Last updated on: 11/5/2014 | Author: ProCon.org

Joanna Shepherd, PhD Biography

Title:
Professor of Law at Emory University
Position:
Not Clearly Pro or Con to the question "Should the Death Penalty Be Allowed?"
Reasoning:

“Although executions provide a large benefit to society by deterring murders, they also have costs; these include the harm from the death penalty’s possibly discriminatory application and the risk of executing innocent people. Policymakers must weigh the benefits and costs to determine the optimal use of the death penalty.”

Cowrote with Hashem Dezhbakhsh, “The Deterrent Effect of Capital Punishment: Evidence from a Judicial Experiment,” Economic Inquiry, July 2003
Theoretical Expertise Ranking:
    Experts
Individuals with MDs, JDs, PhDs, or equivalent advanced degrees in fields relevant to death penalty issues. Also top-level government officials (such as foreign leaders, US presidents, Founding Fathers, Supreme Court Justices, members of legislative bodies, cabinet members, military leaders, etc.) with positions relevant to death penalty issues.
Involvement and Affiliations:
  • Professor of Law, Emory University School of Law, 2014-present
  • Adjunct Professor of Economics, Emory University, 2014-present
  • Associate Editor, International Review of Law and Economics, 2011-present
  • Associate Professor of Law, Emory University, Fall 2008-2014
  • Assistant Professor of Law, Emory University, Fall 2005-Fall 2008
  • Assistant Professor of Economics, Clemson University, 2002-2004
  • Visiting Assistant Professor of Economics, Georgia State University, 2002
  • Instructor, Department of Economics, Emory University, 2000-2002
  • Macroeconomic Research Team, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, 1998-1999
Education:
  • PhD, Economics, Emory University, 2002
  • BBA, summa cum laude, Economics and International Business, Baylor University, 1997
Other:
  • Delivered testimony on crime and deterrence before the House Judiciary Committee, Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security in 2004
  • Peer-Reviewer (Referee) for: Journal of Legal Studies; Journal of Law, Economics and Organization; Journal of Empirical Legal Studies; Review of Law and Economics; International Review of Law and Economics; Supreme Court Economic Review; Economica; Journal of Industrial Organization; Managerial and Decision Economics; Contemporary Economic Policy; and Public Finance Review
Quoted in:
  1. Does the Death Penalty Deter Crime?