Shavell, Steven2015-08-062014Steven Shavell, A Simple Model of Optimal Deterrence and Incapacitation (Harvard John M. Olin Discussion Paper Series Discussion Paper No. 802, Dec. 2014, 42 Int'l Rev. L. & Econ. 13 (2015)).1936-5357http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:17916455The deterrence of crime and its reduction through incapacitation are studied in a simple multiperiod model of crime and law enforcement. Optimal imprisonment sanctions and the optimal probability of sanctions are determined. A point of emphasis is that the incapacitation of individuals is often socially desirable even when they are potentially deterrable. The reason is that successful deterrence may require a relatively high probability of sanctions and thus a relatively high enforcement expense. In contrast, incapacitation may yield benefits no matter how low the probability of sanctions is—implying that incapacitation may be superior to deterrence.en-USResearch Paper or Report2015-08-06