What term refers to the strategy of reducing offenders' ability to commit further crimes?

The term that best describes the strategy of reducing offenders' ability to commit further crimes is incapacitation. This approach focuses on restricting an individual's freedom through imprisonment or other forms of containment to prevent them from engaging in criminal behavior while incapacitated. Essentially, incapacitation aims to protect society by ensuring that individuals who pose a threat are unable to commit additional offenses.

In contrast, rehabilitation seeks to reform offenders so they can reintegrate into society and avoid future criminal behavior. While incarceration involves physically detaining individuals, it does not inherently focus on their capacity to commit crimes later once released. Deterrence, on the other hand, is aimed at discouraging criminal acts through the threat of punishment, but it does not directly address the immediate reduction of an offender's ability to commit crimes while they are still active in society.