We posted this a couple of years ago, but this is a message we neeed to keep registering. The faulty notion that punishment deters is enshrined in statute, is often used by judges to justify long sentences, and drives policy makers down the wrong path. Australian Criminologist David Brown says: "It bears noting at this point that deterrence research generally suggests that deterrence is, in any event, an overrated notion... — largely assumed, rather than proven. The research suggests that the likelihood of getting caught is the primary deterrent; that there may be some deterrent effect of imprisonment in relation to instrumental property crimes, but little if any in expressive crimes such as assault and other violent crime; and that the severity of punishment has no deterrent effect." From: The limited benefit of prison in controlling crime / David Brown, Current issues in criminal justice 22(1) Jul 2010: 137-148 (page 142)
Posted on: Tue, 02 Jul 2013 23:03:32 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015