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Crime and Punishment in America: 1999

Serious crime (all types of violent crime and burglary) decreased from 1997 to 1998. The major reason for this decline is that crime literally doesn't pay -- the likelihood of going to prison has increased substantially. And once in prison, offenders are staying longer. In other words, expected punishment has made the cost of committing crimes prohibitive. Yet, it is still very difficult to get into prison. In order to reduce crime even more, expected punishment needs to be increased. This can be done by increasing the proportions of reported crimes cleared by arrest, those accused who are prosecuted, those prosecuted who are convicted, those convicted who are sentenced to prison, and to increase the average prison time served. Accession Number: 015868

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