evidence on punishment preferences, in which subjects reveal a heterogeneous preference for punishing wrongdoers, our model … identifies circumstances in which “punitive” individuals (with stronger-than-average punishment preferences) will self …-select into law enforcement jobs that offer the opportunity to punish (or facilitate the punishment of) wrongdoers. Such “punitive …

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 …

We evaluate whether California's state proposition 47 impacted state violent and property crime rates. Passed by the …-level crime rates that exploit heterogeneity in the effects of the proposition on local criminal justice practices. We find little … evidence of an impact on violent crime rates in the state. Once changes in offense definitions and reporting practices in key …

Criminal law and economics rests on the expectation that deterrence incentives can be employed to reduce crime. Prison … face potential punishment when stealing, or they can steal without deterrence. We confirm Gary Becker’s deterrence …