This study evaluates the effectiveness of various court-ordered punishment dispositions for a small city over a twelve-year period. Subjects receiving "no punishment" had a lower probability of future crime than did those receiving fines (p< .01). Repeaters and nonrepeaters did not differ on type of crime, seriousness of crime, or on amount of fine paid at first offense. The results are discussed from the viewpoint of the research literature on response suppression.
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