Date of Award
5-2014
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Legacy Department
Economics
Committee Chair/Advisor
Bodenhorn, Howard
Committee Member
Wood , Daniel
Committee Member
Tollison , Robert
Abstract
In the early 1990s many states adopted some form of sentence enhancement law for repeat offenders. A three-strike law in many states, most notably California's, was a common form of these laws. Using a difference-in-difference methodology, this thesis demonstrates that sentence enhancement laws reduce property crime rates by 10 percent or more. A basic cost-benefit analysis, however, leaves open the question of whether social welfare is enhanced by sentence enhancements.
Recommended Citation
May, David, "HAVE SENTENCE ENHANCEMENTS HAD A DETERRENT EFFECT ON CRIME AND WHAT ARE THE SOCIAL WELFARE IMPLICATIONS OF THESE LAWS?" (2014). All Theses. 1991.
https://open.clemson.edu/all_theses/1991