NCJ Number
93914
Journal
Crime and Delinquency Volume: 30 Issue: 2 Dated: (April 1984) Pages: Complete issue
Editor(s)
J Galvin
Date Published
1984
Length
161 pages
Annotation
This series of papers focusing on the link between ideas evolving from research and specific areas of criminal justice practice considers the ethics of selective incapacitation, identifying habitual offenders, including criminal intent as a measure of crime seriousness, treatment and the role of classification, clinical sociology and correctional counseling, patterns in juvenile misbehavior, and the advantages and dangers of juvenile diversion programs.
Abstract
The opening essay concludes that recent arguments about the supposed moral acceptability of selective incapacitation do not resolve but merely restate th familiar ethical dilemmas of predictive sentencing; contrary to Mark Moore's thesis, the criteria for desert and for prediction do not coincide, and Norval Morris' proposed formula leaves unresolved how much predictive restraint is to be allowed within maxima and minima based on the gravity of the offense. In considering the identification of offender types, another paper concludes that official arrest and conviction records do not permit criminal justice officials to distinguish between high-rate, serious offenders and other types. An essay critiquing research on the measurement of crime seriousness notes that it has generally defined 'seriousness' exclusively in terms of the amount of harm actually inflicted, without consideration of the mental state or intentions of the actor. A paper reviews the nature of treatment and its socially centered as well as offender-centered goals, focusing on 'positive treatment programs' as distinguished from 'drastic rehabilitation approaches.' An essay also reviews the revitalization of clinical sociology and amasses evidence to support a sociological rather than a psychological approach as a more appropriate treatment response to criminal behavior. The final articles address issues in the juvenile area. One considers a matter directly relevant to the policy of selective incapacitation, as it challenges efforts to identify serious offenders in their early delinquent careers by demonstrating a high level of minor juvenile offenses and a progressive receding from criminal behavior rather than progression into more serious crime. The concluding essay indicates how juvenile diversion programs can be viewed as benefiting offenders from a psychological perspective, while diversion viewed from a sociological perspective is seen as 'net widening' (drawing more juveniles into the criminal justice net). Chapter references and notes are provided. For individual documents, see NCJ 93915-21.