Crime and Violence: Desensitization in Victims to Watching Criminal Events

Rafael Di Tella, Lucia Freira, Ramiro Gálvez, Ernesto Schargrodsky, Diego Shalom and Mariano Sigman

No 23697, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: We study desensitization to crime in a lab experiment by showing footage of criminal acts to a group of subjects, some of whom have been previously victimized. We measure biological markers of stress and behavioral indices of cognitive control before and after treated participants watch a series of real, crime-related videos (while the control group watches non-crime-related videos). Not previously victimized participants exposed to the treatment video show significant changes in cortisol level, heart rate, and measures of cognitive control. Instead, previously victimized individuals who are exposed to the treatment video show biological markers and cognitive performance comparable to those measured in individuals exposed to the control video. These results suggest a phenomenon of desensitization or habituation of victims to crime exposure.

JEL-codes: K42 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017-08
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-exp, nep-law, nep-ltv and nep-neu
Note: LE POL
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Published as Rafael Di Tella & Lucía Freira & Ramiro H. Gálvez & Ernesto Schargrodsky & Diego Shalom & Mariano Sigman, 2017. "Crime and violence: Desensitization in victims to watching criminal events," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, .

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Journal Article: Crime and violence: Desensitization in victims to watching criminal events (2019)
Working Paper: Crime and Violence: Desensitization in Victims to Watching Criminal Events (2017)
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