Does the economic model of optimal punishment explain the variation in the sentencing of murderers? As the model … respond to victim characteristics in a way that is hard to reconcile with optimal punishment. In particular, victim … optimal punishment model predicts that victim characteristics should be ignored. Among vehicular homicides, drivers who kill …

a model of the adjustment of sentences assuming that the state's objective is the optimal deterrence of crime. In the …

Strong sentences are common "tough on crime" tool used to reduce the incentives for individuals to participate in … participating in crime may adjust. I use California's Three Strikes law to identify several effects of a large increase in the … combined with the high cost of violent crime relative to non-violent crime implies that Three Strikes may not be a cost …

purporting to show robust and precise estimates of a substantial deterrent effect of capital punishment. We assess the various …

alone cannot identify the deterrent effect of capital punishment. How then should research proceed? It is tempting to impose … places and time. The results are findings of partial identification that bound the deterrent effect of capital punishment. By …

expected price of committing crime. This implicit price can be substantially raised by making prison sentences longer, but only …

This paper is the introductory chapter for the forthcoming NBER volume Controlling Crime: Strategies and Tradeoffs. The … crime drop can be sustained. State and local revenue shortfalls have engendered intense interest in cost-cutting measures … justice allocations and policies appear to be inefficient - more crime control could be accomplished with fewer resources. The …