There are two types of deterrence – specific and general. Specific deterrence focuses on the risk of recidivism by the individual defendant. General deterrence is focused on preventing others from ...

Every time a federal judge sentences a criminal defendant, the law requires the judge to consider the need for the sentence imposed to deter criminal conduct. Judges, in turn, often rely on this ...

Should defendants in cases that attract press coverage be given longer sentences than defendants in cases that pass unnoticed? The knee jerk response of anyone familiar with the basic principle of ...

Most of the arguments about the efficacy of death penalty are concerned only with "general deterrence" -- whether or not the imposition of capital punishment on a convicted murderer will deter others ...