Criminal justice-Deterrence theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Criminal justice-Deterrence theory - Essay Example The Deterrence Theory explains that punishing the criminal will make them not to repeat the crime, and will discourage the public from being engaged in similar criminal activities. On this base, it follows that the level of punishment should match the impacts of the crime in question. Certainty operates in Deterrence Theory in that when people are accused of a crime, they must be punished to avert repetition of the crime (Vito, Maahs, and Holmes, 66). Severity implies that punishment because of a crime should be as severe as the affects it had on those it affected. Severity relates to deterrence theory in that criminals should be punished in accordance to the crimes they did, and the punishment should stop them from repeating the crime. Celerity refers to the speed at which punishment is given to a criminal, and it operates in Deterrence Theory in that criminals should be punished as soon as they commit the crime so that their memory is still fresh of the actions they committed. The most significant of the three is certainty as it refers to the surety that a criminal will be caught and be punished (Wright, pp 5). Severity and celerity would not be in existence if certainty did not operate since if the criminals were not caught and punishment would not be guaranteed. This stops people from engaging in crime since they know the consequence of their actions is punishment. Persistent thieves do not operate in accordance to crime as choice model since they know the consequence, which is punishment to stop them from repeating the crime, and they still engage in theft (Vito, Maahs, and Holmes, 69). Increasing the length of jail terms for criminals who have been caught stealing under the influence of drugs will be crucial in their correction since they will be deterred from repeating the crime. In most cases, they steal because they want to buy the