Death and Deterrence: Notes on a Still Inchoate Judicial Inquiry

Authors

Robert J. Cottrol, George Washington University Law SchoolFollow

Document Type

Book Part

Publication Date

2000

Status

Accepted

Abstract

This article examines the impact of the social science literature on the death penalty and deterrence on court decisions in capital punishment cases. The article examines two highly influential statistical studies, one done by sociologist Thorsten Sellin in 1959 and the other by economist Isaac Ehrlich in 1975 and uses both studies to illustrate the kinds of questions the courts can and should ask of quantitative studies in this area.

SSRN Link

http://ssrn.com/abstract=211568

Recommended Citation

Robert J. Cottrol, Death and Deterrence: Notes on a Still Inchoate Judicial Inquiry in STATISTICAL SCIENCE IN THE COURTROOM (Joseph Gastwirth, ed., Springer-Verlag Publishers, New York, New York, 2000