Deterrence

OUTLINE

put someone off committing crime

tough sentence = offenders won’t want to go back to jail

Severity vs Certainty: punishment is severe, but could be little chance of getting caught

Individual Deterrence

punishment convinces offender it isn’t worth re offending

General Deterrence

society deterred from breaking law

see others suffering punishment

EXAMPLES

public punishments = everyone sees consequences of offending

modern society - media reports deter general public

only 5% reported burglaries result in conviction

2020 / 21 - reoffending rates decreased to 24%

THEORIES

RCT: individuals = rational (weigh up costs + benefits) - decide whether to offend

Severe punishments / high chance of getting caught = EFFECTIVE

Situational crime prevention strategies - target hardening - harder to commit crime

CRITICISMS

little evidence that bootcamps work

half of all prisoners reoffend within 1 year of release

How severe should the punishment be to deter?

Who decides the punishment?

assumes offenders = rational, some act irrationally (emotion driven)