NCJ Number
138743
Date Published
1991
Length
109 pages
Annotation
This study looked at more than 6,000 men who were incarcerated in California prisons in the early 1960's to assess the relation between criminal violence and incapacitation; followup data were collected in 1988. Data set archived by the NIJ Data Resources Program at the National Archive of Criminal Justice Data, located at URL http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/nacjd.
Abstract
The entire sample was divided randomly in half in order to provide study and validation samples. Of 3,108 men in the study sample, records of 79 percent were usable; of 3,202 persons in the validation sample, 76 percent were usable. The men were active over the 26-year followup period in being arrested, reconvicted, and reconfined. Of more than 30,000 total arrests recorded, well over half were classified as nuisance offenses (parole and probation violations, drunk driving, drug possession and use, disorderly conduct, and gambling). Property offenses accounted for more than 8,000 arrests (burglary, larceny, robbery, and auto theft). There were more than 2,000 arrests for homicide, rape, and assault and more than 1,500 fraud- related arrests. Nearly 60 percent of those convicted on their first postrelease charge were reincarcerated. Nearly one man in five was reincarcerated at least six times, and more than 30 percent of the men were reincarcerated within 3 years of release. The study findings are discussed in terms of patterned criminal activity, incapacitation strategies, and the prediction of criminal violence. The authors conclude that selective incapacitation is not a viable criminal justice strategy, given the nature of offense behavior and criminal justice response. 118 footnotes, 21 tables, and 20 figures