JUST*2020 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Extortion
Document Summary
Mandatory minimum sentences (which we will look at in more detail later): every situation is different. Criminal sanctions have been found to carry some deterrence; however, these effects vary according to a number of factors, including: the nature of the crime. Deterrent effects may be crime-specific: the target group. The link between the certainty of punishment and crime rates may also vary according to criminal history or race: moral prohibitions associated with the behaviour. Those who will experience shame or embarrassment as a result of their involvement in a crime are less likely to commit that crime. The public has little knowledge of the nature and severity of criminal sanctions: knowledge of the pertinent sanction. The public has little knowledge of the nature and severity of criminal sanctions: the certainty of punishment. Some studies show that crime rates decline with an increase in the probability of arrest.
