Dealing With the Dangerous Offenders, Volume 2 - Selected Papers

• NCJ Number: 92277
• Author(s): D McGillis; S Estrich; M H Moore; W Spelman
• Date Published: 1983
• Length: 528 pages
• Grant Number(s): 81-IJ-CX-0037
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)

Annotation

Papers focusing on various aspects of dealing with dangerous offenders cover selective incapacitation, sentencing practices, bail and pretrial detention practices, alternatives to jail and prison, prosecutorial decisionmaking, police investigative and apprehension methods, criminal history records, and the relative effectiveness of policy options.

Abstract

Two papers on selective incapacitation focus on the nature of the research required to identify those offenders most likely to commit severe and numerous crimes over an extended crime career so they may be incapacitated (incarcerated) over the peak period of their potential criminal careers. A Philadelphia study (Wolfgang and Tracy) of birth cohorts is presented to compare the prevalence, incidence, and severity of delinquent behavior. One of the papers considering sentencing practices notes that a plan for corrections strategic planning should be based on the use of imprisonment for selected violent offenders and the development of alternative corrections programs for nonviolent offenders, while another paper considers tradeoffs between prediction accuracy and selective incapacitation efforts. Papers on bail/pretrial detention practices consider the promotion of accountability in making bail decisions, the development of judicial bail guidelines in Philadelphia, and the potential value of increased selectivity in pretrial detention decisions. Since selective incapacitation implies that nonviolent offenders will be managed outside of prisons, requirements for alternatives to jail and prison are examined, as is the mental health system as a complement to the criminal justice system. Ways in which prosecutors can improve their identification and conviction of chronic offenders are considered, and police investigative strategies for identifying dangerous repeat offenders are discussed. Two papers explore the importance of having accessible and complete criminal histories as a means of identifying chronic offenders. The need for adult courts to have access to juvenile records is examined. The concluding paper considers the crime control effectiveness of selective criminal justice policies. For individual documents, see NCJ 92278-92.