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Deterrent Effects (deterrent + effects)

Distribution by Scientific Domains
Law and Criminology50%

Selected Abstracts

THE MISSING LINK IN GENERAL DETERRENCE RESEARCH,

CRIMINOLOGY, Issue 3 2005
GARY KLECK
Research on the deterrent effects of punishment falls into two categories: macro-level studies of the impact of aggregate punishment levels on crime rates, and individual-level studies of the impact of perceived punishment levels on self-reported criminal behavior. For policy purposes, however, the missing link,ignored in previous research,is that between aggregate punishment levels and individual perceptions of punishment. This paper addresses whether higher actual punishment levels increase the perceived certainty, severity, or swiftness of punishment. Telephone interviews with 1,500 residents of fifty-four large urban counties were used to measure perceptions of punishment levels, which were then linked to actual punishment levels as measured in official statistics. Hierarchical linear model estimates of multivariate models generally found no detectable impact of actual punishment levels on perceptions of punishment. The findings raise serious questions about deterrence-based rationales for more punitive crime control policies. [source]

PROPOSITION 8 AND CRIME RATES IN CALIFORNIA: THE CASE OF THE DISAPPEARING DETERRENT

CRIMINOLOGY AND PUBLIC POLICY, Issue 3 2006
CHERYL MARIE WEBSTER
Research Summary: In 1999, Daniel Kessler and Steven Levitt published an article that purported to provide support for the marginal deterrent effects of harsher sanctions on levels of crime. Specifically, they concluded that sentence enhancements that came into effect in California in June 1982 as a result of Proposition 8 were responsible for a subsequent drop in serious crime in this state. Our article examines the analyses and findings of this article and suggests that their conclusion of a deterrent impact fails to withstand scrutiny when more complete and more detailed crime data are used and the comparability of "control" groups is carefully examined. In particular, the addition of annual crime levels for all years (versus only the odd-numbered years that Kessler and Levitt examine) calls into question the prima facie support for a deterrent effect presented by Kessler and Levitt. Specifically, it demonstrates not only that the crime drop in California began before, rather than after, the passing into law of the sentence enhancements in 1982 but also that the downward slope did not accelerate after the change in law. Furthermore, the comparability of the two "control" groups with the "treatment" group is challenged, rendering suspect any findings based on these comparisons. Policy Implications: Case studies suggesting that crime decreased after the imposition of harsh sentencing policies are often cited as evidence of marginal general deterrence. As has been demonstrated in other contexts, the question that needs to be asked is "Compared with what?" Kessler and Levitt's (1999) article demonstrates that those interested in sentencing policy need to be sensitive not only to the appropriateness of the comparisons that are made, but also to the choice of data that are presented. [source]

Insecticidal, antifeedant and oviposition deterrent effects of the essential oil and individual compounds from leaves of Chloroxylon swietenia DC.

PEST MANAGEMENT SCIENCE (FORMERLY: PESTICIDE SCIENCE), Issue 11 2006
S Ravi Kiran
Abstract Essential oil from the leaves of Chloroxylon swietenia DC. was obtained by hydrodistillation and cold extraction, and the chemical composition was determined by gas chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The major identified components were limonene, geijerene, pregeijerene, germacrene D and trans-,-ocimene. Laboratory bioassays of the essential oil and four constituents of essential oil isolates were evaluated for insecticidal, antifeedant and oviposition deterrent effects on tobacco cutworm, Spodoptera litura (F.). Toxicity was determined by topical application of the isolates at varying concentrations. Pure oil, geijerene and pregeijerene were found to be more toxic, with LD50 values of 28.6, 35.4 and 40.7 µg per larva respectively. Maximum feeding deterrence was noted for geijerene and pregeijerene, with DC50 values of 82.5 and 95.1 µg cm,2 respectively. Furthermore, pure oil, geijerene and pregeijerene displayed oviposition deterrence, even at low concentrations. These results indicate that these natural products may lead to useful, biodegradable, environmentally safe insect control agents. Copyright © 2006 Society of Chemical Industry [source]