, modern expansions, empirical evidence. The most certain method of prevening crime is to perfect the system of educaion. Legislatures should deine crimes and deine speciic punishments for each crime. Our whole criminal jusice system is set up to increase the severity, celerity, and certainty of punishment: police, prosecutors, prisons, etc. Maximum sentence provided, average length of sentence for a given crime, proporion of convicted ofenders that go to prison vs. probaion: certainty. Arrest rates, prosecuion rates, convicion rates: celerity. Perceptual: may be informed by a person"s own vicarious experiences with punishment. Experienial efects: personal/vicarious experience forms belief in cjs ability to deter. Informal costs: ramiicaions for commiing a crime that came from outside the cjs. Speciic programs: scared straight, electronic monitoring, boot camps, shock incarceraion, broken windows policing, etc. Experienial efects mater, but are weak: punishment may increase actual criminality, reseing efect (gambler"s fallacy)
