Increased Incarceration Reduces Violent Crime (From Violence: Opposing Viewpoints, P 274-278, 1996, David Bender, et al, eds. -- See NCJ-159343)

• NCJ Number: 159378
• Date Published: 1996
• Length: 5 pages
• Corporate Author: US Dept of Justice
• Sale Source: Greenhaven Press
• Publication Type: Legislation/Policy Analysis
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Opposing Viewpoints Series. Excerpted from The Case for More Incarceration (NCJ-139583, 1992), US Department of Justice, Office of Policy and Communications, Washington, D.C.

Annotation

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) argues that the solution to violent crime involves incarcerating criminals, even though more prisons will need to be built in an environment of scarce fiscal resources.

Abstract

Prisons are effective in dealing with violent crime; the increase in incarceration has been accompanied by a significant slowing of the increase in reported crime and by a decrease in estimates of total crime. For example, between 1960 and 1970, the murder rate per 100,000 Americans rose by 55 percent; between 1970 and 1980, the murder rate rose by 29 percent; and between 1980 and 1990, the murder rate dropped by 8 percent. The National Crime Victimization Survey reports similar findings. Imprisonment and prison construction policies have had a demonstrable effect in individual States, including Texas and Michigan. Therefore, it is concluded that incarceration lowers violent crime rates. 1 table