Crime control

The Unites States does not have a consistent commitment to any of the major approaches to crime control. Public opinion and public policy have been split in modern times between the less punitive approach of rehabilitation and the more punitive approaches of deterrence, retribution, and incapacitation. Currently, public pressure has politicians from the white house to the county courthouse publicly advocating more punitive steps with incapacitation such as “three strikes and you’re out” (Booth, 1994). These politicians of course are referring to life in prison with out any possibility of parole for three-time offenders (Morin, 1994). Public and political concern about violent crime has led to some new penal policies that reflect a turn from rehabilitation toward a more punitive approach to crime control. The approach taken involves more emphasis on incapacitation as a method of deterring crime and gaining retribution from criminals. During the 1980s, the prison population n...