General Deterrence, Essay Example

The Crime Control Model rests heavily on the concept of general deterrence. This holds that crime rates are influenced and controlled by the threat of criminal punishment. If people fear being apprehended and punished, they will not risk breaking the law. As Beccaria advised us so long ago, an inverse relationship should exist between crime rates and the severity, certainty, and speed of legal sanctions.  All things being equal, if the punishment for a crime is increased and the effectiveness and efficiency of the criminal justice system improved so that the likelihood of getting caught increases, then the number of people engaging in that crime should decline.

Severity, certainty, and speed of punishment may also influence one another. For example, if a crime—say, robbery—is punished severely, but few robbers are ever caught or punished, the severity of punishment for robbery will probably not deter people from robbing. On the other hand, if the certainty of apprehension and conviction is increased by modern technology, more efficient police work, or some other factor, then even minor punishment might deter the potential robber.