The Effect of Sunday Liquor Laws on Crime

描述（由申请人提供）：本项目旨在确定限制周日销售包装酒的法律是否通过减少犯罪来保护公众健康。尽管现有的一系列研究提供了酒精对犯罪的影响的证据，但目前还没有研究对周日酒类销售的限制进行过调查。这种限制在美国很普遍，有15个州和数百个县执行现行法律。该研究解决了四个主要问题：1)允许在周日销售包装酒是否会增加犯罪，从而影响公众健康？2)周日卖酒会助长家庭暴力吗？3)周日酒类销售对不同亚人群的犯罪行为有不同的影响吗？4)周日酒类销售的犯罪成本与这些销售产生的收入相比如何？为了回答这些问题，这项研究利用了2004年的一项法律变更，放宽了弗吉尼亚州134个司法管辖区中的11个地区的周日销售限制，研究了该法律实施后这些司法管辖区的犯罪率是否上升。由于影响犯罪的因素很多，从经验上孤立新法律对犯罪的偶然影响是具有挑战性的。例如，与酒精有关的广告、执法模式和人口统计特征可能在引入周日酒类销售期间都发生了变化，这些因素中的每一个都可能对犯罪率产生独立的影响。该研究采用了一种差异中差异的估计方法，通过比较一周中不同天数、法律实施前后以及不同司法管辖区的犯罪率来控制这些混杂因素。除了调查总体犯罪发生率外，该研究还单独分析了家庭暴力。它还研究了新法律的影响是否蔓延到邻近的县，对某些类型的司法管辖区的影响是否更大，或者随着时间的推移而变化。该研究还考虑了新法律是否改变了被捕者的特征，这将表明对特定群体的不同影响。该分析将向考虑废除周日禁酒令的政策制定者表明，这样的修订是否可能影响犯罪。公共卫生相关性：这项研究将证明允许在周日购买酒类的法律是否会增加犯罪和家庭暴力，从而影响公共卫生。这类法律最近已在六个州颁布，其他一些司法管辖区也在考虑中。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This project seeks to ascertain whether laws restricting packaged liquor sales on Sundays protect public health by reducing crime. Although a range of existing studies provide evidence of an effect of alcohol availability on crime, no existing studies have examined Sunday liquor sales restrictions. Such restrictions are widespread in the U.S., with 15 states and hundreds of counties enforcing existing laws. The study addresses four major questions: 1) Does allowing packaged liquor sales on Sunday affect public health by increasing crime? 2) Do Sunday liquor sales contribute to domestic violence? 3) Do Sunday liquor sales differentially contribute to crime across subpopulations? and 4) How do the crime costs of Sunday alcohol sales compare to the revenues generated through these sales? To answer these questions, the study exploits a 2004 law change that relaxed Sunday sales restrictions in 11 of the 134 jurisdictions within the state of Virginia, examining whether crime rose in those jurisdictions after the law was implemented. Because many factors affect crime, empirically isolating the casual effect of the new law on crime is challenging. For example, alcohol-related advertising, enforcement patterns, and the demographic characteristics of the population may have all changed across the period when Sunday liquor sales were introduced, and each of these factors might exert an independent effect on crime rates. The study utilizes a differences-in-differences estimation approach that that controls for such confounding factors by comparing crime incidence across days of the week, across the pre- and post-law implementation period, and across jurisdictions. In addition to examining overall crime incidence, the study separately analyzes domestic violence. It also examines whether the effects of the new law spilled over into neighboring counties, were greater for certain types of jurisdictions, or changed over time. The study also considers whether the characteristics of arrestees altered as a result of the new law, which would indicate a disparate impact on specific groups. The analysis will indicate to policymakers considering the repeal of Sunday liquor sales bans whether such revisions are likely to impact crime. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: This research will demonstrate whether laws permitting the purchase of liquor on Sundays affect public health by increasing crime and domestic violence. Such laws have been recently enacted in six states and are under consideration in a number of other jurisdictions.