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Economists have generally supposed that certainty and severity of punishment deter crime and have been surprised whenever this is not confirmed by empirical word. This paper gives a number of explanations, consistent with economic theory, as to why there need not be a contradiction here. The empirical work is reviewed with the conclusion that economists have yet to convincingly demonstrate the case for deterrence. In conclusion, a number of potentially fruitful areas for future research within the deterrence paradigm are suggested. Copyright 1988 by WWZ and Helbing & Lichtenhahn Verlag AG
Samuel Cameron (Sun,) studied this question.