Equal Justice Under Law? Local Justice Efficiency and Crime Deterrence

daria denti (Gran Sasso Science Institute)
marco di cataldo (Università Ca' Foscari)

Abstract

Efficient justice, by influencing the certainty of punishment, is regarded as crucial for deterring crimes.
This paper assesses the impact of a reform of the criminal justice system implemented in Italy in 2012, significantly reshaping the geography of first-instance courts in the country through court mergers. We evaluate the reform's effects on justice efficiency and crime deterrence. Event study and difference-in-differences estimates reveal that the efficiency of criminal courts improved significantly as a result of the reform. This contributed to deterring property crimes and organised crimes, while violent crimes were not affected. These results support the idea that the deterrence effect of justice efficiency applies particularly to `rational' crimes, while criminals acting under impulsive and less rational circumstances do not internalise information about justice in their decision-making.

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