NCJ Number
92276
Date Published
1983
Length
441 pages
Annotation
This report considers the idea of focusing enforcement and prosecution efforts on dangerous repeat criminals and examines proposed career criminal programs, concluding that such selectivity does have that potential to lower crime, reduce costs, and decrease imprisonment as well as to enhance justice of the system even though risks of potential injustice exist as well.
Abstract
The discussion analyzes crime and fear, then reviews what is known about how crimes occur, what role dangerous offenders play in causing them, and what other sorts of offenses and offenders will also inevitably be swept into the criminal justice system as a result of the sharpened focus. Threshold objections are identified that point out how basic social values may be endangered by selective programs. The second part of the study examines policies and programs targeted to dangerous offenders. Proposals for enhancing the selectivity at four stages of criminal justice processing are examined: at sentencing, at pretrial detention hearings, at prosecution, and at investigation. The recordkeeping necessary to support the enhanced focus is also described. Conclusions about the overall attractiveness of encouraging selectivity in the criminal justice system include an assessment of both the major risks and opportunities. In addition, an agenda of research that can usefully guide the development of a selective focus in the criminal justice system is offered, characterized by flexibility for building up or decreasing momentum. Charts and tables are given. About 200 references are given.