DETERRENT EFFECTIVENESS OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE SANCTION STRATEGIES, SUMMARY REPORT

• NCJ Number: 8044
• Author(s): S KOBRIN; S LUBECK
• Date Published: 1972
• Length: 38 pages
• Grant Number(s): NI-71-069
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Justice; US Dept of Justice NIJ Pub
• Corporate Author: University of Southern California
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Publication Type: Statistics
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

STUDY OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE SANCTIONING ACTIVITIES OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND THE MAGNITUDE OF THE CRIME PROBLEM.

Abstract

STATISTICS FROM 58 COUNTY JURISDICTIONS IN CALIFORNIA WERE STUDIED FOR POSSIBLE DIFFERING RATES OF ARREST, PRETRIAL DISPOSITION, CONVICTION, AND SENTENCING. THE VARIATIONS IN SANCTIONING STRATEGIES WERE THEN ANALYZED IN RELATION TO THE NUMBER AND SERIOUSNESS OF REPORTED FELONY CRIMES. THE AUTHORS FOUND THAT STATISTICAL DIFFERENCES IN SANCTION PATTERNS BETWEEN HIGH AND LOW CRIME PROBLEM JURISDICTIONS OF SIMILAR SOCIAL COMPOSITION WERE ALMOST RANDOM. HOWEVER, THERE APPEARED TO BE GROSS DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE MORE AND THE LESS URBANIZED COUNTIES, WITH HIGHER SANCTION LEVELS AT THE POLICE AND PRETRIAL STAGES IN THE LATTER. IT WAS HYPOTHESIZED FROM THE DATA ANALYSIS THAT THE GREATEST CONTRIBUTION BY CRIMINAL JUSTICE AGENCIES TO CRIME CONTROL CAME FROM SANCTIONS AT THE POLICE AND SENTENCING STAGES. (SNI ABSTRACT)