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| Publications [#383174] of Sarah Komisarow
Journal Articles
- Gonzalez, R; Jabri, R; Komisarow, S, When does crime respond to punishment?: Evidence from drug-free school zones,
Journal of Urban Economics, vol. 147
(May, 2025) [doi]
(last updated on 2026/01/22)
Abstract:
Economic theory suggests that crime should respond to punishment severity. However, empirical evidence on this link is ambiguous. We propose one explanation for this discrepancy: Punishments deter crime but only when the probability of detection is moderate. Using increases in punishment severity in drug-free school zones along with changes in the probability of detection resulting from a community crime-monitoring program, we demonstrate that drug-related crime drops in blocks just within the drug-free school zones, where punishments are more severe, but only if the monitoring intensity – and hence the probability of detection – is at intermediate levels.
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