NCJ Number
93066
Journal
International Journal of Comparative and Applied Criminal Justice Volume: 7 Issue: 1 Dated: (Spring 1983) Pages: 61-71
Date Published
1983
Length
11 pages
Annotation
Studies of the effect of the death penalty are typically either (1) cross-sectional studies, comparing murder rates across abolitionist and retentionist political units, or (2) longitudinal studies, comparing murder rates across different periods within the same polity.
Abstract
Each of these methods has its own faults and none yielded consistent, clear-cut results. The present study is based upon pooled time-series analysis of data from 17 countries for the period 1955-1972. The analysis shows that the death penalty has a very low, inconsistent effect upon both homicide and murder rates. These results do not change the general picture of inconsistent finding in this area. (Publisher abstract)