NCJ Number
106385
Editor(s)
C Debner,
T O'Neill
Date Published
1984
Length
191 pages
Annotation
Opposing viewpoints by criminologists, prison inmates, and crime victims cover crime causes, how offenders should be treated, crime prevention, the control of white-collar crime, and gun control.
Abstract
Debates on crime causes address poverty as a crime cause, the influences of age and heredity on criminal behavior, and America's justice and social systems as contributors to crime. The debates on how offenders should be treated consider whether or not harsh sentences are effective and whether rehabilitation can work. Crime prevention issues discussed include the reduction of street crime through community involvement and countering the causes of violence, victim behavior modification, ex-inmate job programs, a firmer court system, and the disbanding of social programs. Debates on the control of white-collar crime focus on stricter penalties as a means to reduce corporate crime and better management policies and better laws to deter computer crime. The pros and cons regarding the effectiveness of gun control in reducing crime are considered, and two articles examine whether or not the U.S. Constitution guarantees the right of citizens to have personal handguns. Chapter bibliographies, 58-item general bibliography, and subject index.