NCJ Number
100113
Date Published
1985
Length
161 pages
Annotation
This book examines the findings of empirical studies conducted by the Dangerous Offender Project which investigated the adult criminal careers of violent juvenile offenders, the criminal histories of men arrested for violent crimes, and the potential effect of incapcitation on the reduction of violent crime.
Abstract
Perplexities that confront legislators, prosecutors, and judges wherever the segregation of persistent criminals is seen as a desirable goal are discussed. A summary of the project's study of violent juveniles in a Columbus, Ohio, cohort covers its methodology, the sample's offense and demographic characteristics, and findings with regard to dangerousness of the chronic offender, the existence of a subset of extremely violent juveniles, predictions of dangerousness, and dispositions and their impact on recidivism. One finding highlighted is that a substantial number of violent delinquents terminated their careers before they reached adult years. The overview of the project's study on the lifecycle of the career offender, based on a cohort drawn from Columbus police records, notes that its findings indicated that recidivists will commit more violent crimes and that the justice system does not deter recidivist violent offenders. The description of a statistical analysis of violent crimes committed by adults and juveniles emphasizes that 73.1 percent of the sample could not have been prevented from committing their offenses by an incapacitating sentence. Also explored are implications of these findings for debates on deterrence and incapacitation, as well as alternative approaches to punishment and control. Tables, references, and an index are supplied.