I. Reasons for Legal Sanctions What Do We Hope to Accomplish?

Legal Sanctions

I. Reasons for legal sanctions – What do we hope to accomplish? A. Deterrence 1. General 2. Specific B. Rehabilitation C. Retribution D. Incapacitation E. Vengeance F. Moral Education

II. Types of sanctions – What tools can we use? A. Probation 1. Note difference from Parole and Diversion B. Fines C. Community Service D. Prison E. Death F. Other 1. Corporal Punishment 2. Banishment 3. Transportation 4. Mutilation 5. Surgery

III. Theoretical effectiveness of legal sanctions – What determines whether it works? A. Factors 1. Cause of criminality 2. Capacities of offender 3. Capabilities of sanction 4. Capabilities of society B. Cause of criminality 1. Biological a) Genetics b) Abnormalities 2. Psychological a) Temperament b) Developmental trajectories c) Personality 3. Social Psychological a) Situational influences 4. Sociological a) Norms b) Normlessness C. Capacities of offender 1. Cognitive capacities 2. Temperamental capacities D. Capabilities of sanction 1. Test program vs Real program E. Capabilities of society 1. Minority status 2. Offender status F. Chambliss (1968) theoretical model with examples

Motivation for Act

Commitment to Crime As A Expressive Instrumental Way of Life Low Most murderers Most traffic violators 3 1 High Drug Addict Burglar 4 2

Deterrence depends on motivation for act (instrumental easier to deter than expressive) and commitment to crime as a way of life (low easier to deter than high). Hence, effectiveness of increase in severity of sanctions as deterrent in numerical order above.

IV. Empirical evaluation of the effectiveness of legal sanctions A. Reliability of Measures 1. Inter-observer a) Do different observers using the same instrument obtain the same result? b) Victim surveys 2. Alternate Form a) Do observers using supposedly equivalent instruments obtain the same result? b) Vital Statistics and the Supplemental Homicide Reports 3. Inter-item a) Do components of the same measure yield the same result? b) Burglary and Auto-theft statistics 4. Test-retest a) When measured again (without change), are the results the same? b) Victim surveys B. Validity 5. Internal a) Does the evaluation demonstrate what it purports to demonstrate? 6. External a) Do the effects generalize beyond the study? 7. Convergent a) Do other studies (with different failings) confirm the results?

V. Evaluation Designs A. Experimental - Random assignment to conditions 1. Defining Characteristics a) Randomize items under study b) Anything not randomized should be: (1) Fixed (2) Varied Systematically (3) Counter-balanced 2. Strength: Causality clear 3. Weakness: Difficult to construct B. Observational 1. Strength: No interference with process 2. Weakness: Difficult to evaluate causality C. Self Report 1. Strength: Insight into private or hidden thoughts and behaviors 2. Weakness: Susceptible to biases, intrusive D. Quasi-experimental 1. History 2. Maturation 3. Instability 4. Testing 5. Instrumentation 6. Selection Biases a) Regression artifacts b) Sample Selection artifacts c) Selection-maturation interaction