Economics is about incentives. There are all kinds of incentives in your life. Supposedly one of those is the fear of imprisonment. Except maybe not. Read this study on 18 year-olds and incarceration and tell me what you think will deter crime.
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24 comments:
Michael Hellman-1st period
So apprently the prospect of becoming an adult causes some teenagers to take more risk than usual, but then they learn real quick that hard time isn't excatly the life you dream of, so all in all, they learn a lesson and crime is deterred. they only looked at how many times they did crimes the month within their 18th birthday, what about years after their first or second jail terms?
Derek Doss-2nd period
Is it possible that the threat of longer jail terms, risk of committing a crime after 18 excites some and adds to the rush? What kind of people were tracked? Impoverished people committing crimes to feed their family or sustain their life, or middle class just doing it for no apparent reason? I think knowing the person's circumstances would obviously play a factor in who and why the committed an offense just after being released.
Reagan Doyal 5th period
I think the increase in crime at age 18 has to do with the fact that people are no longer are under their parents charge. If the age for being tried as an adult were lowered to 17, while people still were forced to live with their parents it might (but probably not) have a more positive effect.
Angela Scioli 1st period
To an extent, increasing jail time could stop some people from comminting crimes, but it could also never corss a person's mind. You would think that a punishment of possible jail time would be intimidating enough to reduce crime, but who actually stops to think ahead of time of the punishment they would recieve if the were caught. I think that is a question that should be asked in this "research" they are doing. "How many of you thought out a plan and asked yourself would this be worth going to jail for?" I would bet that very very few actually researched or thought about their crime and how long their punishment would be before commiting it.
Clayton P. 2nd
I believe that if we had harsher punishments such as longer jail time it would just make the situation worse. For instance, China has a low crime rate so obviously they're doin something right. China has a communist government and which might deter crime. They live in a very controlled state. Another point is that prison is just an opening gate to the enviroment of more gangs, violence, drugs, etc. And they say that people are products of their environment. Therefore, my solution would be increased rehabilition instead of harsher punishments....
Brittany Hoffman 5th period
It seems that when a person's 18th birthday rolls around, they lose all self control. Everyone wants to rebel once they officially don't have to listen to their parents anymore. And of course, in all of this "excitement" they don't stop to think about the consequences. The fact that jail time has increased may actually add incentive to break the law because higher stakes add to the rebellious feeling.
I do believe though that once they have experienced adult punishment, they will think twice next time they feel like retaliating.
Heather G. 1st period
Well let's start with the basic, no brainer solutions such as: better parenting, stronger morals and closer family ties. Now let's dig deeper. I believe that if we were to send the criminals to a work program and have them work off their debt by doing hard labor instead of letting them sit in an air conditioned jail cell, it might make them rethink the crime they're about to commit. So instead of handing them meals, a bed, clothes, and other luxuries we should make them work off their debt. Just my opinion though, i mean better parenting might deter crime as well too, who knows?
With the article mentioned taken into consideration, crime deterrence becomes a much more difficult problem to provide a solution for. The data shown argues that when released from prison for committing a felony, one-tenth of the convicts were re-arrested soon after (within a month). That statistic doesn't take into account those arrested more than a month after their prior imprisonment. So does this mean that the prison time for committing a felony charge should be lengthened to keep those committing the crimes in prison longer? When they are released, though, are they likely to commit the crimes again? The data shown doesn't give us a good enough look at all possible angles of analysis. Although it's somewhat inconclusive, I believe that extending imprisonment for felony charges would help deter crime simply because the punishment would be harsher and therefore the crime would seem even less appealing to commit than it is already with the current lengths of imprisonment. We're not sure what the result would be, so why not try it out?
Olivia M. 2nd pd.
