The Supreme Court and the Regulation of Risk in Criminal Law
55 Pages Posted: 23 May 2014
Date Written: January 31, 2012
Abstract
Criminal law enforcement raises numerous issues of risk regulation. Yet judicial treatment of such issues is anything but rigorous. This Article critically examines the Supreme Court's use of risk regulatory paradigms in the context of criminal law enforcement. It focuses on two such settings - police termination of a high-speed chase by putting a fugitive's life at risk and the sentencing of career criminals. This Article then argues why the Court's efforts are deficient and raises a more general question: Is the judiciary aptly positioned to conduct formal risk analysis in the criminal law context?
Keywords: Criminal law, Law enforcement, Environmental law, Risk Regulation, Risk-risk tradeoffs, Cost-benefit analysis, Risk analysis, Risk management
JEL Classification: K00, K14, K32
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation