NCJ Number
42792
Date Published
1977
Length
351 pages
Annotation
IN THIS MAJOR REVISION OF HIS 1971 WORK, THE AUTHOR REJECTS TRADITIONAL APPROACHES TO CRIME CONTROL AND OUTLINES A COMPREHENSIVE PROGRAM OF ENVIRONMENTALLY BASED CRIME PREVENTION.
Abstract
USING THE THEORIES AND PRACTICES OF GENETICS AND PSYCHOBIOLOGICAL RESEARCH, HE PROPOSES THAT WE RADICALLY REVISE OUR APPROACH TO CRIMINAL OFFENDERS, MOVING AWAY FROM MODELS OF DETERRENCE AND RETRIBUTION TOWARD A PREVENTATIVE SYSTEM BASED ON SCIENTIFIC PRINCIPLES. THIS NEW SYSTEM MUST UTILIZE THE PRACTICES OF BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION, PSYCHOSURGERY, AND DRUG THERAPY; THESE AND OTHER TREATMENTS REPRESENT NEW AND SUCCESSFUL APPLICATIONS OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH TO PROBLEMS THAT HAVE CONSISTENTLY ELUDED CRIMINOLOGISTS. HE ARGUES STRONGLY THAT 'THE PRESENT REJECTION OF GENETICS AND PSYCHOBIOLOGY AS TREATMENT ALTERNATIVES, BY BOTH BEHAVIORAL PSYCHOLOGISTS AND LAWYERS, IS BASED ON MISTAKEN VIEWS OF HUMAN NATURE, FREEDOM AND LIBERTY.' THE LEARNING DISABILITIES AND BEHAVIORAL PROBLEMS, WHICH OFTEN LEAD INDIVIDUALS TO CRIMINAL ACTIVITY, SHOULD BE TREATED AS ANY OTHER MEDICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL ILLNESS, WITH THE MOST ADVANCED TECHNIQUES AVAILABLE. THIS, HE CONTENDS, IS BOTH A HUMANE AND ETHICAL APPROACH TO CRIME PREVENTION. THE FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF THIS COMPREHENSIVE STUDY WILL BE OF PARTICULAR INTEREST TO ALL THOSE INVOLVED IN THE TEACHING AND PRACTICE OF CRIMINOLOGY, AND TO THOSE IN THE FIELDS OF GENETICS, PSYCHOLOGY, LEARNING THEORY, ENVIRONMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY, AND URBAN DESIGN. FOR THE EARLIER EDITION OF THIS BOOK, SEE NCJ 10719 (AUTHOR ABSTRACT)...ELW