ABSTRACT
Much of the United States is being altered by both crime and the fear of crime. Changed family and community values suggest that the benefit/cost ratio needs to become even tougher on criminals than in the 1950s and early 1960s to have an effect. There are two direct methods for doing that: make penalties for committing violent crime more severe and more definite, and increase the likelihood of capture. One can also think about the Old West reward system as a voucher system in which the bounty hunter attempted to collect the reward. Bounty hunters, in turn, used reward money to purchase whatever they wanted. Penalties are unclear in the 1990s for reasons: the value system of the family, community, and nation is changing, and potential criminals and actual criminals perceive that costs of crime are somewhat less and benefits somewhat more than in earlier years.
