The threat of violent recidivism looms large in policy debates about sentencing and corrections. Prison populations in Wisconsin and across the United States remain near historic highs. Yet, efforts to bring down those populations often run into the objection that most of the individuals in prison have been convicted of violent crimes. What if these individuals reoffend after release? The stakes seem frighteningly high when we contemplate the possibility of shorter sentences for individuals who have physically harmed others in the most damaging and disturbing ways–shootings, stabbings, sexual assaults, and so forth.

Last summer, Marquette Law School hosted a conference that brought together leading researchers to address the question of whether there might be better alternatives than long-term incapacitation  for responding to the threat of violent recidivism. Those of us in attendance enjoyed a thought-provoking series of presentations and some lively Q&A with audience members. Now, the papers from the conference have been published in a symposium issue of the Marquette Law Review.

Here are the contents:

GROWING UP BEHIND BARS: PATHWAYS TO DESISTANCE FOR JUVENILE LIFERS
Laura S. Abrams, Kaylyn Canlione, & D. Michael Applegarth

THE IMPACT OF INCARCERATION ON THE RISK OF VIOLENT RECIDIVISM
Jennifer E. Copp

VIOLENCE RISK ASSESSMENT: CURRENT STATUS AND CONTEMPORARY
ISSUES
Sarah L. Desmarais & Samantha A. Zottola

PREVENTING SEXUAL VIOLENCE: ALTERNATIVES TO WORRYING ABOUT RECIDIVISM
Eric S. Janus

LABELING VIOLENCE
Cecelia Klingele

REDUCING RECIDIVISM IN SERIOUS AND VIOLENT YOUTHFUL OFFENDERS: FACT, FICTION, AND A PATH FORWARD
Megan Kurlychek & Alysha Gagnon

COMMUNITY SUPERVISION AND VIOLENT OFFENDERS: WHAT THE RESEARCH TELLS US AND HOW TO IMPROVE OUTCOMES
Edward J. Latessa & Myrinda Schweitzer

IMMIGRATION AND VIOLENT CRIME: TRIANGULATING FINDINGS ACROSS
DIVERSE STUDIES
Michael T. Light & Isabel Anadon

FOCUSED DETERRENCE VIOLENCE PREVENTION AT COMMUNITY AND INDIVIDUAL LEVELS
Edmund F. McGarrell

VIOLENT OFFENDING, DESISTANCE, AND RECIDIVISM
Daniel O’Connell, Christy Visher, & Lin Liu

VIOLENT CRIME AND MEDIA COVERAGE IN ONE CITY: A STATISTICAL
SNAPSHOT
Michael O’Hear

VIOLENT CRIME AND PUNITIVENESS: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY OF PUBLIC OPINION
Michael O’Hear & Darren Wheelock

WHAT THE NUMBERS SAY ABOUT HOW TO REDUCE IMPRISONMENT:
OFFENSES, RETURNS, AND TURNOVER
Pamela Oliver

HIGH RISK, NOT HOPELESS: CORRECTIONAL INTERVENTION FOR PEOPLE AT RISK FOR VIOLENCE
Jennifer L. Skeem & Devon L. L. Polaschek

VIOLENCE REDUCTION USING THE PRINCIPLES OF RISK-NEED-RESPONSIVITY
Faye S. Taxman

ROBBERY, RECIDIVISM, AND THE LIMITS OF THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM Richard Wright, William J. Sabol, & Thaddeus L. Johnson

As organizer of the conference, I am grateful for all of the hard work by members of the Law Review, and especially Symposium Editor Alli Mignon, in creating this permanent record of the presentations, which I hope will contribute to better-informed policy discussions.