The missing or misperceived effects of punishment: The coverage of deterrence in criminology textbooks, 1956 to 1965 and 1984 to 1993

I compare the quantity and the quality of the coverage of deterrence in seven leading criminology and sociology journals and in 53 introductory criminology textbooks published from 1956 to 1965 and 1984 to 1993. My data show that 1) despite a marked increase in the amount of deterrence research reported in the leading journals, recent criminology textbooks devote little more coverage to the topic than did their predecessors, and 2) many recent textbooks make incorrect claims about the effectiveness of punishments as deterrents, and/or inaccurately report various findings from important deterrence studies. I conclude by relating these findings to several earlier studies indicating deficiencies in criminology textbooks, and by discussing the implications of these studies for criminology.