TY - JOUR
T1 - Less crime, more punishment
AU - Cooney, Mark
AU - Burt, Callie Harbin
PY - 2008/9/1
Y1 - 2008/9/1
N2 - Recasting Durkheim's "community of saints" thesis, the authors argue that the severity of punishment is predicted in part by the prevalence of the deviant behavior of which the deviant stands accused. Although there is some curvilinearity at low levels of prevalence, the relationship is generally negative. Thus, all else equal, where a particular crime is frequent, any punishment applied to it is likely to be mild; conversely, where a crime is infrequent, its punishment ought to be severe. Using hierarchical regression models, the authors support this hypothesis with 1988 homicide conviction and imprisonment decisions in 32 U.S. counties.
AB - Recasting Durkheim's "community of saints" thesis, the authors argue that the severity of punishment is predicted in part by the prevalence of the deviant behavior of which the deviant stands accused. Although there is some curvilinearity at low levels of prevalence, the relationship is generally negative. Thus, all else equal, where a particular crime is frequent, any punishment applied to it is likely to be mild; conversely, where a crime is infrequent, its punishment ought to be severe. Using hierarchical regression models, the authors support this hypothesis with 1988 homicide conviction and imprisonment decisions in 32 U.S. counties.
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U2 - 10.1086/592425
DO - 10.1086/592425
M3 - Review article
C2 - 19227794
AN - SCOPUS:54349104706
SN - 0002-9602
VL - 114
SP - 491
EP - 527
JO - American Journal of Sociology
JF - American Journal of Sociology
IS - 2
ER -