Not to sound like a total bible-thumper, but I believe a lot of this has to do with parenting. I bet if you do another study with the same individuals, you would find that over half of them come from single parent,broken, and impoverished homes. My solution? Better parenting. Train your children in such a way that turning 18 doesn't give them an excuse to go crazy. Which brings me to my next point, does anyone think it's a bit ironic that you need a license to catch a fish but you can create another human life at your own will? Straaaange...
Tiffany G 1st
Well it seems to me that you really can't prevent the crime rate. If someone does it once there going to do it again. Like the report said most of them were back in prison very shortly after they were released. Despite those people there are some that will change. So Prisons help alot more than just making sure everyone is doing everything ok. Because a slap on the wrist won't change a criminals mind.
laura h 2nd
It's definitely interesting that this country's new "young adults" aren't being deterred from committing crime by the looming cloud of a prison sentence. Obviously the one-fifth of the group studied who committed crime before their 18th birthday and then again after their presentation into the adult world aren't exactly the type of people who have good moral standings. Therefore, the fact that their punishment could increase if they get caught could just be one more reason to commit the crime. Where's the fun in doing something rebellious if there's no chance of getting caught. That's where the rush comes from. For young thugs, they can probobly earn a little bit more street cred and respect if they're able to go around saying they "served some time".
Tyler L. 5th
i would guess that most people were sent to jail during the period due to minor drug charges. most people don't get caught using drugs once a month (if so, they need a new addiction). the study might find a different result if they took a look at six months to a year after the initial arrest.
Crystal R. 5th
I think that if you look at the people who are committing these crimes, you might get a better understanding as to why longer prison time does not deter crime. I am assuming that the majority of young people committing crimes are from a low class family and are struggling by in life. Maybe they don't have a very good family life. Possibly, while spending time in prison, they make new friends. Prison is just like a big family to them and it's also a place where they have shelter and food. Since their prison life is better than their life on the streets, they might find ways to stay in prison.
Jennifer S.-5th
Since the age of 18 marks the time in which a teenager is officially an "adult", many of these older teenagers decide to live without rules for a while. During this time, many are leaving their parents and are on their own for the first time and with the new age come different benefits that were denied to these teenagers before. As a result of these new freedoms and living without boundaries comes an increased crime rate. The euphoric freedoms that are finally being experienced by the somewhat sheltered teens causes recklessness and even more stupidity that they have ever endured in their lifetimes which makes them prime targets for the police to mark and take down. The current punishment of these poor unfortunate souls for criminal behavior is not severe enough. Harsher punishment and longer incarceration may lead to a drastic improvement in the subjects and may help their disregard for the law turn into respect and/or caution if they choose to continue those crimes in which they were first punished for. Although prison is no place for these children, they may find (after they get over their own physical and psychological warfare) that they are actually growing up through this hardship and might even be able to pick up the pieces of their lives after being released from prison. Obviously, not enough study has been done on this subject to make a proper conclusion but by testing several hypothesis's and coming up with more logical reasons for harsher punishments then the disciplinary action will be justifiable and proven to those who question this reasoning.
Whitley C. 1st
I find it disouraging that longer imprisonments don't seem to deter crime. However, the study only took into consideration a few weeks before and after a person's 18th birthday. I believe the study should take into consideration a longer period of time following a person's 18th birthday. The reason for this is that initially, longer imprisionments don't appear scare "offenders." Despite new knowledge, we sometimes still make decisions based on past experiences. The same can be true for those who are arrested within a month after their 18th birthday. However, if an 18 year old is arrested that often, esp. if each imprisonment is longer than the previous one, I believe they will get fed up with it. Once they know from repeated experience what it's like to serve longer prison terms, I think they might slow their crime down a bit. However, this possible decrease in crime wouldn't show up in a time period as small as a month.
Danielle V. 1st
Policing or punishment will not deter the crime. In almost every murder movie or movie containing illegal paraphenelia, a person watches someone get away with doing commiting a crime in some way. If society is providing people with these thoughts and ideas that the person doing the crime can get away with it, then why worry about maybe getting caught by the cops or going to jail. I think society's suggestions initiate the crime, and I also think that that the opposite suggestions from society will end the crime.
