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16 - Incarceration and Crime

from Part II - Deterrence and Incapacitation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 May 2021

By
Alex R. Piquero
Edited by
Benjamin van Rooij  and
D. Daniel Sokol
Benjamin van Rooij
Affiliation:
School of Law, University of Amsterdam
D. Daniel Sokol
Affiliation:
University of Florida
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Summary

Abstract: The relationship between incarceration and crime has had a long and contentious history in criminology, with answers about the extent to which incarceration has general and/or specific deterrent effects on the crime rate and offending somewhat elusive. This chapter provides a broad overview of the literature in this area with a specific focus on how knowledge gained from research on criminal careers can help inform policy decisions regarding the use of incarceration not just in the aggregate but in particular at the individual level. The conclusion is reached that incarceration does not have a very strong anti-crime effect at the individual level, and in some cases may actually exacerbate criminal offending.

Type
Chapter
Information
The Cambridge Handbook of Compliance , pp. 209 - 218
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

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References

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