NCJ Number
54530
Date Published
1975
Length
30 pages
Annotation
THE PREVENTIVE EFFECTS OF GENERAL AND SPECIFIC SANCTIONS ARE EXAMINED THROUGH A LITERATURE REVIEW, AND SOME SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER STUDY IN THIS AREAS ARE OFFERED.
Abstract
UNDER CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES, THE THREAT OF BEING SANCTIONED CAN RESTRAIN PEOPLE FROM CRIMINAL ACTS. THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THIS THREAT DEPENDS ON FACTORS RELATED TO THE PERSONALITY OF THE POTENTIAL OFFENDER, BEHAVIORAL PATTERNS, THE KIND OF SANCTION AND THE SURROUNDING SOCIAL CIRCUMSTANCES. IN GENERAL, THE THREAT OF A SANCTION BECOMES MORE EFFECTIVE (1) WHEN POTENTIAL CRIMINALS REASON THEIR ACTIONS, (2) WHEN POSSIBLE OFFENSES LOSE THEIR MEANING TO THE OFFENDERS, (3) WHEN LEGAL ALTERNATIVES TO COMMITTING CRIMES ARE AVAILABLE TO THE OFFENDERS, AND (4) WHEN THE CHANCES OF BEING CAUGHT OUTWEIGH THE SEVERITY OF THE PUNISHMENT. THE PREVENTIVE EFFECTS OF IMPRISONMENT ARE USUALLY MEASURED BY THE AMOUNT OF RECIDIVISM AMONG EX-OFFENDERS, BUT RECIDIVISM BY ITSELF CANNOT BY INFLUENCED BY IMPRISONMENT. PRISON TERMS SEEM TO BE AS EFFECTIVE AS FINES, AND LONG-TERM PRISON SENTENCES ARE NOT MORE EFFECTIVE THAN SHORT-TERM IMPRISONMENT. THE QUALITY OF TREATMENT IN PRISONS BARELY INFLUENCES RECIDIVISM. OPEN PRISONS ARE AT LEAST AS EFFECTIVE AS CLOSED INSTITUTIONS, AND DETENTION SEEMS AS EFFECTIVE AS FORCED SUPERVISION. HOWEVER, DIFFERENT TREATMENT PROCEDURES FOR DIFFERENT OFFENDERS AND THE PROVISION OF THE BEST TREATMENT METHOD FOR EACH INDIVIDUAL OFFENDER SHOW BETTER RESULTS. A CLOSE EXAMINATION OF THE THREE SANCTION VARIABLES--SEVERITY OF SANCTION, THE CHANCE OF BEING CAUGHT, AND THE SPEED OF IMPOSING A SANCTION--IS SUGGESTED AS WELL AS HOW A CHANGE IN THESE VARIABLES WOULD INFLUENCE THE SUBJECTIVE PERCEPTION OF THE POSSIBLE OFFENDER. A GREATER VARIETY OF SANCTIONS MIGHT INCREASE THE POSSIBILITIES OF FINDING THE BEST POSSIBLE SANCTION FOR EACH OFFENDER. A LIST OF CONSULTED PUBLICATIONS IN ENGLISH, GERMAN, AND DUTCH IS PROVIDED. --IN DUTCH (WVK)