I think if society had a more positive attitude towards religion there might be less crime. Crimes are committed when people have desires that are so strong they don't care whether or not it's right or whether it affects other people. Religion is based on a focus on a higher being and on others.
Lauren R. 5th
Alexa D. 2nd
It seems to make sense that as the punishment increases, the crime decreases, but I guess that isn't the case. I believe one reason that crime is not deterred at the age of 18 is the sense of power that comes along with the newfound freedom. Many times a new power can give the possessor the illusion of invincibility and a feeling that, in this case, they are above the law. In other situations, the offenders act rashly, or simply do not think a decision through and respond only to their current emotions. I know this sounds terribly cheesy, but I think one answer to deterring crime lies simply in a hope for a satisfying life. Perhaps if the young persons committing the crime had a dream for the future it would, in some ways, be a more tangible thing to sacrifice than their time. This, however, would not be the case if the crimes were committed on the spur-of-the-moment. If they did happen to be acts of rashness, though, it would definitely decrease the risk of repeat offenses (which seems to be a pretty big issue). We live in a society inundated with messages of violence, to solve problems or simply as forms of entertainment, so I think it is going to be a very challenging job to figure out a way to truly deter crime, no matter the age.
Justin N. 2nd Period
Punishments like jail time will not make crime go away. When a person is sent to prison, they are opened up to new worlds of drugs, crime, etc. When they get out of prison, they have new ways to commit more crimes. There doesn't seem to be any way to deter crime from teenagers who turn 18. I think stronger focus on things like religion, supporting a family, etc. will help deter crime. If someone is told not to commit crimes because they could go to prison, that person could think they are above jail and commit the crime regardless. I think that telling these criminals that they will go to jail is not going to help.
JR N. 5th Period
I am not trying to discredit the evidence suggesting that the severity of consequence does not affect potential criminals, but just last night in Plainview at the Coronado football game, there was a situation where middle school kids were hurling objects down on the CHS student section.
Well, these two guys next to me were talking about fighting these 8th grade offenders and when I told them that it wouldn't be a great idea for them to quarrel with the rugrats they told me that it was no big deal because they were not yet 18 years-old. Apparently the 18 year-old thresh hold did come across the minds of these boys.
Allen J. 1st period
Neither policing nor punishment will deter crime in any substantial way because policing and punishment, as stated in the article, are based on a "RATIONAL footing". While these practices may deter a few people from committing a crime, most habitual criminals aren't and will never be rational, and that is the reason why they believe they will get away with a crime.
Brittney O. 5th Period
When a person turns 18, they are exposed to new freedoms, possibilities, and responsiblities. Many that come from and impovershed home, single parenting, or other unfortunate circumstances haven't been equiped with the knowledge and common sense to control themselves. Their sense of rationality is very different than that of an adult, or someone who grew up with more fortunate circumstances. The longer they are incarcerated, the longer they are exposed to so many more drugs, gangs, violence, ect. Longer and more harsh punishment is not the solution. Instead, rehabilitaion and guidence is needed to help them get on the right track.
Erin F.
well we all know what happens when we turn 18, we break free of the the ties that bind and finally get the chance to stand on our own two feet. I think that the whole problem with teenage crimes can be traced back to our roots. so basically if you were raised by controlling parents you are more susceptbile to the rebellious tendancies and therefore feel the need to do something crazy when you hit the big 18. If parents would just listen to their kids they might be able to prevent them from straying off the right path.
Chris C 1st-period
Most people will agree that the younger you are the more reckless you act. It would seem so with the number of 18 year olds that are being arrested. It becomes a perfect time for a teen to do what they want. You have the freedom of an adult, the hormones of a teen and the time to do it. It becomes a social loop hole. You are considered an adult but you don’t have the responsibility of one. You have the freedom of becoming a college student and the advantages of youth.
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