Does Strengthening Self-Defense Law Deter Crime or Escalate Violence? Academic Article uri icon

abstract

  • From 2000 to 2010, more than 20 states passed so-called "Castle Doctrine" or "stand your ground" laws. These laws expand the legal justifi cation for the use of lethal force in self-defense, thereby lowering the expected cost of using lethal force and increasing the expected cost of committing violent crime. This paper exploits the within-state variation in self-defense law to examine their effect on homicides and violent crime. Results indicate the laws do not deter burglary, robbery, or aggravated assault. In contrast, they lead to a statistically signifi cant 8 percent net increase in the number of reported murders and nonnegligent manslaughters.

published proceedings

  • The Journal of Human Resources

altmetric score

  • 82.674

author list (cited authors)

  • Cheng, C., & Hoekstra, M.

citation count

  • 11

complete list of authors

  • Cheng, Cheng||Hoekstra, Mark

publication date

  • January 2013