NCJ Number
78652
Journal
Monatsschrift fuer Kriminologie und Strafrechtsreform Volume: 63 Issue: 3 Dated: (June 1980) Pages: 162-171
Date Published
1980
Length
10 pages
Annotation
Papers given at the Fifteenth Colloquium of the Southwest German Criminological Institute (1979) on evaluation of prison treatment programs and white collar crime in multinational corporations are summarized.
Abstract
A study on the recidivism rates of prisoners released from Berlin Tegel after social therapy indicates that the recidivism rate is considerably lower for individuals treated than for regular prisoners in all crime categories examined. A discussion of the methods for the evaluation of prison treatment programs concludes that examination of postrelease results, and experimental and quasi-experimental approaches provide little real insight into program effectiveness should be redesigned. An investigation of the effects of a discussion therapy program for juveniles in pretrial detention suggests that the juveniles treated learned to control their aggressive tendencies better than the juveniles not in a program. A study on the effects of rehabilitation programs in correctional facilities and in less restrictive circumstances finds, contrary to major American study implications, that less restrictive treatment settings need not be abandoned simply because they have proved neither more not less effective or dangerous than treatment in traditional corrections settings. Finally, an examination of the renewed interest in deterrence theory shows links to scepticism about treatment programs which will probably lead to increased prosecution costs. A major study at the Freiburg University Institute for Criminology seeks to define white collar offenses specific to multinational corporations including manipulation of prices for services exchanged within the corporation, manipulation of associated taxes, and violations of consumer, environmental, and labor laws. Other papers discuss the positive results of using prison terms as deterrents to cartel law violations, the inaccuracy of many of the typologies of criminal offenders, and the prevalence of fraudulent auto insurance claims.