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Prison Conditions, Capital Punishment, and Deterrence

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Author Info
Lawrence Katz
Steven D. Levitt
Ellen Shustorovich

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Abstract

Previous research has attempted to identify a deterrent effect of capital punishment. We argue that the quality of life in prison is likely to have a greater impact on criminal behavior than the death penalty. Using state-level panel data covering the period 1950--90, we demonstrate that the death rate among prisoners (the best available proxy for prison conditions) is negatively correlated with crime rates, consistent with deterrence. This finding is shown to be quite robust. In contrast, there is little systematic evidence that the execution rate influences crime rates in this time period. Copyright 2003, Oxford University Press.

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Publisher Info
Article provided by Oxford University Press in its journal American Law and Economics Review.

Volume (Year): 5 (2003)
Issue (Month): 2 (August)
Pages: 318-343
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Handle: RePEc:oup:amlawe:v:5:y:2003:i:2:p:318-343

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  1. Steven D. Levitt, 2004. "Understanding Why Crime Fell in the 1990s: Four Factors That Explain the Decline and Six That Do Not," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 18(1), pages 163-190, Winter. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  2. Drago, Francesco & Galbiati, Roberto & Vertova, Pietro, 2008. "Prison Conditions and Recidivism," IZA Discussion Papers 3395, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). [Downloadable!]
  3. Ethan Cohen-Cole & Steven Durlauf & Jeffrey Fagan & Daniel Nagin, 2007. "Model uncertainty and the deterrent effect of capital punishment," Quantitative Analysis Unit Working Paper QAU07-3, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. [Downloadable!]
  4. Dan Bernhardt & Steeve Mongrain & Joanne Roberts, 2009. "Rehabilitated or Not?: To Release(?) is the Question," Working Papers 2009-06, Department of Economics, University of Calgary, revised 23 Jan 2009. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  5. Brendan O'Flaherty & Rajiv Sethi, 2007. "Peaceable kingdoms and war zones: Pre-emption, ballistics and murder in Newark," Discussion Papers 0708-02, Columbia University, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
  6. Russell Smyth & Paresh Kumar Narayan, 2004. "Dead Man Walking: An Empirical Reassessment of the Deterrent Effect of Capital Punishment Using the Bounds Testing Approach to Cointegration," Econometric Society 2004 Australasian Meetings 332, Econometric Society. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  7. H. Naci Mocan & R. Kaj Gittings, 2001. "Pardons, Executions and Homicide," NBER Working Papers 8639, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  8. M. Keith Chen & Jesse M. Shapiro, 2003. "Does Prison Harden Inmates? A Discontinuity-based Approach," Law and Economics 0304003, EconWPA. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  9. Choe, Jongmook, 2009. "Another Look at the Deterrent Effect of Death Penalty," MPRA Paper 14071, University Library of Munich, Germany. [Downloadable!]
  10. Kelly Bedard & Ted Frech, 2007. "Prison Health Care: Is Contracting Out Healthy?," University of California at Santa Barbara, Economics Working Paper Series 11-07, Department of Economics, UC Santa Barbara. [Downloadable!]
  11. John J. Donohue III & Justin Wolfers, 2006. "Uses and Abuses of Empirical Evidence in the Death Penalty Debate," NBER Working Papers 11982, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  12. Angela K. Dills & Jeffrey A. Miron & Garrett Summers, 2008. "What Do Economists Know About Crime?," NBER Working Papers 13759, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  13. David S. Lee & Justin McCrary, 2005. "Crime, Punishment, and Myopia," NBER Working Papers 11491, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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