Further findings on the deterrence question and strategies for future research

Findings for recent data (circa 1970) are consistent with previous purported tests of the deterrence doctrine. For each of seven types of crime there is an inverse relation among the states of the U.S. between the rate and the certainty of imprisonment, but there is no significant relation between the rate and severity of imprisonment (length of sentence served). Although the findings justify reconsideration of the deterrence doctrine, the utility of further tests is questionable without first restating the doctrine as a systematic theory, one that incorporates (inter alia) perceptual variables pertaining to punishment (e.g. perceived certainty of punishment). However, several empirical question should be contemplated prior to stating a deterrence theory; and conventional data (e.g. published statistics on imprisonment) can be used to answer some of those questions.     

T.V. crooks: Implications of latent role models for theories of delinquency

Reviewing the literature on the effect of television viewing on behavior, the authors suggest that if indeed the content of television programs can encourage antisocial behavior in some groups of viewers, the image of crime and characteristics of criminal actors presented on television may play an important role in the adoption of criminal behavior by lower-class adolescents. Data are presented that indicate the variance between the view of crime presented by the television media and that found in official statistics. The implications of this discrepancy for models of delinquency are discussed.     

Criminal justice programs in higher education: Course and curriculum orientations

The growth of criminal justice education programs at institutions of higher learning has been largely a phenomenon of the 1960s and 1970s. This rapid growth has resulted in a variety of program types in terms of both subject area and content orientation. Programs appear to be moving toward a total-system approach with both a social science and professional emphasis. The type of program developed by educational institutions has implications for instructor selection, practitioner relationships, and organizational location within the institution of higher learning.