NCJ Number
67337
Date Published
1976
Length
9 pages
Annotation
THE TASKS OF REPRESSIVE CRIME PREVENTION, ITS EFFECTS ON PARTICULAR OFFENDER GROUPS, AND ITS PROBLEMS ARE DISCUSSED FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF A WEST GERMAN POLICE OFFICER.
Abstract
EFFECTIVE CRIME PREVENTION ENCOMPASSES PRIMARY PREVENTION (PREVENTING OFFENSES BEFORE THEY OCCUR), AND SECONDARY PREVENTION (THE PREVENTION OF FURTHER CRIMES AS A RESULT OF REPRESSIVE MEASURES). THE CONDITION FOR EFFECTIVE CRIME CONTROL IS THE PREDICTIBLE AND SUCCESSFUL FUNCTIONING OF THE POLICE MECHANISM. STATISTICS SHOW THAT THE CRIME RATE DROPS IF THE POLICE SUCCESS RATE IS HIGH AND THAT THE NUMBER OF UNREPORTED CRIMES DECREASES AS THE CONFIDENCE OF THE PUBLIC IN THE POLICE INCREASES. THE PROSECUTION OF EVEN PETTY OFFENSES FORESTALLS SERIOUS CRIME SINCE MINOR OFFENDERS ARE DETERRED BEFORE THEY TURN INTO HARDENED CRIMINALS. POLICE ACTIVITIES SUCH AS WITNESS INTERROGATIONS, RAIDS, CONTROLS, AND MANHUNTS SUBSEQUENT TO A SERIOUS OFFENSE FULFILL PREVENTIVE AS WELL AS REPRESSIVE FUNCTIONS SINCE THEY FOCUS PUBLIC ATTENTION ON CRIME REPRESSION AND DETER POTENTIAL OFFENDERS. THE EFFECTIVENESS OF REPRESSION IN CRIME PREVENTION VARIES WITH THE TYPE OF OFFENSE. FOR INSTANCE, THE MAJORITY OF MURDERERS ARE PASSIONATE OFFENDERS AND, THEREFORE, ARE NOT DETERRED BY THE STRICT REPRESSIVE MEASURES IMPOSED ON THE OFFENSE; YET THE SANCTIONS ARE VALUABLE SINCE THEY DETER NONAFFECTIVE MURDERS. WHILE ROBBERY, AS MOST PROPERTY OFFENSES, IS INFLUENCED BY THE RISK OF APPREHENSION AND A STRICT SENTENCE, SEXUAL OFFENDERS RARELY RESPOND TO REPRESSION. INHIBITING FACTORS TO SUCCESSFUL PREVENTIVE REPRESSION INCLUDE (1) MALFUNCTIONING OF THE COURT SYSTEM (ESPECIALLY THE LONG DELAY BETWEEN OFFENSE AND PUNISHMENT), (2) THE PRESENTATION OF CRIME IN THE MASS MEDIA, AND (3) PUBLIC IGNORANCE AS TO THE REPRESSIVE CONSEQUENCES OF CRIME. THE ARTICLE INCLUDES A BIBLIOGRAPHY. --IN GERMAN. (SAJ)