NCJ Number
133307
Journal
Criminology Volume: 29 Issue: 4 Dated: (November 1991) Pages: 651-676
Date Published
1991
Length
26 pages
Annotation
In an era of prison, jail, and caseload overloads, financial penalties are gaining support as alternatives to jail sentences. A sample of 824 cases sentenced in Los Angeles municipal courts including 230 assaults, 151 burglaries, 165 drug crimes, 127 driving under the influence cases, and 151 thefts was studied using regression analysis to determine how judges assessed financial penalties.
Abstract
The findings suggested that judges tended to rationally impose monetary assessments without accompanying jail terms for low-risk offenders; assignment of probation alone and jail terms was most strongly influenced by offense. The amount of fine was also significantly related to the type of crime. Analyses of the outcomes of penalties have suggested that, relative to incarceration, fines were associated with a lower likelihood of recidivism. However, other data indicated that the differences in outcome may be due more to the detrimental effects of imprisonment than the deterrent effects of assessments. 7 tables and 23 references (Author abstract modified)