How should we think about crime deterrence in times of pandemics? The economic analysis of crime tells us that potential offenders will compare the costs and the benefits from crime and from innocence and then choose whichever option that is more profitable. We must therefore ask ourselves how...

Fine reductions for self-reported offenses entail a potential tradeoff. On the one hand, inducing offenders to self-report allows the social planner to save on enforcement costs and reduce harm through early detection. On the other hand, fine reductions may also reduce deterrence: offenders...

This paper explores theoretically and empirically whether wrongfully convicted defendants receive different punishments than correctly convicted defendants. I develop a theoretical model in which judges observe a signal -- the level of incriminating evidence -- and then engage in `compromise...