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- handle: 10670/1.m5rlxc
- halshs: halshs-03344049
- doi: 10.1257/mic.20200379
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info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1257/mic.20200379
Mots-clés
Crime Social Interactions Cultural Transmission Social Disorganization Theory Broken Families Urban Ghettos Segregation K - Law and Economics/K.K4 - Legal Procedure, the Legal System, and Illegal Behavior/K.K4.K42 - Illegal Behavior and the Enforcement of Law J - Labor and Demographic Economics/J.J1 - Demographic Economics/J.J1.J15 - Economics of Minorities, Races, Indigenous Peoples, and Immigrants • Non-labor Discrimination Z - Other Special Topics/Z.Z1 - Cultural Economics • Economic Sociology • Economic Anthropology/Z.Z1.Z13 - Economic Sociology • Economic Anthropology • Social and Economic StratificationSujets proches
Family Family structure Families--Social aspects Families--Social conditions Family life Structure, Family Family relationships Relationships, Family Crimes Felonies Misdemeanors Urban crime City crime Crime--Social aspects Crime and criminals DelinquencyCiter ce document
Emeline Bezin et al., « Crime, Broken Families, and Punishment », HAL-SHS : économie et finance, ID : 10.1257/mic.20200379
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Résumé
We develop a two-period overlapping generations model in which both the structure of the family and the decision to commit crime are endogenous and the dynamics of moral norms of good conduct (honesty trait) is transmitted intergenerationally by families and peers. Having a father at home might be crucial to prevent susceptible boys from becoming criminals, as this facilitates the transmission of the honesty trait against criminal behavior. By "destroying" biparental families and putting fathers in prison, we show that more intense crime repression can backfire at the local level because it increases the possibility that criminals' sons become criminals themselves. Consistent with sociological disorganization theories of crime, the model also explains the emergence and persistence of urban ghettos characterized by a large proportion of broken families, high crime rates, and high levels of peer socialization, which reinforce criminal activities. Finally, we discuss the efficiency of segregation, family and education policies in terms of long-term crime rates.