Free to Punish? The American Dream and the Harsh Treatment of Criminals
53 Pages Posted: 20 Mar 2013
There are 2 versions of this paper
Free to Punish? The American Dream and the Harsh Treatment of Criminals
Free to Punish? The American Dream and the Harsh Treatment of Criminals
Date Written: March 18, 2011
Abstract
We describe the evolution of selective aspects of punishment in the United States over the period 1980–2004. We note that imprisonment increased around 1980, a period that coincides with the ‘‘Reagan revolution’’ in economic matters. We build an economic model where beliefs about economic opportunities and beliefs about punishment are correlated. We present three pieces of evidence (across countries, within the United States, and an experimental exercise) that are consistent with the model.
Keywords: prison-industrial complex, U.S. Incarceration Rate, death penalty in the United States, American criminal justice system, plea bargain, race and prison population
JEL Classification: K10, K14
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation
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