NCJ Number
233602
Date Published
August 2010
Length
12 pages
Annotation
This study examined the effect of imprisonment on adult reoffending among those convicted of either non-aggravated assault or burglary.
Abstract
Results show that there is no evidence that prison deters offenders convicted of burglary or non-aggravated assault. There is some evidence that prison increases the risk of offending amongst offenders convicted of non-aggravated assault. Offenders who received a prison sentence were slightly more likely to reoffend than those who received a non-custodial penalty. The difference was just significant for non-aggravated assault but not significant for burglary. Results suggest that it would be unwise to imprison offenders when the only reason for doing so is a belief in the specific deterrent effect of prison. This applies especially in force for short sentences of 6 months or less. Results suggest that it would be more cost effective to place many of these offenders on a community based program which combines intensive supervision with drug, alcohol, and/or mental health treatment. Data were collected from 171,969 cases finalized in the New South Wales Court between 2003 and 2004. 5 tables and 26 references