Crime and Punishment: What We Get Wrong about Deterrence
Thursday, October 8, 2026 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM EDT
Online Location
The Department of Criminology welcomes Professors Daniel P. Mears (Florida State University) and Mark C. Stafford (Texas State University) for a virtual presentation on their new book. All members of the Mason community are invited to attend. Please RSVP for this event to receive Zoom link for the presentation.
Virtual Presentation
Crime and Punishment: What We Get Wrong about Deterrence
Presented to George Mason University by Daniel P. Mears (Florida State University) & Mark C. Stafford (Texas State University)
Abstract
Mears and Stafford discuss what is and is not known about the effects of legal punishment in deterring crime. They highlight that a central challenge in interpreting extant work is the incomplete classical account of deterrence theory. They then present a reconceptualized account—Comprehensive Deterrence Theory (CDT)—that more fully identifies the conditions under which legal punishments deter. This account has significant implications for assessing the state of knowledge on deterrence, guiding research, and designing policies that might more effectively deter and do so, in some instances, through policy changes other than greater punishment.
Daniel P Mears, Ph.D. is a Distinguished Research Professor at Florida State University and is a faculty member in the College of Criminology and Criminal Justice, where he conducts research on crime and policy. A Fellow of the American Society of Criminology and recipient of the Bruce Smith, Sr. Award from the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, his work has appeared in crime, law, and justice journals and in several books, including American Criminal Justice Policy, Out-of-Control Criminal Justice, and Fundamentals of Criminological and Criminal Justice Inquiry. With Mark C. Stafford, he recently co-authored Comprehensive Deterrence Theory: The Science and Policy of Punishment.
Dr. Mark C. Stafford is a Professor in the School of Criminal Justice & Criminology (SCJC) at Texas State University. Dr. Stafford joined the SCJC as the inaugural doctoral program coordinator, and he has since mentored dozens TXST’s PhD graduates. Dr. Stafford also has a prolific scholarly record. His work appears in the most selective journals in the world, and he has produced some of the most influential work on deterrence theory. He will be speaking about his most recent scholarly work: Comprehensive Deterrence Theory: The Science and Policy of Punishment, which was recently published by Cambridge University Press.
