environment. Using geocoded crime data and a novel source of within-city spatial and temporal variation in punishment severity, I … am able to shed light on enforcement behavior. I find that in parts of a city where drug penalties were weakened, there … is a 13% decrease in drug arrests within a year; there is no displacement of non-drug offenses and majority black …

Medical marijuana laws generate significant debate regarding drug policy. For instance, if marijuana is a complement to … empirically the effects of medical marijuana laws by analyzing data on drug arrests and treatment admissions. I find that medical …

The empirical literature testing the economic theory of crime has extensively studied the relative importance of the …

The empirical literature testing the economic theory of crime has extensively studied the relative importance of the …

incentives and deter crime in the long run. …

a limited number of studies have linked justice policies to outcomes beyond crime, particularly education, which carries …

double dividend in that it reduces both minor offenses and more severe crime. We develop a model of criminal subcultures in … attractive for some people who would otherwise commit more severe crime. If social status is sufficiently important in criminal … subcultures, zero-tolerance reduces crime across the board. -- status concerns ; street crime ; subcultures ; penalties ; zero …