Department of Economics
Bishop's University
ECO 126A01
Economics of Crime and Criminal Justice
Fall 2004
Course Outline
Instructor: Dr. Ambrose Leung
Office:
Cormier 201
Office hours:
Monday 3:00
3:45 P.M.
Tuesday 12:15
2:00 P.M.
Phone:
(819)-822-9600 ext. 2752
Email:
aleung@ubishops.ca
______________________________________________________________________________
Course Description:
In this course, economic tools are used to analyse issues related to criminal
behaviour and crime prevention. Discussions of the issues are motivated by an
understanding of the choice behaviour of criminals, victims, and law enforcement
agencies. Major topics covered include the supply of crime by criminals, the
demand for crime prevention by victims, and the allocation of criminal justice
resources. Economics concepts are applied to evaluate social policy of crime
control and prevention.
Prerequisites:
There is no prerequisite for this course. By the nature of the course, however,
you must be ready to develop necessary skills in elementary graphical analysis
and critical thinking.
Course Text:
(1)
Neil O. Alper and Daryl A. Hellman (2000), Economics of Crime, 5th ed.,
Pearson Custom Publishing.
(2)
Course Reader for ECO126.
The Alper and Hellman text contains the presentation of the theoretical
frameworks for basic understanding.
The course reader contains additional readings from contemporary publications
for further discussion.
Grading:
Course evaluation
an optional paper
Option 1: midterm
Option 2: midterm
paper (30%).
is based on
weighted as
exam (40%),
exam (25%),
two exams, class discussion and participation, and
follows:
final exam (40%), class discussion (20%)
OR
final exam (25%), class discussion (20%), and
The exams are close-book, close-note. The midterm exam is scheduled on October
18, 2004.
Students who miss the midterm exam must write a longer version of the final
exam.
Discussion and participation will take the form of open-book quizzes and group
discussion in class. Your grade on class discussion (20% of course grade) will
be determined by the quizzes and group discussion reports handed in during class
hours. THERE IS NO MAKEUP ON QUIZZES OR DISCUSSION REPORTS. However, you are
permitted to miss one quiz or discussion report and will not be penalized. It
is therefore important for you to come to class on a regular basis in order to
fulfil this portion of the course requirement.
No supplemental exam will be provided for this course (see Bishop's University
Academic Calendar 2004/2005).
The goal of the paper is to encourage understanding and thinking of theories and
issues discussed in class. Each student who chooses to write a paper is to
review an article from a magazine, newspaper, journal, the web, or movie that
discusses issues on crime. The paper will be graded based on the ability to
apply economic concepts and theories. The main content of the paper should be
no longer than 6 pages double-spaced. Graphs and tables should be contained as
appendices. The paper is due on December 2, 2004 (Thursday) by 4 P.M. No late
paper will be accepted. You will be graded by option 1 if no paper is received
by the due date and time.
A draft of the paper can be reviewed by the instructor if it is made available
on or before November 26, 2004 (Friday) by 4 P.M. Any draft submitted after
November 26, 2004 is considered the final draft of the paper to be graded.
Topics and Selected Readings
Note: Required readings are marked with * and are contained in the course
reader. All other readings are optional.
I.
Introduction to the Economics of Crime
(1) Introduction: basic economic concepts, classification of crime, data source,
recent
trends in crime
Readings:
*Hellman and Alper, Chapter 1.
*Dilulio, John J. Jr. (1996). "Help Wanted: Economists, Crime and Public
Policy." Journal of Economic Perspectives 10(1):3-24.
Siegel, Larry J. and Chris McCormick (2003). Criminology in Canada: Theories,
Patterns, and Typologies. Chapter 1. Toronto: International Thomson Publishing
Company 2nd ed.
Basic Statistics Canada Justice and Crime data
(http://www.statcan.ca/english/Pgdb/justic.htm)
(2) Comparative approaches to explain criminal behaviour: sociological,
psychological,
and economic explanations
Readings:
*Gottfredson, Michael R. and Travis Hirschi (1990). A General
Theory of Crime.
California: Stanford University Press. Chapter 4, p.64-84.
*Becker, Gary and G. N. Becker (1998). 5 articles on "Crime" in The
Economics of Life, McGraw-Hill Education, p.135-144.
