Law Enforcement Using Imprisonment

Polinsky, A. Mitchell

doi:10.2139/ssrn.413642

Abstract

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Law Enforcement Using Imprisonment

A. Mitchell Polinsky

Stanford Law School; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

AN INTRODUCTION TO LAW AND ECONOMICS, Third Edition, 2003

Abstract:
This essay is a new chapter in An Introduction to Law and Economics (Third Edition, forthcoming 2003). It discusses how the state should determine the length of a jail term to impose on an individual if he has committed a crime and how much to spend on trying to catch criminals. The analysis focuses on the implications of the cost of detection and the cost of operating and maintaining jails. The optimal probability and magnitude of the sentence are shown to depend on how rapidly the disutility from time in jail rises with the length of the jail sentence.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 14

Keywords: law enforcement, imprisonment, sanctions, crime, jail term

JEL Classification: K14, K42

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Date posted: June 9, 2003

Suggested Citation

Polinsky, A. Mitchell, Law Enforcement Using Imprisonment. AN INTRODUCTION TO LAW AND ECONOMICS, Third Edition, 2003 . Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=413642 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.413642

Contact Information

A. Mitchell Polinsky (Contact Author) Stanford Law School ( email ) 559 Nathan Abbott Way Stanford, CA 94305-8610 United States 650-723-0886 (Phone) 650-723-3557 (Fax)
National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) 1050 Massachusetts Avenue Cambridge, MA 02138 United States

Abstract

Footnotes (9)

Law Enforcement Using Imprisonment

A. Mitchell Polinsky

Date posted: June 9, 2003

Suggested Citation

Contact Information

A. Mitchell Polinsky (Contact Author)