NCJ Number
126341
Editor(s)
W B Groves,
G Newman
Date Published
1986
Length
177 pages
Annotation
This volume discusses the divergence between punishment and privilege and the relation between crime and punishment, noting in particular the gap in punishment levied on street versus corporate criminals.
Abstract
The first segment of the book explores variables that allow physicians to avoid punishment for Medicare and Medicaid fraud. Strengths and limitations of fines and monetary penalties for white collar and corporate offenders are reviewed in the second segment. Options that may address white collar crimes more effectively include forcing corporate violators to distribute shares of stock to the State's crime victim compensation fund, insisting that corporations discipline themselves internally by corporate probation and punitive injunctions, increasing public awareness of corporate crimes, and imposing community service on corporate violators. The next two segments present the argument that punishment will be least where the rewards of crime are greatest. In order to close the gap between street and corporate criminals, punishment should be used as a mechanism of last resort when there is no other constructive way of resolving the problem. Punishment rationales are examined in the next segment with attention paid to whether preventive detention can be practically and morally justified, whether juveniles and adults should be treated equally, whether more prisons are needed, whether rehabilitation is a worthy objective in sentencing, and whether probation and parole should be abolished. The final three segments consider punishment versus privilege, deterrence, what behavior deserves punishment, and the relation between crime and punishment. Statistics on prisoners, capital punishment, per capita national income, employment, and form of government in selected countries worldwide are appended. 274 references, 3 tables, and 4 illustrations