The Economics of Crime; An Introduction to Rational Crime Analysis; Second Edition

__The Economics of Crime__ presents a review of economic scholarly research in the ever-growing field of crime and punishment. Without using graphs or mathematical equations, Winter combines theory and empirical evidence relating to public policy concerns over a wide range of controversial topics such as the death penalty, racial bias in the criminal justice system, gun control, the war on drugs, fines versus imprisonment, policing tactics, and shaming punishments. In addition to offering an updated and expanded coverage of these, and other topics, this second edition is more international in scope, with the inclusion of studies that use data from Italy, Australia, the U.K., Singapore, Brazil, and others. Also included is a brand-new chapter on the application of behavioral economics to crime and punishment, providing readers with a succinct introduction to this modern and increasingly important approach to economic issues. By requiring no previous knowledge of economics, this book continues to be the perfect choice for students new to the study of economics and public policy, whether it is in the discipline of economics, political science, criminology, law, or any other field that is concerned with issues in crime and punishment. Furthermore, due to its accessibility, __The Economics of Crime__ can be enjoyed by anyone who follows current public policy debate over some of society’s most contentious issues. Cover 1 Half Title 2 Title Page 4 Copyright Page 5 Dedication 6 Table of Contents 8 Preface 9 Acknowledgments 11 1. Rational crime basics 12 The rational criminal 13 The benefit of crime 16 Appendix: crime definitions (FBI Uniform Crime Report, 2009) 20 References 21 2. Crime and the certainty of punishment 22 A brief primer on empirical analysis 22 An empirical crime study 23 Police manpower and crime 24 Policing technology and crime 27 Conviction rates and crime 29 References 32 3. Severity of punishment I: fines and efficient punishment 33 Certainty versus severity of punishment 33 Some problems with fines 35 Fines and wealthy criminals 37 Shaming punishments 40 Sexual offender registration and notification laws 41 References 43 4. Severity of punishment II: prison and crime 45 Deterrence versus incapacitation 46 Measuring the incapacitation effect 52 The three-strikes law 54 The privatization of prisons 56 The harshness of sanctions 57 The inequality of equal prison sentences 59 References 61 5. Severity of punishment III: the death penalty and crime 63 Does the death penalty deter murder? 64 Wrongful conviction/execution 70 Death penalty administrative costs 72 Death penalty and race 73 References 77 6. Racial bias and the criminal justice system 79 Racial profiling 80 Judicial bias 84 Juror bias 90 Race and criminal background checks 92 Bias in Australia 93 References 94 7. Private crime deterrence 96 Deterrence versus displacement 96 Shall-issue laws 99 Gun control 101 Gun buybacks and mass shootings 104 Crime as a disease 108 References 110 8. The war on drugs 111 Addiction and drug control 112 Drug prohibition and violence 116 The case for legalization? 118 References 122 9. Behavioral crime and punishment 123 Does efficiency matter? 123 Risk, ambiguity, and expected punishment 125 Incapacitation, deterrence, and the framing of prison sentences 128 Implicit racial bias 131 Addiction and impatience 134 Behavioral versus traditional economics: final thoughts 139 References 140 10. Economists and crime 141 Abortion and the crime rate 141 Final thoughts: what economists do 143 References 145 Index 146 "The Economics of Crime presents a review of economic scholarly research in the ever-growing field of crime and punishment. Without using graphs or mathematical equations, Winter combines theory and empirical evidence relating to public policy concerns over a wide range of controversial topics such as the death penalty, racial bias in the criminal justice system, gun control, the war on drugs, fines vs. imprisonment, policing tactics and shaming punishments. In addition to offering an updated and expanded coverage of these, and other, topics, this edition is more international in scope, with the inclusion of studies that use data from Italy, Australia, the U.K., Singapore, Brazil, and others. Also included is a brand new chapter on the application of behavioral economics to crime and punishment, providing readers with a succinct introduction to this modern and increasingly important approach to economic issues. By requiring no previous knowledge of economics, this book continues to be the perfect choice for students new to the study of economics and public policy, whether it is in the discipline of economics, political science, criminology, law, or any other field that is concerned with issues in crime and punishment. Furthermore, due to its accessibility, The Economics of Crime can be enjoyed by anyone who follows current public policy debate over some of society's most contentious issues"-- Provided by publisher Se presenta una revisión de la investigación académica en el campo cada vez mayor del delito y el castigo. Winter combina teoría y evidencia empírica sobre una amplia gama de temas controvertidos como la pena de muerte, el sesgo racial en el sistema de justicia penal, el control de armas, la guerra contra las drogas, las multas frente al encarcelamiento, las tácticas policiales y los castigos falsos. Además de ofrecer una cobertura actualizada y ampliada de estos y otros temas, esta edición tiene un alcance más internacional. También se incluye un nuevo capítulo sobre la aplicación de la economía conductual al crimen y el castigo, proporcionando a los lectores una breve introducción a este enfoque moderno y cada vez más importante de las cuestiones económicas. Al no requerir conocimientos previos de economía, este libro sigue siendo la opción perfecta para los estudiantes nuevos en el estudio de la economía y las políticas públicas, ya sea en la disciplina de la economía, la ciencia política, la criminología, el derecho o cualquier otro campo que se ocupa de los problemas en la delincuencia y el castigo Wide ranging and accessible, The Economics of Crime is the most up-to-date textbook in the field, taking current economic research and making it accessible to undergraduates and other interested readers.