LIT2- Winter (2020). The economics of crime: an introduction to rational crime analysis (2nd ed.). Routledge. Chapter 2,3,4,9 Flashcards
How to choose the optimum amount of Punishment (Winter)
the combination of certainty and severity that uses the least amount of
resources.
Economists typically recommend doing two things:
1.
Use the sanction of fines as often as possible. Internment is considerably more expensive than fines.
2.
Combine a low certainty of punishment with a high severity of
punishment.
Save money on patrols etc., but compensate for deterrence factor through higher fines
What is the problem with large fines (winter)
- People are not able to pay large fines
- People may try to evade captue
- Increase authories incentive to catch criminals
A. Resources may be drawn away from the investigation of other crimes that
do not offer the authorities financial rewards
B. Financial gain to the police may also give them an incentive to act corruptly by fining the innocent as well as the guilty. - Apprehension might have more of an impact than conviction
- A large fine may bankrupt somebody, and may burden the state or pursue someone to do more serious crime
What is the economic view on shaming punishments?
These low cost, high deterrence, forms of punishment may be efficient, but they are not without controversy.
- One criticism of shaming punishments is that the amount of shame a criminal incurs may vary greatly from person to person.
- They
appear to be unfair, or unjust, especially if they are more often applied to
wealthy criminals rather than poor criminals.
What are the effects of imprisonment on crime?
Unlike fines, imprisoning criminals can also reduce the crime rate because of the incapacitation effect.
Imprisoning also has a
higher deterrence effect than fines.
What is the effect of longer prison sentences (winter)
The crime rates for the eligible crimes were found to have dropped in the first
year after the enhancements were enacted. Furthermore, there was an even greater drop in the crime rates three years after the law was enacted, and even greater still seven years later.
These results suggest that the immediate drop in the crime rates was due to the
deterrent effect, but over time the incapacitation effect also kicked in.
What are the two type of effects concerning prison sentences
Deterrent and Incapicatition
Deterrent is when a person considers that the costs outways the benefit and incapication is that criminals behind bars are not able to commit crime.
What is the effect between less severe sentencing of juveniles in crime rates?
When young people see adults getting harsh punishments, they are less likely to commit crimes once they become adults themselves. This effect is more pronounced in places where the difference in punishment between adults and juveniles is larger.
What is the relation between Quality of Life in Prison and crime rate?
There is a negative relationship between the prison death rate and the crime rate, meaning that if the quality of life is lowered the crime rate is also lowered.
What is Crime Substitution?
if the expected punishment is increased for one particular crime only, a criminal will substitute away from committing that crime and instead commit another crime
What is the problem and remedy of inequal prison sentences?
wealthy defendants and
poor defendants are not treated equally.
If wealthy (relative to poor) defendants are able to hire more expensive and,
therefore, more effective legal representation.
Remedies:
1. Constraints may be imposed on how much a wealthy defendant can spend on a legal defense, thus possibly increasing the probability of conviction.
2. If the wealthy are permitted to spend at will on their defense, they can be sentenced to longer prison sentences than the poor will face, thus balancing out the lower certainty of punishment with a higher severity of punishment.
3. More resources can be provided to the poor so that they can mount stronger defenses, thus lowering their probability of conviction
What are the thoughts on privatization of prison?
A common issue in many social policy debates is the role of private versus social control of resources.
An argument for privatization is that
relative to social systems, private firms use resources more efficiently in the provision of services.
A common criticism of privatization is that a private firm may cut corners and
provide poor-quality services in order to enhance their profit margin
With well specified contracts, the state may have the opportunity to take advantage of
the potential cost efficiencies a private company can provide. But two substantial
hurdles remain:
1. It is difficult to negotiate fully specified contracts.
2. It may be difficult to enforce the contractual terms.
Two areas of concern:
Two areas of concern in terms of the private provision of prison services involve:
1. The use of force
Because, how much force in any given situation is warranted?
2. The quality of personnel.
Furthermore, if private prisons save on costs by hiring less able guards, or by
providing poorer training opportunities, prison personnel may simply lack the
skill to resolve conflicts with more subtle methods that don’t over-rely on the use
of force
Does death penalty deter more than life sentence?
There is no agreement on if the death penalty deters crime more than life
sentences.
What are the problems with Wrongful conviction and the death penalty
It may be quite difficult to design social policy to reduce wrongful convictions
without also increasing wrongful acquittals.
Are death sentences cheaper?
In terms of implementation costs, it is often argued that the death penalty is a less costly punishment to impose compared to life imprisonment because, once the prisoner is put to death, that is the end of the punishment costs.
And while this is true, critics argue that there are many other litigation costs to
consider: f.e. a higher percentage of cases may go to trial when the death penalty is involved, death penalty cases tend to take longer to complete etc.
What is the sole benefit of the death penalty?
The deterrent effect
Two of the most often stated benefits of the death penalty involve the concepts of justice and revenge.
These benefits, however, are usually psychological in nature and are difficult, if not impossible, to quantify
