The effects of DNA databases on the deterrence and detection of offenders

Principal Investigator(s): View help for Principal Investigator(s) Anne Sofie Anker, Rockwool Foundation; Jennifer Doleac, Texas A&M University; Rasmus Landersø, Rockwool Foundation

Version: View help for Version V1

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README.pdf	application/pdf	27.2 KB	08/15/2020 06:26:AM
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Project Citation:

Anker, Anne Sofie, Doleac, Jennifer, and Landersø, Rasmus. The effects of DNA databases on the deterrence and detection of offenders. Nashville, TN: American Economic Association [publisher], 2021. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2021-09-20. https://doi.org/10.3886/E120621V1

Project Description

Summary: This paper studies the effects of adding criminal offenders to a DNA database. Using a large expansion of Denmark’s DNA database, we find that DNA registration reduces recidivism within the following year by up to 42%. It also increases the probability that offenders are identified if they recidivate, which we use to estimate the elasticity of crime with respect to the detection probability and find that a 1% higher detection probability reduces crime by more than 2%. We also find that DNA registration increases the likelihood that offenders find employment, enroll in education, and live in a more stable family environment.

Scope of Project

Subject Terms: crime ; deterrence; detection

JEL Classification:
      H40 Publicly Provided Goods: General
      J20 Demand and Supply of Labor: General
      K42 Illegal Behavior and the Enforcement of Law

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Published Versions

V1 [2021-09-20]

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