considering the costs of crime as well as other solutions such
as rehabilitation?
Peter Hollings
-Original Message-
From: PEN-L list [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of michael
perelman
Sent: Monday, February 28, 2005 8:42 PM
To: PEN-L@SUS.CSUCHICO.EDU
Subject: [PEN-L] The economics
://myweb.lmu.edu/jdevine/
-Original Message-
From: PEN-L list [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Peter
Hollings
Sent: Tuesday, March 01, 2005 7:58 AM
To: PEN-L@SUS.CSUCHICO.EDU
Subject: Re: [PEN-L] The economics of incarceration
Interesting. Subjectively, I would agree with the conclusion
Devine, James wrote:
Doesn't the calculation of the optimal level or rate of incarceration
depend on one's social welfare function, i.e., how one weights costs
and benefits, so a pro-working-class number would be different from
(lower than) a bourgeois one?
A pro-working class number would
The author admits that he is making no effort to take account of anything other
than the
direct economic cost of crime. Even on that narrow basis, he finds that the
excessive
incarceration makes no sense. You might also note the publication source --
the Milken
Institute Review -- although
--- Peter Hollings [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
Interesting. Subjectively, I would agree with the
conclusion that we
are
incarcerating too many. For example, if the costs of
incarceration are
$46,000/year, we ought to be able to rehabilitate many
criminals for
less than that.
---
Hell, you could
Hell, you could probably keep a lot of petty criminals
off the street by just PAYING him or her $46,000/year.
Hey, it's that what Congress, the armed forces, business schools, etc.
are for?
Jim Devine
I almost said that, but for the moral hazard.
Peter Hollings
-Original Message-
From: PEN-L list [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Chris Doss
Sent: Tuesday, March 01, 2005 12:06 PM
To: PEN-L@SUS.CSUCHICO.EDU
Subject: Re: [PEN-L] The economics of incarceration
--- Peter Hollings
Donohue, John J. 2005. Fighting Crime: An Economist's View. The Milken
Institute Review, 7: 1 (First Quarter): pp. 46-58.
48: Between 1933 and 1973, incarceration in the United States varied
within a narrow band of roughly 100 to 120 prisoners per 100,000
population. Since then, this rate has
