DETERRENCE AND THE DEATH PENALTY - A CROSS SECTIONAL ANALYSIS

• NCJ Number: 45178
• Journal: JOURNAL OF BEHAVIORAL ECONOMICS Volume: 6 Issue: 1-2 Dated: (SUMMER/ WINTER 1977) Pages: 87-105
• Author(s): D O CLONINGER
• Date Published: 1977
• Length: 19 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

MULTIPLE REGRESSION ANALYSIS OF CROSS-SECTIONAL DATA IS USED TO TEST THE INDEPENDENCE OF HOMICIDE AND EXECUTION RATES IN 48 STATES FOR THE YEAR 1960.

Abstract

VARIABLES CONSIDERED INCLUDE HOMICIDE RATE, CONFINEMENT RATE, EXECUTION RATE, POVERTY RATE, MALE UNEMPLOYMENT RATE, PERCENT NONWHITE POPULATION, MEDIAN AGE, POPULATION GROWTH RATE, AND REGIONAL DIFFERENCES (NORTH-SOUTH). THE ANALYSIS CONFIRMS, ON A CROSS-SECTIONAL BASIS, THE EARLIER FINDINGS OF OTHER RESEARCHERS WHO USED BASICALLY THE SAME ECONOMIC MODEL OF DETERRENCE EMPLOYED IN THE PRESENT STUDY. THESE FINDINGS ARE CONSISTENT WITH THE DETERRENCE HYPOTHESIS WITH RESPECT TO EXECUTION RATES AND, TO A LESSER EXTENT, TO CONFINEMENT RATES. NORTH-SOUTH DIFFERENCES WITH REGARD TO SENSITIVITY OF HOMICIDE RATES TO THE RISK OF ARREST AND CONVICTION, EXPECTED EXECUTION RATE, AND THE AGE VARIABLE ARE NOTED. IT IS POINTED OUT THAT THE ANALYSIS LEAVES UNRESOLVED THE GENERAL PROBLEM OF PREVENTIVE EFFECTS VERSUS DETERRENT EFFECTS, AND DOES NOT TREAT THE ISSUE OF RELATIVE DETERRENT EFFECTS OF EXECUTIONS AND LIFE SENTENCES DIRECTLY. DETAILS OF THE STATISTICAL ANALYSIS, TABLES, AND REFERENCES ARE INCLUDED. (LKM)