June 22, 2001

2 Economists Revive Old Argument for Death Penalty

By D.W. MILLER

Proponents of the death penalty say it provides justice for victims and "closure" for their families. But two Emory University economists have revived a dormant argument: It deters murder. In a recent paper based on 20 years of crime statistics (http://www.ssrn.com), Hashem Dezhbaksh and Paul H. Rubin correlate homicide rates with executions in every state since 1977, when the Supreme Court lifted a moratorium. Comprehensive data from more than 3,000 counties allow them to control for a host

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