Criminal Violence: Patterns, Causes, and - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

Criminal Violence: Patterns, Causes, and

Prevention

Riedel and Welsh, Ch. 15

“Prevention and Punishment:

A Delicate Balance”Slide2

OUTLINE

CJ APPROACHES

CJ Goals

Deterrence

Rehabilitation

Incapacitation

Restoration

Examples: Death Penalty, Three Strikes

The Limits of Punishment

PUBLIC HEALTH APPROACHES

Multilevel Risk Approach

OJJDP Comprehensive Strategy

Community-Based Approaches

Blueprints for Violence PreventionSlide3

Deterrence

General Deterrence

refers to the inhibiting effect that punishment has on potential offenders

in the public

.

Specific

Deterrence

seeks to prevent future criminal acts

only by the individual punished

.

Evidence:

A National Academy of Sciences panel found that studies did not strongly support deterrent effects.

Where effects on crime rates were found, they were stronger where

certainty

was increased (probability of arrest and incarceration) rather than

severity

.

Problems

Most research has been based on official statistics (UCR).

Many studies are unable to eliminate other factors that could account for observed effects (e.g., biases in measures, regional variations in data collection and reporting, and other factors that might influence crime rates).

Stafford & Warr

: Need to examine--

Both

direct

and

indirect

experience, with

Punishment

and

punishment avoidanceSlide4

Rehabilitation

Rehabilitation

refers to any postconviction treatment aimed at reducing an offender's future likelihood of committing crimes.

Evidence:

A National Academy of Sciences panel concluded that we know very little about what works or what does not.

The

best studies

show that

some types of treatment

work for

some types of offenders

, at least

some of the time

.

Problems

Evaluation methodologies have often been inadequate, limiting conclusions from research.

Few programs are available to prisoners (e.g., many want drug treatment but can't get it).

Many inmates refuse to participate.

Inmates are often not allowed to participate for security reasons. Slide5

Incapacitation

Incapacitation:

an offender is restrained from committing any further crimes against the public, at least during the period he/she is confined

Selective

:

attempts to incapacitate

worst

offenders (e.g., career criminals)

General

:

attempts to reduce crime by locking up offenders for as long as possible

Evidence

: difficult to evaluate

Can’t control for many factors that influence crime rates. Some claim that incapacitation effects are evidenced by recent downturns in violent crime.

Problems

Selective

: we can't predict with any accuracy

who

is likely to become a career criminal until

after

he/she has already amassed a lengthy criminal career.

General:

would strain criminal justice resources (e.g., overcrowded jails and prisons). Expenses would far exceed available resources.Slide6

CJ Example #1: Death Penalty

Both death sentences and executions are

disproportionately likely for African Americans

, given their representation in the general population (about 12% of the U.S. population).

Arguments in favor of the death penalty

1) public support

2) deterrence

3) retribution

4) cost-effectiveness

Arguments against the death penalty

1) improper use of state power

2) racial discrimination

3) possibility of errorsSlide7

CJ Example #2: Three Strikes Laws

Example: California's law calls for a

doubling of the prison sentence

for a second felony, and for a sentence of

25 years to life

for a third conviction.

The law covers 500 felonies, including many nonviolent offenses (e.g., petty theft, burglary).

About 85% of offenders sentenced under the “three strikes'' laws were involved in

non-violent crimes

(e.g., marijuana possession).

Problems

:

poorly defined target populations, discrimination, lack of acceptance by prosecutors, lack of prison space.Slide8

Public Health Approaches

Multilevel Risk Approach

We need to examine the

interactions of individual, institutional, social structural, and cultural factors

related to violence.

National Academy of Sciences

Panel on the Understanding and Causes of Violent Behavior

We have

many promising directions

for intervention and prevention to pursue from research findings, but

Better measures and more controlled research

(esp. evaluations of promising efforts) are needed to identify causes and opportunities for prevention.

There are

multiple options

for intervening, and a much greater need for

interagency collaboration

.Slide9

OJJDP Comprehensive Strategy

Risk factors

associated with violent juvenile offending:

Individual

risk factors: pregnancy and delivery complications; hyperactivity; concentration problems; restlessness; risk-taking behavior; early aggressiveness; early involvement in other forms of antisocial behavior, and beliefs and attitudes favorable to deviant or antisocial behavior

Family factors:

delinquent siblings; criminal behavior of parents; harsh discipline; physical abuse or neglect; poor family-management practices; low levels of parent-child involvement; high levels of family conflict; parental attitudes favorable to violence; and separation of the child from family

School factors

: academic failure; low commitment to education; truancy; early dropout; frequent changes of schools; association with delinquent peers; and gang membership

Community or neighborhood factors

: high population density; high residential mobility; high poverty rate; availability of weapons and drugs; and a high rate of adult involvement in crimeSlide10

OJJDP Comprehensive Strategy: 5 Key Objectives

Provide immediate intervention and appropriate sanctions and treatment for delinquents

(e.g., graduated sanctions)

Safe Futures:

continuum of care for youths and their families (includes human service and juvenile justice systems, health, mental health, child welfare, education, police, probation, courts, and corrections)

Prosecute serious, violent, chronic juvenile offenders in criminal court

Includes waiver and transfer mechanisms that allow serious juvenile offenders to be tried as adults in criminal court

Reduce youth involvement with guns, drugs, and gangs

Partnerships to Reduce Juvenile Gun Violence

attempts to strengthen linkages among community groups, schools, law enforcement, and the juvenile justice system.

Provide opportunities for children and youth

Includes mentoring, after-school activities, conflict resolution training, remedial education, and vocational education

Breaking the cycle of violence by addressing youth victimization, abuse, and neglect

Safe Kids/Safe Streets:

strengthens the response of criminal and juvenile justice systems to child abuse and neglect.Slide11

Community-Based Approaches

Programs located in specific neighborhoods, designed and implemented mainly by nonprofit community groups rather than justice or social service agencies

http://www.phillyblueprint.com/index.cfm

Child and Family Resource Centers

(1970s): provided a wide range of services to families (e.g., day care, tutoring, parenting skills, family counseling).

The centers enhanced family functioning at very low cost, and they reduced delinquency by improving parent-child relations and school performance (U.S. General Accounting Office).

Youth unemployment

in high-crime communities

Many of the better job-training programs (1960-1970s) were successful at reducing crime, improving earnings, and reducing long-term costs. But: If job training leads to dead-end jobs, illegal opportunities may become even more attractive to youths.

Long-term community

economic and social development

must also be addressed. Slide12

Blueprints for Violence Prevention

A comprehensive effort to provide communities with a set of programs whose effectiveness has been

scientifically demonstrated

The standards for effectiveness include

four criteria

:

An

experimental or quasi-experimental design

with random assignment or matched control group

Evidence of a

statistically significant deterrent effect

on delinquency, drug use, and/or violence

Replication in at least one additional site

with demonstrated effects

Evidence that the

deterrent effect was sustained for at least 1 year

following treatment

http://www.colorado.edu/cspv/blueprints/Slide13

Conclusions

Violence prevention in the U.S. has a promising but unpredictable future.

To the degree that interventions can reasonably

balance punishment and prevention

and take a

rational approach

based upon existing and emerging knowledge, that promise may yet be realized.

Much further

research on risk factors and causes

contributing to violence is needed, and more rigorous, valid

evaluations of programs and policies

are needed.

In the

absence

of such information,

untested assumptions and hunches will continue to drive critical policy decisions

.