Special Deterrent Effect of Incarceration (From Evaluating Performance of Criminal Justice Agencies, P 237-263, 1983, Gordon P Whitaker and Charles D Phillips, ed. - See NCJ-92180)

• NCJ Number: 92189
• Author(s): C D Phillips; B W McCleary; S Dinitz
• Date Published: 1983
• Length: 27 pages
• Sale Source: Sage Publications, Inc
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Earlier version presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Criminology, Toronto, 1982),

Annotation

After reviewing the results of research on the effects of institutionalization on delinquency, this study explores internal validity issues and presents the authors' analysis of the effects of juvenile institutionalization in Franklin County, Ohio, comparing the findings with those of other studies.

Abstract

Despite the growing body of research on special deterrence and delinquency, much of the theoretical work on delinquency eschews the idea of special deterrence. Adherents of the labeling perspective view the official responses to delinquency as causes of rather than cures for youths' tendencies to violate the law. Although some research supports the labeling theory, other research indicates that the institutionalization of juveniles suppresses subsequent delinquent activity. Internal validity issues are raised by the latter studies, however. Two of the most serious validity issues derive from a single alternative hypothesis: juveniles have reduced their involvement in delinquency after institutionalization but not because of the institutionalization. The authors' mounted their own study of the effects of juvenile institutionalization. 'Before and after' institutionalization comparisons were based on entire delinquency careers for a sample of 251 youths. Results indicate that the effects of institutionalization were not as overwhelmingly positive in the study population as they appear to have been in other study populations. Thirty-five percent of the sample apparently increased their delinquency activity following release. This study raises questions about the generalizability of institutionalization effects on specific populations. What is needed is an examination of the specific variables that influence the outcomes for various institutionalized populations. Tabular data and 36 references are provided.