NCJ Number
116132
Date Published
1988
Length
9 pages
Annotation
West Germany's Max Planck Institute researches the entire spectrum of crime and crime control, and leading research themes in the 1980's have focused on penal sanctions and treatment, penal norm implementation, and cohort studies.
Abstract
Specific research activities during the current decade have encompassed sentencing research, including juvenile correctional facilities, adult prisons, prison law, juvenile delinquency, environmental and economic crime, and narcotics offenses. Research on penal sanctions and treatment investigates different forms of correction and discharge from prison for career offenders; regular prisons versus social therapy model institutions; and the influence of education, work, and liberalization measures in prison on the incarceration term and post-release performance. A juvenile prison project, a study of the rehabilitation and recidivism of drunk drivers, and an evaluation of a social therapy correctional program for juvenile offenders are noted. Research on the implementation of penal norms is concerned with such diverse offenses as abortion and environmental and economic crime. Comparative research examines sentencing practices, fear of crime, perception of crime, victimization, crime reporting behavior, and attitudes toward the social control exerted by criminal law. Cohort studies of police-recorded crime and convictions are cited. The idea of crime proceeds is considered within the framework of narcotics offenses and organized crime. Victim research and restitution are discussed, and topics requiring further investigation are noted. 11 references.