NCJ Number
98914
Date Published
1985
Length
235 pages
Annotation
Written by an economist, this book argues that crime in the United States is closely bound to the government's role as provider of all things and makes recommendations for both short-term and long-term actions that would change the incentives that presently exist to commit crime.
Abstract
Strong evidence exists that imposing greater costs on criminals will reduce crimes. However, the underlying problem is the thinking that has changed from one of responsibility for one's actions to the acceptance that crime is the product of society's influence on the behavior of people. The result has been a spiral in which the government's increasing role has accompanied greater risks to personal security and the need for increasing measures for self-protection. Five actions are needed in the short run to stop this downward spiral. Society should avoid worsening the problem by increasing community rehabilitation and other therapeutic treatments at the expense of prison terms. It should also repeal drug laws and gun control laws, because they make the crime problem worse than necessary. Also needed are legal changes like revision of the exclusionary rule, greater use of market incentives and private contractors in running the criminal justice system, and sentencing that fits the crime rather than the criminal. In the long run, greater reliance on tne market system and less reliance on the government will help rebuild individuals' internal constraints on committing crime. Individuals must accept the moral responsibility for their own actions, fulfill their duties as parents, and take action to restore civic courage. Chapter reference notes and an index are supplied.