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Deterrent Effect of Executions: A Meta-Analysis Thirty Years After Ehrlich

NCJ Number
224789
Journal
Journal of Criminal Justice Volume: 36 Issue: 5 Dated: September/October 2008 Pages: 453-460
Author(s)
Bijou Yang; David Lester
Date Published
September 2008
Length
8 pages
Annotation
This article presents a meta-analysis of the studies on the deterrent effect of executions on homicide, showing how the sample of studies was chosen and how the calculations were carried out, presenting results for each study in the sample and discussing the results.
Abstract
In 1975, Ehrlich published a paper in American Economic Review which argued that executions prevent murders in America. Thirty years after Ehrlich published his work on the deterrent effect of executions, which was based on economic theory and econometric analyses, researchers have attempted similar analyses to support or refute his conclusions. The presence of a deterrent effect in this meta-analysis (a statistical analysis that combines information from several studies) depended upon the type of study. The statistically significant deterrent effect was found most clearly for the time-series studies and for the panel studies. In contrast, the cross-sectional studies, the studies of the effect of single executions, and the studies of newspaper and television publicity gave mixed results, and deterrent or brutalization effects failed to reach statistical significance. The implications of this review of the evidence concerning the existence of a deterrent effect from executions should be considered with some caution because executions result in the death of individuals. Tables, notes, and references

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