Publication: ANALYZING THE IMPACT OF FOCUSED DETERRENCE STRATEGIES IN REDUCING CRIME
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Date
2026-04-16
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Abstract
Focused deterrence, also known as “pulling levers,” emerged in the 1990s as one of the most promising crime reduction strategies of its age. The model involves identifying high-risk offenders, bringing them into individual or group “intervention-style” meetings, and warning them that future offending will be addressed with severity, swiftness, and certainty. These “threat” messages may be accompanied by offers of support from family and community members, offers of assistance from social service agencies, or both.
A 20-year body of literature attests to the success of focused deterrence programs in many locations and for many types of offenses, although most implementations focus on gang-related violence or drug markets. Although there is much evaluative research, there are few research studies that explain the success of focused deterrence from a criminological perspective. The few that exist focus almost exclusively on deterrence theory and its classic variables of severity, certainty, and swiftness. While it seems likely that deterrence theory plays a primary role in the success of these programs, we should not discount the additive or multiplicative possibilities of other criminological theories, such as strain theory, differential association theory, social bond theory, and techniques of neutralization. Unfortunately, the literature on focused deterrence programs does not provide enough detail to confirm or refute the influence of these mechanisms, but it does provide intriguing material for future practice and research.
Description
Oral presentation given in the Gracie Theater for the 2026 Research and Scholarship Day. (26:08 min.)