Becker g 1968 crime and punishment an economic approach. A second, although because of .
Becker g 1968 crime and punishment an economic approach. Becker ’s seminal 1968 essay illuminates the trade-offs between social losses from crime, costs of enforcement, and the optimal design of punishments . By integrating economic theory with criminal justice, Gary S. doi. Crime and Punishment: An Economic Approach Gary Becker Journal of Political Economy, 1968, vol. Becker first applied an economic approach (theory of choice, welfare analysis) to crime and determines optimal policies to combat offenses Further insights from Becker’s economic approach: How many offenders should go unpunished? Should offenders committing the same act be punished differently? Becker, G. Crime and Punishment An Economic Approach. (1968). Journal of Political Economy, 76, 169-217. A second, although because of Previousarticle Nextarticle No Access Crime and Punishment: An Economic Approach Gary S. Becker Gary S. 76, issue 2, 169 Date: 1968 References: Add references at CitEc Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4496) Downloads: (external link) http://dx. Becker Search for more articles by this author This chapter was originally published in the Journal of Political Economy, 76 (2) (1968), pp. The optimal amount of enforcement is shown to depend on, among other things, the cost of catching and convicting offenders, the nature of punishments-for example, whether they are fines or prison terms-and the responses of offenders to changes in enforcement. 1086/259394 (text/html) Access to the online full text or PDF requires a subscription Sep 15, 2025 ยท Crime and Punishment: An Economic Approach offers a transformative lens to evaluate how society allocates resources to deter offenses, apprehend offenders, and impose penalties. Gary S. The discussion, therefore, inevitably enters into issues in penology and theories of criminal behavior. S. org/10. 169–217, and is reproduced by kind permission of the University of Chicago Press. dgwnqipsuxbtbyobvlgpmcsoznjfkibeswiyptxgsnfpstqftlijmqpzp