What question did this study set out to answer?

This research aims to analyze how Lebanese law treats multiple offenses under Article 205 and its implications on sentencing.

April 13, 2026

Sentencing for multiple counts: a data analysis perspective of the applied Lebanese law

Key Points

This research aims to analyze how Lebanese law treats multiple offenses under Article 205 and its implications on sentencing.
Model interactions between multiple offenders and judges as a non-zero-sum game
Provide a statistical description of criminal offenses
Propose an alternative utility in the model
Examine Nash equilibrium in sentencing
Conduct interviews with judges for model interpretation
Median number of crimes committed per offender is 4
Median days between rulings is 61
Offenders exploit bulk discounts to commit more crimes
Framework outlined for enhancing legal system effectiveness

Abstract

We examine Article 205 of the Lebanese penal code which gives convicts the right to ask for the most severe penalty instead of consecutive penalties in the event of multiple offences given that no final verdict has been issued for any of the offences. We make the following contributions in this paper: 1) model multi-offender versus judge/legislator interactions as a non-zero-sum game; 2) provide statistical description of offences; 3) propose an alternative utility in the proposed model; 4) show the Nash equilibrium which is one in which offenders are taking advantage of bulk discount to commit more crimes before a verdict is issued; 5) shed light on the interpretation of this model by interviewing 13 judges. The median number of crimes committed by an offender is 4 and the median number of days between rulings is 61. We outline a framework to strengthen the effectiveness of the legal system.

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