The deterrence hypothesis revisited

Buck, Andrew J.; Gross, Meir; Hakim, Simon; Weinblatt, J.

doi:10.1016/0166-0462(83)90029-7

Cited by 22 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…Efforts to estimate deterrence effects are limited to violent crimes against persons and property offenses-the crimes that are routinely reported to police. Simultaneous equation models support the postulates of the economics of crime for murder (Ehrlich 1975;Hoenack and Weiler 1980), aggregate crime rates (Craig 1987;Ehrlich 1973), and property crime (Buck et al 1983;Furlong and Mehay 1981;Hakim, Spiegal, and Weinblatt 1984).…”

mentioning

confidence: 83%

Drug Enforcement and the Deterrence of Property Crime Among Local Jurisdictions

Sollars

Benson

Rasmussen

1994

Public Finance Quarterly

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This article investigates the relationships among property crime, police resources, and the allocation of police resources in a model using data from Florida jurisdictions. Crime spillovers among local jurisdictions are also investigated in this context. Significant spillovers are revealed, and the evidence suggests that allocating scarce police resources to drug enforcement reduces the deterrence of property crime. The results also suggest that police may capture rents by increasing drug enforcement. Increasing the relative number of drug arrests raises the property crime rate, and both of these variables are positively correlated with police resources.The economics of crime literature has explored many theoretical and empirical issues related to how criminals respond to changes in legal earnings and employment opportunities and the deterrence effects of arrest, conviction, and punishment. Efforts to estimate deterrence effects are limited to violent crimes against persons and property offenses-the crimes that are routinely reported to police. Simultaneous equation models support the postulates of the economics of crime for murder (

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confidence: 83%

Drug Enforcement and the Deterrence of Property Crime Among Local Jurisdictions

Sollars

Benson

Rasmussen

1994

Public Finance Quarterly

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“…These studies have reached mixed conclusions as to whether there is a deterrent effect. Most studies have found that an increase in criminal sanctions reduces crime rates (see, e.g., Ehrlich 1973; Levitt 1997; Corman and Mocan, 2000; Di Tella and Schargrodsky 2004); however, some studies suggest either a weak relationship or no relationship at all between the two variables (see, e.g., Myers 1983; Buck et al 1983; Cornwall and Trumbull 1994). Various explanations have been offered as to why an increase in criminal sanctions need not deter crime (see, e.g., Cameron 1988: 302–307).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Some of these explanations focus on measurement problems such as simultaneity between crime and criminal sanctions, while others emphasize that the economic approach to crime does not necessarily predict that an increase in criminal sanctions will deter potential offenders. One economic argument as to why there might be no deterrent effect in the long run is the concept of a natural rate of crime (Buck et al. 1983, 1985; Friedman et al.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Is There a Natural Rate of Crime?

Narayan

Nielsen

Smyth

2010

American J Econ Sociol

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Studies in the economics of crime literature have reached mixed conclusions on the deterrence hypothesis. One explanation that has been offered for the failure to find evidence of a deterrent effect in the long run is the natural rate of crime. This article applies univariate unit root tests to crime series for the United Kingdom and United States and panel unit roots to crime rates for a panel of G7 countries to examine whether there is a natural rate of crime. Our main finding is that when we allow for two structural breaks in the univariate unit root test and a structural break in the panel data unit root test, there is strong evidence of a natural rate of crime. The policy implications of our findings is that governments should focus on altering the economic and social structural profile that determines crime in the long run rather than increasing expenditure on law enforcement that will at best reduce crime rates in the short run.

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“…A given level of policing expenditure can then be consistent with both a low and a high crime rate. For example, the empirical study by Buck et al (1983) finds that relatively higher rates of property crimes are associated with more policing and lower arrest rates in the urbanized areas of New Jersey. Relatedly, Glaeser et al (1996) note that as the number of non-criminals falls, the tax revenue available to fight crime also falls, thereby reinforcing an equilibrium with high crime rates.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%