Deterrence Model: Fear Of Preventing Crime
The deterrence model is the idea that the fear of punishment will prevent criminals or potential criminals from committing a crime. There are two different types of deterrence, which are general and specific. General deterrence is the preventing crime among the general population. The general public includes only those who have not committed a crime before. Specific deterrence is trying to prevent a specific group of people or specific person from committing a crime in the future. The deterrence model has been noted to not be effective. The deterrence model is half way effective because it does put fear in some people, but it does not exemplify all the many reasons people commit crimes. Many criminals or potential criminals may fear being
punished, but they don’t think they will get caught. The fear of getting caught is thrown out the window because they may be caught in the moment. The deterrence model ignores the fact that people are not always in control of their actions. Sometimes people do snap, and it is difficult to understand without proper assessment. There have been cases that I have deal with where people just snap without thinking about the potenial consequences.
A few months ago there was a client who boyfriend had murdered her baby girl while he was watching her one day. The family of the client stated that the baby wouldn’t stop crying, so the boyfriend stabbed her to death. Later it was found out that the boyfriend had been in and out of jail for assaulting people, and had been through numerous retributive programs. In this case, he just snapped without thinking. The deterrence model doesn’t really give those who are not in a normal mental state the benefit of the doubt. Everyone does not have a stable mind, and we can’t just punish those severely who are not mentally stable. The deterrence model needs to be revised to include those who are unable to control themselves when faced with difficult situations or those who are mentally unstable. Also, the lack of education on the penalties of crimes is something that is ignored in the deterrence model. The model is set up for those who may be educated on the consequences of different crimes. The deterrence model is not realistic because it believes that people have the time to rationalize before engaging in a crime, when in fact that is not always the case. Tailoring the model to fit the society is important in order to decrease the likelihood of a crime happening.
punished, but they don’t think they will get caught. The fear of getting caught is thrown out the window because they may be caught in the moment. The deterrence model ignores the fact that people are not always in control of their actions. Sometimes people do snap, and it is difficult to understand without proper assessment. There have been cases that I have deal with where people just snap without thinking about the potenial consequences.
A few months ago there was a client who boyfriend had murdered her baby girl while he was watching her one day. The family of the client stated that the baby wouldn’t stop crying, so the boyfriend stabbed her to death. Later it was found out that the boyfriend had been in and out of jail for assaulting people, and had been through numerous retributive programs. In this case, he just snapped without thinking. The deterrence model doesn’t really give those who are not in a normal mental state the benefit of the doubt. Everyone does not have a stable mind, and we can’t just punish those severely who are not mentally stable. The deterrence model needs to be revised to include those who are unable to control themselves when faced with difficult situations or those who are mentally unstable. Also, the lack of education on the penalties of crimes is something that is ignored in the deterrence model. The model is set up for those who may be educated on the consequences of different crimes. The deterrence model is not realistic because it believes that people have the time to rationalize before engaging in a crime, when in fact that is not always the case. Tailoring the model to fit the society is important in order to decrease the likelihood of a crime happening.