Choice #3 Selective Incapacitation Strategy: Targeting the Violent Few (From Criminal Violence: What Direction Now for the War on Crime? P 18-20, 1992, Keith Melville and Betty Frecker, eds.)

• NCJ Number: 166125
• Author(s): K Melville; T Piazza
• Date Published: 1992
• Length: 3 pages
• Corporate Author: Public Agenda
• Sale Source: Kendall/ Hunt Publishing Co; National Issues Forums
• Publication Type: Legislation/Policy Analysis
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

The best way to deal with violent crime may be to focus law enforcement efforts on career criminals and impose harsh sentences to keep them from committing additional crimes.

Abstract

The most serious criminals are sociopaths, and a small percentage of these career criminals commit a high percentage of all serious crimes. Moreover, the most serious criminals are not deterred by the prospect of being caught and punished and they cannot be rehabilitated. The criminal justice system should be more selective in its enforcement and sentencing. In particular, the criminal justice system should distinguish between those who commit one or two offenses and the much smaller group of chronic offenders. Because crime rates are not generally affected by the threat of harsh penalties, the most effective strategy may be to identify high-rate offenders and put them behind bars for a long time. Selective incapacitation is considered to be a common sense alternative to the deterrent strategy.