Suchergebnisse

The Calif State Assembly requested its own Office of Res to report on the deterrent effects of criminal penalties. Previous Assembly experience had indicated that information assembled by legislative technical staff could have a signif impact on legislation & soc change. This paper summarizes & comments on the criminal-penalties study. It was found that there is no evidence that severe penalties deter crime more effectively than less severe penalties. Critical deterrents vary according to type of individual & type of offense. Prisons are more destructive than rehabilitative. Increased investments in communitylevel action, including improving the efficiency of police activity & of community rehabilitation programs, are probably more effective crime-control measures than reliance upon instit'ization of offenders. The focus is upon the arbitrary parole-decision process as a critical & representative defect in the criminal-justice system. More recently, study has led to the conclusion that the effects of 'secondary' penalties, such as stigmatization, exposure to other criminals in prisons, loss of civil rights, reduced job opportunities, & fam deterioration, have been underestimated. The ultimate public costs of intake of most offenders into the present criminal-justice system may far outweigh its deterrent or rehabilitative effects. HA.