This study, a test of the specific deterrence in the area of juvenile delinquency, has three basic concerns. The first of these is to obtain perceptual measures of the primary components of the doctrine. Individual interpret reality, and it is this perception or interpretation of reality, rather than reality itself, that influences behavior. Second, the concern is to consider the pleasure aspect of delinquent involvement. Prior research has concentrated on punishment, virtually overlooking pleasure. And thirdly, the concern is to view specific deterrence in terms of its implicit temporal ordering, that perceptions be measured prior to the advent of subsequent delinquency. Specifically this study investigated recidivism of juvenile male first time burglary offenders. The data was drawn from police reports, probation officer's impressions and interviews with 127 boys who met the criteria of this study. The specific patterns found are both consistent and inconsistent with the deterrence doctrine. Consistent with the doctrine, pleasure is directly related to recidivism. The fact that pleasure is also one of the best predictors of recidivism suggests that its omission from most prior research may certainly have diminished the potential predictive power of the doctrine in those studies. Consistent with both the doctrine and prior research, certainty of apprehension (logarithm) is a primary deterrent to recidivism. The findings regarding the severity of punishment, on the other hand, are not so straightforward. Admittedly, the recidivists did not experience what they perceived as severe punishment. The court's response appeared to be irrelevant, and the response viewed as one of the most severe (grounding) by the recidivists was infrequently applied to them. Consistent with the doctrine, severity of apprehension (punishment) was inversely related to recidivism. However, the effect of punishment appears to be an indirect one through the condemnation of the act. This suggests that fear of punishment may not be the "deterring force"; rather, certain and severe sanctions may act to educate the one-time offender, specifying what is accepted as moral behavior. Obviously, further research is needed to uncover the interrelated effects of certainty of apprehension, moral condemnation and severity of punishment.

<p>Despite the unpleasant living conditions in prison, recidivism seems to be an uncontrollable phenomenon. It is evident that prison life is harsh with inmates having to sleep on the floors due to overpopulation, frequently subjected to physical and sexual abuse, and overpopulation leading to numerous communicable diseases, such as tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections. Prison should therefore, be the least favourable ecosystem in which to be incorporated. However, research indicates that thousands of youth return to prison habitually. This study aimed to explore juvenile inmates perceptions of their return to prison. Although recidivism is often measured in terms of the success of rehabilitation programmes, this study focused on eliciting socio-economic factors influencing recidivism.</p>

This thesis explored the relationship between youth delinquency, family intervention treatment and recidivism through a meta-analysis of existing literature. Fifty individual effect size estimates were derived from thirty-five experimental research studies examining the impact of involving families in the treatment of young offenders. Initially, family intervention treatment was found to significantly reduce the recidivism of young offenders compared to non-familial responses to youth crime. Methodology, however, was found to be a crucial determinant of the reported effects of treatment; studies using less rigorous methods tended to produce significantly higher rates of success than studies using more rigorous methods. In terms of treatment characteristics, programs treating younger offenders and programs with voluntary participation displayed significantly lower levels of reported recidivism. The results suggested the need to develop more rigorous methods and reporting practices and to target younger offenders with voluntary family-based interventions.

<p>Despite the unpleasant living conditions in prison, recidivism seems to be an uncontrollable phenomenon. It is evident that prison life is harsh with inmates having to sleep on the floors due to overpopulation, frequently subjected to physical and sexual abuse, and overpopulation leading to numerous communicable diseases, such as tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections. Prison should therefore, be the least favourable ecosystem in which to be incorporated. However, research indicates that thousands of youth return to prison habitually. This study aimed to explore juvenile inmates perceptions of their return to prison. Although recidivism is often measured in terms of the success of rehabilitation programmes, this study focused on eliciting socio-economic factors influencing recidivism.</p>

Zugl.: Berlin, Freie University, Habil.-Schr., 2005.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Michigan State University. Dept. of Psychology, 2008. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed on July 6, 2009) Includes bibliographical references (p. 119-130). Also issued in print.

Thesis--University of Wisconsin--Madison. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 242-260).

Thesis (M.S.)--Texas State University-San Marcos, 2007. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 64-68).

Thesis (M.S.)--Texas State University-San Marcos, 2007. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 64-68).

Magister Psychologiae - MPsych / Despite the unpleasant living conditions in prison, recidivism seems to be an uncontrollable phenomenon. It is evident that prison life is harsh with inmates having to sleep on the floors due to overpopulation, frequently subjected to physical and sexual abuse, and overpopulation leading to numerous communicable diseases, such as tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections. Prison should therefore, be the least favourable ecosystem in which to be incorporated. However, research indicates that thousands of youth return to prison habitually. This study aimed to explore juvenile inmates perceptions of their return to prison. Although recidivism is often measured in terms of the success of rehabilitation programmes, this study focused on eliciting socio-economic factors influencing recidivism. / South Africa