Garbarino, James (2000). Lost Boys: Why Our Sons Turn Violent and
How We Can Save Them. New York: Anchor Books.
II.
Supply of Crime
(1) Theory of human and social capital
Readings:
*Leung, Ambrose (2002). "Delinquency, Social Institutions, and Capital
Accumulation," Journal of Institutional and Theoretical Economics 158(3):420-40.
*Bell, Sandra (1999). "The Influence of Family, School, and Peers on youth Crime
and Delinquency," Young Offenders and Juvenile Justice. Scarborough: Nelson
Thomson Learning, p. 145-164.
Benjamin, D., M. Gunderson and W.C. Riddell (2002). Labour Market Economics:
Theory, Evidence and Policy in Canada (5th ed.). McGraw-Hill Ryerson Ltd,
p.245-254.
Coleman, James S. (1989). "Social Capital in the Creation of Human Capital."
American Journal of Sociology, 94 supplement: 95-120.
Hagan, John and Bill McCarthy (1998). "Criminal Embeddedness and Criminal
Capital" in Mean Streets: Youth Crime and Homelessness, Chapter 6, p.135-157.
Cambridge University Press.
(2) Time allocation choice between crime, work and leisure
Movie: Angels with Dirty Faces.
Readings:
*Hellman and Alper, Chapter 3.
Good, David and Maureen A. Pirog-Good (1987). "Employment, Crime and
Race." Contemporary Policy Issues, 5(4):91-104.
Grogger, Jeffery (1998). "Market Wage and Youth Crime." Journal of Labor
Economics, 16:756-91.
Benjamin, D., M. Gunderson and W.C. Riddell (2002). Labour Market Economics:
Theory, Evidence and Policy in Canada (5th ed.). McGraw-Hill Ryerson Ltd.
Chapter 2.
III. Various Types of Crime
(1) Property crimes:
Readings:
*Hellman and Alper, Chapter 5.
(2) Violent crimes
Readings:
*Hellman and Alper, Chapter 6.
*Leung, Ambrose and J. Stephen Ferris (2002), "School Size and Youth Violence,"
Carleton Economic Paper 02-10. (http://www.carleton.ca/economics/cep/cep0210.pdf)
*Robert Agnew's General Strain Theory.
(http://www.criminology.fsu.edu/crimtheory/agnew.htm)
(3) Victimless crimes and drug offences
Readings:
*Hellman and Alper, Chapters 7 and 8.
*Becker, Gary and G. N. Becker (1998). 2 articles on "Drugs" in The
Economics of Life, McGraw-Hill Education, p.148-152.
IV.
Demand for Crime Prevention
(1) Economic impacts of criminal activity: markets for security equipment,
insurance, and legal protection
Readings:
*Hellman and Alper, Chapter 2.
(2) Theory of group formation: collective action, social contract, cooperation
and game
theory
Movie: Lord of the Flies
Readings:
*Ostrom, Elinor (2000). "Collective Action and the Evolution of
Social Norms."
Journal of Economic Perspectives, 14(3):137-158.
Mankiw, N. G. et al. (2002), "Game Theory and the Economics of Cooperation"
Principles of Microeconomics (2nd Canadian ed.), p.359-368.
V.
Criminal Justice Resources and Policies
(1) Criminal justice policies: level of police expenditure, imprisonment and
other forms of punishment
Readings:
*Hellman and Alper, Chapter 4.
*Holahan, William L. (1998). "Getting Tough on Crime: Exercises in
Unusual
Indifference Curves." Journal of Economic Education, 29:1422.
Cooter, Robert and Thomas Ulen (1999). Law and Economics. 3rd ed. Addison
Wesley. Chapter 11.
(2) Discrimination: police and court discretion in arrests and convictions
Readings:
*Leung, Ambrose, Frances Woolley, Richard E. Tremblay, and Frank Vitaro (2002),
"Who Gets Convicted? Statistical Discrimination in Law Enforcement," Carleton
Economic Paper 02-03. (http://www.carleton.ca/economics/cep/cep02-03.pdf)
Hancock, Linda (1978), "Police Discretion in Victoria: The Police Decision to
Prosecute," Australian and New Zealand Journal of Sociology, 14:33-40.