What is true deterrence?
ANTHONY Burgess’ novel, A Clockwork Orange, comes to mind when considering video surveillance. The book’s protagonist undergoes the Ludovico Technique, a form of therapy designed to make criminals so averse to criminal acts that even contemplation of the matter would make them physically sick. Seen in that light, the underlying issue is whether someone is good simply because he cannot or does not have the chance to be bad. A state of constant and effective surveillance is obviously an excellent way to deter crime. But is society really safer that way? When considering the issue, we might ask, ‘How much crime does it prevent?’ The bigger question, however, should be, ‘What role do we want it to play within our crime prevention policies?’ Deterrence in this form only stops the crime, not the criminal. Angela Xu, 23, is doing her master’s in law at University College London Cameras not a solution I REGARD police cameras in public areas as a quick-fix crime prevention measure. In the absen
Related Questions
- Officials chose a net for the Golden Gate Bridges proposed suicide deterrence project. Why is a net feasible for the Golden Gate Bridge and not the Aurora Bridge?
- What deterrence methods for Pacific harbor seals and California seal lions are available to the public?
- Is nuclear deterrence a viable strategy in the post-cold war period?
