> there is some evidence that the theory was used to justify crime policy from the 70's onward. In non-coincidental news, the crime rate is also a lot lower to

> there is some evidence that the theory was used to justify crime policy from the 70's onward. In non-coincidental news, the crime rate is also a lot lower today than it was in the 1960s and early 1970s. So we can finally afford to lower the severity of punishments, because the overall costs/benefits profile has been shifted and a lower crime rate also makes enforcement easier. Sounds like the marker of a successful social policy to me - score one for Becker!