CJA 323 Week 2

. Individual Assignment: Prison Term Policy Recommendation Paper

Read the following: You are the criminologist advisor to a member of the state legislature. The legislature soon votes on a bill that would double the maximum prison term for anyone convicted of armed robbery. Your boss knows the bill is popular, but wonders if it will do much good. What recommendations do you make? What are the reasons for your recommendation?

Write a 1,400- to 2,100-word paper, addressing the scenario.

Format your paper according to APA standards.

Discussion Questions

Jeremy Bentham believed that humans naturally seek to maximize their pleasure and minimize their pain, so he advocated making punishment for crime that was sufficient to make the pain of the criminal activity outweigh the pleasure (or gain) derived from it. Do you agree with this theory? What are some criticisms of it?

Sociobiological theories of criminality state that a person becomes a criminal because of heredity, evolution, and/or physical factors such as the presence of certain hormones. What are some criticisms of these theories?

Do you think retribution is a valid justification for punishment? What differences might you see between punishments based on retribution and punishments based on deterrence?