NCJ Number
79951
Date Published
1980
Length
360 pages
Annotation
Using historical and comparative data and drawing from the fields of social science, law, and medicine, the text studies crime control strategies, contending that knowledge of crime causes is useless in itself and this information is important only in terms of controlling crime.
Abstract
The various schools of criminological thought, from Beccaria and the utilitarians (or classical school) to Wilkins and the systems theorists, are sketched to illustrate the diversity of approaches to studying crime. The range of choices in selecting a measure of the success or failure in crime control also illustrates the difficulty researchers face in deciding how to portray the crime problem. Other pitfalls include errors in crime rate measurement, definitions of the crime rate figure, and uncertainty about maintaining control of the strategy. In addition, political and ethical issues must be considered. A discussion of cost-benefit analysis is included. The text concludes that crime can be controlled only by fundamental structural changes that affect offenders and others alike -- changes that make citizens rely less on officials for protection from each other. Chapter references and questions for consideration, author and subject indexes, and definitions of crimes and their penalties as provided in the California Penal Code are included.