Harel, Alon; Hylton, N. Keith --- "Research Handbook on the Economics of Criminal Law" (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2012) [2012] ELECD 554

Editor(s): Harel, Alon; Hylton, N. Keith

Title: Research Handbook on the Economics of Criminal Law

Series: Research Handbooks in Law and Economics series

Topics: Law and Economics; Criminal Law and Justice

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

Date of Publication: 29 June 2012

Number of pages: 272

ISBN (hard cover): 9781848443747

ISBN (soft cover): 9781781953099

EISBN: 9780857930651

Abstract/Description:

Jeremy Bentham and Gary Becker established the tradition of analyzing criminal law in utilitarian and economic terms. This seminal book continues that tradition with specially commissioned, original papers that span the philosophical foundations of the use of economics in criminal law, both traditional economic perspectives and behavioral and experimental approaches to the discipline.

The contributors examine and evaluate the optimal design of criminal law norms as well as the ideal structure of law enforcement institutions. They delineate what wrongs ought to be criminalized, identify the boundaries between criminal law and tort, and determine the optimal size of sanctions given the differential vulnerability of victims. They also analyze the special considerations that apply to the regulation of corporate crime, the effects of technology on crime, and the effects of the distribution of wealth on sentencing.

This essential Handbook provides students and scholars of criminal law and law and economics the opportunity to explore the diversity of contemporary approaches to the economics of crime. Criminologists, sociologists and policymakers will also find it a valuable addition to their collections.