Licking County Municipal Court: An Analysis of the Effects ·Economics has on Crime
Abstract
During the summer of 2008 I undertook an internship at the Licking County Municipal
Court in Newark, Ohio. My main objective during this internship was to gain experience and
learn more about a profession in law. I also wished to gain knowledge about the study of law
and economics. In order to accomplish these goals I observed pre-trial hearings, trials,
arraignments, and eviction hearings almost every day. While I was not in the courtroom
observing, I completed tasks for the Judge, such as sorting through cases in order to learn more
about the area of civil procedure. I also conducted some of my own research in areas of the court
system in which I found interesting. By doing this, I got the chance to read cases in their entirety.
From this I learned so much about different legal proceedings, while also learning new legal
jargon. The Experiential Description of this paper first describes in more detail what I observed
on a daily basis at the court. It then describes some of my tasks and also my mini-research
endeavors.
The Connections Essay portion of this text is the research I completed integrating the two
subjects of law and economics. More specifically, I researched the connection between crime
and economics and the impact economics could have on lawmaking. By doing so I found out that
it is possible to have an optimal punishment for a certain crime, as well as an optimal amount of
deterrence for crime. The availability of this information can help to reshape the legal system as
new laws are passed and reformed so that efficiency can play a more essential role.