Assignment task: Over the last several decades, policy makers have turned to a more punitive approach to crime control and prevention by increasing sentence lengths. Most states changed their juvenile sentencing policies to increase the numbers of juvenile offenders that were transferred to the adult criminal court so they could receive longer adult sentences. This get-tough-on-crime approach was very popular in most states. Yet, empirical research has failed to find that juvenile crime decreased after these laws were changed. A popular senator urged his state to try more youth as adults so they could get longer sentences, learn their lesson and not recommit. He read about a youth who shot his teacher and only received two years in a juvenile institution and another gang member who received three after aggravated assault.
Q1. What errors in personal human inquiry might apply to this case including over generalization, inaccurate or selective observations, illogical reasoning and resistance to change or ideology and politics.
Q2. How might these errors impact this get-tough approach on delinquency?
Q3. If you were aware of these errors and knew how to overcome them, how would you use the scientific approach to overcome them?