Is there logic in the application of criminal punishment? A study based on the economic analysis of criminal law
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7213/rev.dir.econ.soc.v16i3.32570Keywords:
criminal law; criminal sanctions; economic analysis of criminal law.Abstract
The purpose of this article is to bring Criminal Law and Economics closer together using the method of Economic Analysis of Law. The reference point for this research is the so-called “Chicago School,” the genesis of modern studies in Economic Analysis of Law and Criminal Law and Economics, with Gary Becker's 1968 article as its theoretical framework. After immersing itself in the literature on the subject, this work assumed the existence of individual rationality in decision-making and, based on the postulates of cost-benefit analysis and Pareto efficiency as a way of exploring changes in the behavior of the rational offender who chooses to commit a crime, the hypothesis of an optimal criminal sanction was verified, which would serve as an incentive in the individual's rational decision to avoid committing typical criminal offenses, with effects on general deterrence. Through a review of the literature, data analysis, and the results of empirical research on the subject, the study challenged the conclusion that custodial sentences are irrational and illustrated a new way of thinking about restrictive penalties and fines as drivers of general deterrence and Pareto equilibrium in the application of criminal sanctions.
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