This course covers the causes and consequences of crime, as well as ways to reduce the costs of crime to society. Emphasis will be placed on trying to understand the causal effects of different policy interventions on crime, and exploring what can be learned about the benefits and costs of such efforts. Among the topics covered in the course are the costs and benefits of criminal justice programs and policies related to incarceration, policing, and the regulation of drugs, alcohol, and firearms, as well as the influence on crime of public policies in other areas such as education, the environment, health care, and the labor market.
