crime. Even when considering rational criminal behavior, there may be several re
ID: 1144686 • Letter: C
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crime. Even when considering rational criminal behavior, there may be several reasons why the death penalty does not have a deterrent effect. So even if all economists agree on the use of economic reasoning to raise the question of a deterrent effect, that question ultimately must be answered empirically. And by the nature of empirical work, especially in the social sciences, a definitive answer may never be found Does the deterrent effect exist? While the many empirical studies on the deterrent effect of the death penalty differ in important ways, at their core there is a much in common. A typical approach is to estimate the deterrent effect by comparing murder rates across states that enforce the death penalty versus states that do not enforce it. Another approach is to focus more on intrastate murder rates for states that have changed their policy stance over time: Does the murder rate increase after a moratorium is imposed, and does the murder rate decrease after a moratorium is lifted? Also, it is possible to compare execution rates and their effect on murder rates across states that enforce the death penalty. What is most important in economic studies, however, is the inclusion of control variables to isolate the potential deterrent effect of the death penalty With death penalty studies, as is always the case with empirical work, there is a wide variety of control variables that are used, but most studies include the three main categories discussed in Chapter 1: deterrent variables, such as the probabilities of apprehension and conviction; economic variables, such as per capita income and the unemployment rate; and, demographic variables, such as population density, gender, age, and race. These types of controls are crucial to consider. For example, if a state that enforces the death penalty appears to have a lower murder rate than a state that does not enforce it, it is important to make sure that the lower murder rate cannot be attributed to some other factor such as a higher probability of apprehension, or a lower unemployment rate, or a smaller population density. Even though not all other factors can be controlled, either because they can't all be identified or, more commonly, adequate data do not exist, the more relevant variables that can be controlled the more reliable the results For studies that conclude that the death penalty does lead to a statistically significant deterrent effect, the result is often expressed in terms of number of murders deterred (that is, number of lives saved) for each convicted criminal that is actually executed. This is often referred to as a life-life trade-off. For example, one study (Dezhbaksh, Rubin, and Shepherd, 2003) finds that on average, each execution deters eighteen murders. There are many other studies that reach a similar conclusion, even though the quantitative measurement of the life-life trade-off does vary substantially. In short, there is a body of literature that offers empirical verification of the deterrent effect of the death penalty. Those who claim that there is no such evidence, are mistaken. On the other hand, for those who claim that the evidence is unreliable, that is another matter entirelyExplanation / Answer
From the perspective of costs to society we can say that prisons are not always suitable for incapacitating people for minor crimes or crimes which are less harmful. While they are necessary for incapacitation in case of major crimes to prevent any further harm to society. Prisons are effective in deterring crimes. The extent of prison sentence can be determined by analyzing a prisoner’s eligibility for parole.
Incapacitation effect has ability to reduce crime rates in future though it can vary in nature. Since incapacitation physically removes a prisoner from the society it deters him from committing further crimes. Sentence enhancement laws have a greater ability to act as deterrent to incapacitation effect in short run. Though in long run both the deterrent effect & incapacitation effect reduce crime rates in a society. The certainty of being caught is generally a more powerful deterrent than the punishment.
Some studies suggest that death penalty leads to statistically significant deterrent effect. In the studies of death penalty for murders it is found that economic variables like unemployment rate & population density have less importance if the crime rate is less due to severe punishment of death penalty.
Though justice system gives more leniency to juveniles it is found that increased punishment is effective deterrence in reducing crime rates. But it is not recommended that both adults & juveniles be given equal punishment due to some other factors. The quality of prison life also has an effect on crime rates. Since studies suggest that low quality of prison life reduces crime rates in future it is does reduces social goals of prison system.
It is a fact that wealthy individuals have greater ability to lower the probability of conviction as they can hire more expensive & effective legal representation than to individuals from poor backgrounds. Therefore more resources should be provided to the poor so that they can represent stronger defense.
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