Criminals and victims / W. David Allen.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Allen, W. David.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Crime--Economic aspects--United States.

Crime.

Criminal behavior--Economic aspects--United States.

Criminal behavior.

Criminals--United States.

Criminals.

Victims of crimes--United States.

Victims of crimes.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (309 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Stanford, Calif. : Stanford Economics and Finance, 2011.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Criminals and Victims presents an economic analysis of decisions made by criminals and victims of crime before, during, and after a crime or victimization occurs. Its main purpose is to illustrate how the application of analytical tools from economics can help us to understand the causes and consequences of criminal and victim choices, aiding efforts to deter or reduce the consequences of crime. By examining these decisions along a logical timeline over which crimes take place, we can begin to think more clearly about how policy effects change when it is targeted at specific decisions within the body of a crime. This book differs from others by recognizing the timeline of a crime, paying particular attention to victim decisions, and examining each step in the crime cycle at the micro-level. It demonstrates that criminals plan their crimes in systematic, economically logical ways; that deterring the destruction of criminal evidence may deter crime in general; and that white-collar criminals exhibit recidivism patterns not unlike those of street criminals. It further shows that the degree of criminality in a society motivates a variety of self-protection behaviors by potential victims; that not all victim resistance makes matters worse (and some may help); and that victims who report their crimes do not receive high returns for going to the police, helping to explain why some crimes ultimately go unreported.

Contents:

Who are criminals? : a review

The planning of crime

Violence and damages

The destruction of evidence

The recommission of crime: recidivism

Who are victims? : a review

Self-protection against crime victimization

The decision to resist

The decision to report

Labor-market consequences of crime victimization.

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780804777599

0804777594

OCLC:

729166682