CAPITAL PUNISHMENT AND HOMICIDE AND RAPE RATES IN THE UNITED STATES - TIME SERIES AND CROSS SECTIONAL REGRESSION ANALYSES

• NCJ Number: 45176
• Journal: JOURNAL OF BEHAVIORAL ECONOMICS Volume: 6 Issue: 1-2 Dated: (SUMMER/ WINTER 1977) Pages: 33-66
• Author(s): B V BECHDOLT
• Date Published: 1977
• Length: 34 pages
• Corporate Author: Western Illinois University
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Statistics
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: *This document is currently unavailable from NCJRS.

Annotation

THE IMPORTANCE OF NUMBER OF EXECUTIONS AND A VARIETY OF SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC FACTORS IN EXPLAINING VARIATIONS IN RAPE AND HOMICIDE RATES IN THE UNITED STATES OVER TIME AND AMONG STATES IS INVESTIGATED.

Abstract

REGRESSION ANALYSES OF HOMICIDE AND RAPE RATES USING TIME SERIES DATA FOR THE UNITED STATES EXAMINE THE IMPORTANCE OF NUMBER OF EXECUTIONS, UNEMPLOYMENT RATES, AND UNEMPLOYMENT DURATION IN ACCOUNTING FOR CHANGES IN NATIONAL HOMICIDE AND RAPE RATES BEFORE AND AFTER 1963. CROSS-SECTIONAL REGRESSION ANALYSES ON HOMICIDE AND RAPE RATES DETERMINE THE SIGNIFICANCE OF NUMBER OF EXECUTIONS, UNEMPLOYMENT RATES, LEVEL AND GROWTH RATE OF PER CAPITA PERSONAL INCOME, INCOME DISTRIBUTION, PERCENTAGE OF THE POPULATION THAT IS BLACK, PER CAPITA EXPENDITURES ON POLICE PROTECTION, AND A 'FRUSTRATION INDEX' IN EXPLAINING DIFFERENCES IN HOMICIDE AND RAPE RATES FROM STATE TO STATE IN 1970. THE MAJOR FINDINGS ARE THE FOLLOWING: (1) OVER TIME, THE NATIONAL HOMICIDE AND RAPE RATES MAY NOT BE SIGNIFICANTLY AFFECTED BY THE NUMBER OF EXECUTIONS, BUT ARE SIGNIFICANTLY AFFECTED BY UNEMPLOYMENT DURATION AND MALE UNEMPLOYMENT RATES; (2) DIFFERENCES IN HOMICIDE RATES AMONG STATES ARE SIGNIFICANTLY AFFECTED BY DIFFERENCES IN INCOME DISTRIBUTION, PER CAPITA POLICE EXPENDITURES, AND PERCENTAGE OF THE POPULATION THAT IN BLACK, (OR THE FRUSTRATION INDEX, DEPENDING ON MODEL SPECIFICATION); AND (3) DIFFERENCES IN THE RAPE RATE AMONG STATES ARE AFFECTED BY NUMBER OF EXECUTIONS, GROWTH RATE OF PER CAPITA INCOME, AND PERCENTAGE OF BLACK POPULATION (OR FRUSTRATION INDEX, DEPENDING ON MODEL SPECIFICATION). IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS ARE NOTED. TABLES, MATHEMATICAL FORMULATIONS, AND A LIST OF REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED-LKM)