Economic Inquiry
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THE REHABILITATION EFFECT OF PUNISHMENT

Authors

  • JR. SAMUEL L. MYERS

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    • *An earlier version of this paper was presented at the Western Economic Association Meeting, Anaheim, California, June, 1977. I am grateful for the comments of Llad Phillips and Harold Votey. In revising the paper, I am indebted to John Riley, Glenn Loury, Michael Block, Fred Nold, Kick Ashley and an anonymous referee. The research reported here was supported through grants from the African and Afro-American Research Center and the Center for Economic Research, The University of Texas at Austin. Cynthia McIntyre provided valuable research assistance.

Abstract

The putatively beneficial effect of punishment on criminal offenders is examined by estimating a logistic specification of a two-period model of optimal participation in illegitimate and legitimate activities. Estimates are obtained utilizing a sample of parolees released from all adult correctional institutions in the United States during 1972. The conclusion would seem to be that incarceration is not substantially effective in rehabilitation efforts and may even have a result opposite to that intended: increased punishment may increase optimal participation in crime.

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DOI

10.1111/j.1465-7295.1980.tb00583.x

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  • Number of times cited: 12
  1. 1Iljoong Kim, 변재욱, The Effects on Crime of Law Enforcement and Labor Market Characteristics in Korea: An Empirical Inquiry, KUKJE KYUNGJE YONGU, 2012, 18, 4, 55CrossRef
  2. 2Amanda Geller, Irwin Garfinkel, Bruce Western, Paternal Incarceration and Support for Children in Fragile Families, Demography, 2011, 48, 1, 25CrossRef
  3. 3Bruce L Benson, David W Rasmussen, Brent D Mast, Deterring drunk driving fatalities: an economics of crime perspective, International Review of Law and Economics, 1999, 19, 2, 205CrossRef
  4. 4C.Y.Cyrus Chu, Neville Jiang, Are fines more efficient than imprisonment?, Journal of Public Economics, 1993, 51, 3, 391CrossRef
  5. 5Samuel L. Myers, Introduction, The Review of Black Political Economy, 1987, 16, 1-2, 5CrossRef
  6. 6Samuel Cameron, Substitution Between Offence Categories in the Supply of Property Crime: Some New Evidence, International Journal of Social Economics, 1987, 14, 11, 48CrossRef
  7. 7William T. Dickens, Crime and punishment again: The economic approach with a psychological twist, Journal of Public Economics, 1986, 30, 1, 97CrossRef
  8. 8Samuel L. Myers, Do Better Wages Reduce Crime? A Research Note, American Journal of Economics and Sociology, 1984, 43, 2, 191Wiley Online Library
  9. 9Robert J. Homant, Employment of Ex-Offenders, Journal of Offender Counseling Services Rehabilitation, 1984, 8, 3, 5CrossRef
  10. 10DONALD E. LEWIS, ECONOMIC ASPECTS OF THE PAROLE DECISION, Australian Economic Papers, 1983, 22, 41, 259Wiley Online Library
  11. 11Samuel L. Myers, Crime in urban areas: New evidence and results, Journal of Urban Economics, 1982, 11, 2, 148CrossRef
  12. 12Charles M. Gray, Virginia Gray, Bruce Williams, FEDERALISM, POLICY, AND INNOVATION IN CORRECTIONS, Review of Policy Research, 1981, 1, 2, 288Wiley Online Library