The role of experience in deterring crime: A theory of specific versus general deterrence

This paper examines the role of experience in determining the deterrent effect of criminal punishment. Economic models of crime typically assume potential offenders know the probability of apprehension. Thus, neither the individual's personal experience of being caught and punished nor the obse...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Economic inquiry 2022-10, Vol.60 (4), p.1833-1853
Main Authors: Miceli, Thomas J., Segerson, Kathleen, Earnhart, Dietrich
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anxiety
Crime
Deterrence
Economic models
economics of crime
general deterrence
Offenders
Perceptions
Punishment
specific deterrence
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Summary:This paper examines the role of experience in determining the deterrent effect of criminal punishment. Economic models of crime typically assume potential offenders know the probability of apprehension. Thus, neither the individual's personal experience of being caught and punished nor the observation of someone else's punishment experience affects that individual's future behavior. This paper incorporates a role for experience in determining criminal activity, distinguishing between (1) how individuals form perceptions of the probability of punishment, including how those perceptions are influenced by what they experience or observe, and (2) how those perceptions, once formed, influence their decisions about criminal activity.
ISSN:0095-2583
1465-7295
DOI:10.1111/ecin.13083