The Economics of Rights: the Effect of the Right to Counsel
Abstract: We examine the consequences of a legal reform in Israel that extended the right to publicly provided legal counsel to suspects in arrest proceedings. Using the staggered regional rollout of the reform, we fi nd that the reform reduced arrest duration and the likelihood of arrests leading to charges being led. We also find that the reform reduced the number of arrests made by the police. Lastly, we find that the reform increased crime. These findings indicate that the right to counsel improves suspects' situation, but discourages the police from making arrests, which could result in higher crime.
