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Fixed Penalty Notices as a Means of Offender Selection

NCJ Number
209837
Journal
International Journal of Police Science & Management Volume: 7 Issue: 1 Dated: Spring 2005 Pages: 36-43
Author(s)
Melanie Wellsmith; Hannah Guille
Date Published
2005
Length
8 pages
Annotation
This British study examined whether fixed penalty notices (FPNs) for vehicle infractions reliably "self-select" or identify persons with a greater risk for more serious or chronic criminal behavior.
Abstract
Researchers obtained electronic records of all FPNs for vehicle/traffic offenses issued in the West Midlands Police (WMP) jurisdiction during 2001. The names of drivers or owners of the vehicles were obtained for 41,873 of the cases, approximately 55 percent of the total number of records. A random sample of 100 records was selected for each of the following offense categories: speeding, standing and parking offenses, neglect of traffic directions, and neglect of pedestrian rights. The most likely driver at the time the FPN was issued was subjected to a name search in the crime and intelligence database used by the WMP. Researchers recorded the number of "hits" for each individual in the 12 months since the issue of the FPN. The "hit rate" for concurrent criminality was not significantly different than for the control group without measured FPNs. A higher "hit" rate was found for repeat FPNs, although it remained lower than expected from previous similar studies. Suggestions are offered for further research in this area. 2 tables, 6 references, and appended supplementary information