Freakonomics of Domestic Violence

Economics is about incentives, according to the authors of Freakonomics. I think about that whenever something happens in my life or in the news. Incentives were what Rafael Robb, a professor of economics at the University of Pennsylvania, must have been waiting for all year. ‘Tis the season.

Last December, Ellen Robb was viciously beaten to death. The damage was so devastating that, initially, police thought she had been shot in the face. All year Robb denied any involvement with the murder. He claimed the murder was the result of a home invasion and he was innocent. However, he was the primary suspect and was arrested.

This month, District Attorney Bruce Castor gave Rafael Robb an early Christmas present. Castor allowed Robb to plead guilty to voluntary manslaughter instead of first degree murder. Robb finally confessed. Earlier this week, Robb told a judge that he “just lost it” when the couple – who were separated but still living together – got into an argument over their daughter. He bashed Ellen Robb’s head and face repeatedly with an exercise bar.

As a result of the deal, Robb is likely to get away with as little as 4-6 years in prison versus life. I’m sure the economics expert understood the incentive. The fifty-seven year old man will be out of jail just around the time he can retire and collect social security.

There are a lot of women on Philadelphia’s Main Line who are not only angry, but frightened. Bruce Castor has sent a frightening message to men: if you lose your temper, commit intimate homicide and are willing to confess, you can avoid a long and revealing trial, get a deal and serve less jail time than some crooks.

Domestic violence isn’t just for the poor or the uneducated. Behind the doors of many upscale suburban homes, there are countless incidents of domestic abuse. Money and power buy pretty things, but they also often support controlling behaviors. The greatest fear of people with controlling behaviors is not having control. When they feel someone else is ignoring them or getting control, they are easily incensed and their anger escalates easily and quickly. Shortly before her murder, Ellen Robb had supposedly just gotten an apartment, was moving out and beginning divorce proceedings.

Ironically, just a few weeks ago, DA Bruce Castor received an award from Laurel House, an emergency domestic violence shelter in the Philadelphia suburbs. It wasn’t the first such award for Castor. I was there and I was impressed by Castor. Now I’m confused…and asking what happened to Castor’s supposedly strong position against domestic violence.

There is no justification for domestic abuse. A fit of rage is a demonstration of terrible behavior and is often a sample of what a controlling person uses to gain and keep control over someone else. Murder is taking a life. It shouldn’t be bargained away. Makes me wonder about the Freakonomics of it.