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Lost boys? Secondary education and crime

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  • Huttunen, Kristiina
  • Pekkarinen, Tuomas
  • Uusitalo, Roope
  • Virtanen, Hanna

Abstract

We study the effect of secondary education on criminal behavior of young men in Finland. We exploit admission cut-offs in over-subscribed programs and estimate the effect of gaining access to a) any secondary school vs no access, b) general vs vocational school, and c) selective vs less selective general school. Our results show that admission to any secondary school has a sizeable negative effect on the propensity to commit crime. There are no effects at the other two margins. The negative effects at the extensive margin are largest in the years following school admission and result in a reduction of the probability of ever committing crime rather than simply delaying the onset of crime. Our results suggest that keeping youth at school at a critical age has effects that last beyond years where effects on enrollment are observed.

Suggested Citation

  • Huttunen, Kristiina & Pekkarinen, Tuomas & Uusitalo, Roope & Virtanen, Hanna, 2023. "Lost boys? Secondary education and crime," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 218(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:pubeco:v:218:y:2023:i:c:s0047272722002067
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jpubeco.2022.104804
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Virtanen, Hanna & Silliman, Mikko & Kuuppelomäki, Tiina & Huttunen, Kristiina, 2024. "Education, Gender, and Family Formation," ETLA Working Papers 116, The Research Institute of the Finnish Economy.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Crime; School admission; Secondary education;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • K42 - Law and Economics - - Legal Procedure, the Legal System, and Illegal Behavior - - - Illegal Behavior and the Enforcement of Law
    • I2 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education

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