NCJ Number
153711
Journal
NCCD Focus Dated: (February 1995) Pages: complete issue
Date Published
1995
Length
8 pages
Annotation
Because reactive approaches to crime do not always work, the authors suggest a more rational approach that seeks to minimize public fear of crime, punishment that is not proportional to harm, violence, sentencing inequities, and deficiencies in community corrections programs.
Abstract
Even though many States have constructed additional prisons, crime continues to escalate. Many government officials and media reports selectively misuse statistical information on crime rates in a way that escalates fear of crime, and these individuals and reports sometimes erroneously claim that extending prison terms will reduce serious crime. Some argue for longer prison terms not only on the basis of incapacitation but also for their deterrent value. The authors believe that the need to provide a scapegoat for social ills, including crime, explains why criminal danger is sometimes exaggerated. They emphasize the responsibility of offenders for their criminal behavior and suggest offenders should be held fully accountable. The authors make four recommendations to reduce crime and violence: (1) develop a collaborative national strategy to reduce violence; (2) develop a rational sentencing system; (3) identify and incarcerate truly dangerous criminals; and (4) implement community corrections programs that provide more effective punishment and control. Social conditions that encourage criminal behavior need to be remedied so that the legacy of violence will not be passed to subsequent generations. 10 references