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DETERRENCE THEORY HAS been the underlying foundation for many criminal justice policies and practices throughout the course of American history. Although it was once the dominant theory within the realm of criminology, it now competes with other developing, more comprehensive and integrated theories about criminal behavior such as life course theory or Agnews general theory of crime. Criminologists have relentlessly tested deterrence theory using scientific methods to assist in informing and educating policymakers, as well as to unravel the mystery of crime reduction. This essay first examines the theory, including the main tenets, the inherent assumptions of the theory, and the goals set forth by the theory. An inductive content analysis of numerous scholarly, peer-reviewed articles was conducted to identify key themes in the literature pertaining to deterrence and to ascertain whether or not the goals of the theory have been met, as evidenced by scientific testing. Whether or not the theory did achieve its intended goals will be addressed throughout the essay. Last, I present a summary of the major findings and commentary on the overall utility of the theory.
Overview of Deterrence Theory
Modern deterrence theories have their foundation in classical criminological theory derived mainly from an Essay on Crimes and Punishments written by Cesare Beccaria, an Italian economist and philosopher, in 1764, and from An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation (Introduction to the Principles), written in 1781 by Jeremy Bentham an English philosopher, jurist, and social reformer. Beccaria's treatise was notably the first concise and orderly statement of standards governing criminal punishment and called for major reform in the criminal justice system. Although not the main purpose of his work, contained within his essay was an underlying theory of criminology which argued that individuals make decisions based on what will garner them pleasure and avoid pain, and unless deterred, they will pursue their own desires, even by committing crimes (Beccaria, 1986 [1764]). Benthams work has developed a more broad and general theory of behavior than did Beccarias, and his work has been credited with being the forerunner to modern rational choice theory (Bentham, 1988 [1789]).
Additionally, classical theory posits that punishments should be swift, certain, and proportionate to the crime in order to appropriately deter individuals from violating the...