Deterrence is the best approach for correcting wrongdoers in the society. Deterrence, in its crudest meaning, refers to the administration of correction to an offender in a manner likely to cause potential lawbreakers to desist from committing crimes. Deterrence would be the best suited following the strategies’ ability to reduce level of felonies in the society. The policy acts by deterring people from committing crime through sounding of a threat. Deterrence achieves crime prevention objectives through rehabilitation, protection, incapacitation and retribution by imposing punishment to an individual. A deterrence effect is created by increasing the likelihood of apprehension and punishment certainty. Deterrence goal is further realised in relation to severity of a punishment which influences behaviour of a particular wrongdoer. A criminal comes to the realisation that a repeated punishment would be severe thus would not be worth to have a second conviction for committing a crime repeatedly. Crime prevention is also achieved through creation of a perception that a more painful punitive measure will be imposed in the event one is caught in crime again. Deterrence also works by discouraging an offender from engaging in criminal activities in future for fear of imposition of unpleasant consequences. Thus a criminal’s behaviour is charged accordingly. Through deterrence, an offender is more likely to weigh the pros and cons of an action and then make a rational decision which would be probably not to commit a crime. Crime is prevented for fear of getting caught since an offender already has in mind the likely punishment that would ensue. Such a person makes a calculation of the pain and severity of a punishment thus resolves not to engage in unlawful action. A marginal gain is achieved through deterrence since there is a likelihood that no more serious criminal acts would be committed. Deterrence through arrests sounds a form of warning hence deterring individuals from engaging in law violating activities. A direct benefit is achieved that a criminal or potential law offenders will not commit crimes for fear of prosecution.
References
Henrichson, C., & Delaney, R. (2012). The price of prisons: What incarceration costs taxpayers? Fed. Sent'g Rep. , 25 , 68.
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Schaenman, P., Davies, E., Jordan, R., & Chakraborty, R. (2013). Opportunities for cost savings in corrections without sacrificing service quality: Inmate health care. The Urban Institute, Washington, DC. Available at http://www. urban. org/UploadedPDF/412754-Inmate-Health-Care. pdf .
