The Optimal Punishment: Police-Allocation Rules

Abstract

In Chapter 2 we discussed the problem of determining p and f when both were control variables. However, we must recognise that an agency which can adjust one of the variables may have no control over the other. The police typically have little influence on the sentences imposed on convicted persons and the courts have no direct influence on the level of police inputs or their disposition. It is therefore worthwhile exploring rules for sub-optimisation. We consider both variables in turn.