DEVELOPING PROGRAMS FOR THE HABITUAL OFFENDER - NEW DIRECTIONS IN RESEARCH (FROM CONTEMPORARY CORRECTIONS SOCIAL CONTROL AND CONFLICT, 1977 BY C RONALD HUFF - SEE NCJ-44951)

• NCJ Number: 44957
• Author(s): J PETERSILIA
• Date Published: 1977
• Length: 20 pages
• Grant Number(s): 57-N1-99-0095
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Justice; US Dept of Justice NIJ Pub
• Corporate Author: Sage Publications, Inc
• Publication Format: Document
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

THE AUTHOR SUMMARIZES A NUMBER OF DEVELOPING 'HARD-LINE' POLICE OPTIONS FOR DEALING WITH THE VIOLENT CAREER (HABITUAL) OFFENDER.

Abstract

THE AUTHOR NOTES THAT THESE POLICY POSITIONS ARE IN PART BASED ON INFERENCES MADE FROM EMPIRICAL STUDIES, NAMELY THAT THE REHABILITATION MODEL OF IMPRISONMENT HAD FAILED AND THAT THE CRIME PROBLEM HAS BEEN EXACERBATED BY THE EXISTENCE OF A RELATIVELY SMALL NUMBER OF HARD-CORE HABITUAL OFFENDERS WHO ARE REPEATEDLY APPREHENDED AND WHO, AFTER BEING RELEASED, CONTINUE TO COMMIT CRIMES. THE AUTHOR ACKNOWLEDGES, HOWEVER, THAT SOME OF THESE NEW HARD-LINE POLICIES ARE BORN OUT OF FRUSTRATION AND DESPAIR AND THEREFORE NEED TO BE EVALUATED VERY THOROUGHLY BEFORE DECIDING ON THEIR EFFICACY IN SERVING THE GOAL OF IMPROVED JUSTICE. POLICY ISSUES SPECIFICALLY ADDRESSED IN THE PAPER INCLUDE: (1) SHIFTING THE VIOLENT JUVENILE OFFENDER FROM JUVENILE COURT TO ADULT FELONY PROCEEDINGS; (2) INCREASING RELIANCE ON INCAPACITATION AS A DESIRABLE GOAL; (3) ENHANCING PROSECUTORIAL EFFECTIVENESS VIA METHODS SUCH AS THE VERTICAL REPRESENTATION PROCEDURES USED BY CAREER CRIMINAL UNITS ESTABLISHED IN AT LEAST 18 CITIES; (4) EMPLOYING DETERMINATE SENTENCING; (5) CONDUCTING VOLUNTARY RATHER THAN COMPELLED REHABILITATION PROGRAMS; AND (6) INCREASING POLICE SURVEILLANCE. THE AUTHOR ADDRESSES THE PROBLEMS INHERENT TO THE ATTEMPT TO IDENTIFY THE TARGET POPULATION FOR WHOM THESE POLICIES ARE INTENDED AND PRESENTS DATA DERIVED FROM A STUDY OF A SMALL SAMPLE OF OFFENDERS CONSIDERED REPRESENTATIVE, TO SOME EXTENT, OF THE TARGET POPULATION. THE STUDY ILLUMINATES THE DEVELOPMENT OF SERIOUS CRIMINAL CAREERS AND THE INTERACTIONS OF THESE SERIOUS OFFENDERS WITH CRIMINAL JUSTICE AGENCIES. TOPICS SUCH AS THE RATES AT WHICH SERIOUS OFFENDERS COMMIT CRIMES OF DIFFERENT TYPES, HOW SUCH RATES VARY DURING A CRIMINAL CAREER, AND HOW PATTERNS OF CRIMINALITY ARE RELATED TO PERIODS OF IMPRISONMENT ARE DISCUSSED. THE MOST SIGNIFICANT IMPLICATION IDENTIFIED IS THAT THE SYSTEM MAY HAVE TO FOCUS THE CONTAINMENT POLICY ON YOUNG ADULTS. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED).