The Effects of DNA Databases on the Deterrence and Detection of Offenders
81 Pages Posted: 21 Jul 2016 Last revised: 4 Aug 2020
Date Written: April 1, 2020
Abstract
This paper studies the effects of adding criminal offenders to a DNA database. Using a large expansion of Denmark’s DNA database, we find that DNA registration reduces recidivism within the following year by up to 42%. It also increases the probability that offenders are identified if they recidivate, which we use to estimate the elasticity of crime with respect to the detection probability and find that a 1% higher detection probability reduces crime by more than 2%. We also find that DNA registration increases the likelihood that offenders find employment, enroll in education, and live in a more stable family environment.
Keywords: DNA, deterrence, crime, recidivism, technology
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