NCJ Number
113875
Journal
Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology Volume: 79 Issue: 1 Dated: (Spring 1988) Pages: 180-217
Date Published
1988
Length
38 pages
Annotation
This article examines the propensity to use incarceration as a sentencing option for specific crimes by England, Canada, the Federal Republic of Germany, and the United States.
Abstract
The classes of crime studied are homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny, and motor vehicle theft. The Federal Republic of Germany and Britain have centralized collection systems for statistics on crime and admission to prison, while in the United States and Canada the collection of crime statistics is decentralized and a responsibility shared by the Federal, State, and local governments. Since not all jurisdictions in the United States and Canada report statistics routinely and definitions and procedures vary, the study corrects for information gaps and lack of uniformity. The United States incarcerates perpetrators of homicides 7.5 times more frequently than England and 5.3 times more frequently than the Federal Republic of Germany. Flow rates based on arrest show that the probability of incarceration is roughly the same for the United States, England, and Canada. 89 footnotes.