A criticism of deterrence claims is that it may overlook root causes like poverty and inequality.

• A. It Measures Only Economic Costs
• B. It Ignores Victims' Perspectives
• C. It Assumes Punishment Always Works
• D. It May Neglect Structural Causes Like Poverty And Inequality

Answer: (D)

Deterrence may neglect structural causes like poverty and inequality. The idea behind deterrence is that crime can be prevented when the costs of wrongdoing are high enough to deter rational choices. But this focus on punishment can miss the broader social and economic conditions that push people toward crime, such as poverty, lack of opportunity, and social inequality. If crime is driven by deprivation or limited prospects, simply increasing punishment may not address why people commit crimes in the first place, and could even perpetuate cycles of crime without reducing it. That’s why this critique highlights a limitation of deterrence: it concentrates on the fear of punishment rather than the underlying structural factors that influence behavior. The other options refer to different concerns (economic costing, victims’ views, or the assumption that punishment always works) that aren’t the central critique described here.