Repeat offender

U.S. Congress passes the Armed Career Criminal Act, amending the Gun Control Act of 1968. It imposes stiff fines and prison terms for felons and other prohibited classes of persons who receive, possess, or transport a firearm. An appropriation bill passed by Congress eliminates probation or suspended sentences for persons committing a federal felony with any firearm and imposes an add-on 15-year sentence for possession of a firearm by a robber or burglar who is a repeat offender. 

As a Schedule II hallucinogen, someone found with PCP faces stiff penalties. For a first offense, penalties in the United States range from five to 40 years in prison and fines of up to four million dollars for an individual. Repeat offenders face a prison sentence of 20 years to life and fines of up to eight million dollars. 

Better Child-abuse laws in this state are too lenient for repeat offenders. 

Supervisors may have reasons for observing certain employees. For example, repeat offenses or observed unsafe behavior are examples of an area where a job would be selected because of individual needs. The supervisor should select the repeat offender for regular planned safety observations. Such planned observations can show reasons why some employees have more accidents than others. Another area selected for observation includes chronically unsafe employees. These may be workers who take unnecessary chances, violate safety rules, and develop improper work methods. Workers suspected of being physically or mentally incapable of safe work may also fit into the area of individual needs. 

Second, the level of fines is not sufficient to have a significant deterrent effect on large companies. Only if courts are prepared to impose fines much higher than they currently do will these fines in themselves become an influential consideration. One way of encouraging courts to impose higher penalties on repeat offenders would be for the prosecution to present evidence of the magnitude of company profits in order to demonstrate to the court the relative insignificance of the penalties previously imposed. 

Specific deterrence is aimed at specific groups and involves a myriad of tactics, depending on the group. In the context of DWI specific deterrence is directed most often at repeat offenders and young drivers, typically under the legal minimum drinking age. 

Figure 77-75. The effects of court monitoring on the sentencing of first time DWI drivers and repeat offenders in terms of the days sentenced to jail (from Shinar, 1992, with permission from Elsevier).

What about progressive discipline Whenever I teach behavior management principles and procedures, the question of how to deal with the repeat offender frequently comes up. Are there not times when punishment is necessary Does not an individual who "willfully" breaks the rules after repeated warnings or confrontations... 

Repeat injuries Oftentimes when an employee is injured, the injured part of the body is weakened. If the employee returns to work too soon, the injured part may become re-injured. This is another example of where an employee may be labeled as a repeat offender, when, in reality, the accident may have been the result of a previous condition. 

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