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Snapping Back: Food Stamp Bans and Criminal Recidivism

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  • Cody Tuttle

Abstract

I estimate the effect of access to food stamps on criminal recidivism. In 1996, a federal welfare reform imposed a lifetime ban from food stamps on convicted drug felons. Florida modified this ban, restricting it to drug traffickers who commit their offense on or after August 23, 1996. I exploit this sharp cutoff in a regression discontinuity design and find that the ban increases recidivism among drug traffickers. The increase is driven by financially motivated crimes, suggesting that the cut in benefits causes ex-convicts to return to crime to make up for the lost transfer income.

Suggested Citation

  • Cody Tuttle, 2019. "Snapping Back: Food Stamp Bans and Criminal Recidivism," American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, American Economic Association, vol. 11(2), pages 301-327, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:aea:aejpol:v:11:y:2019:i:2:p:301-27
    Note: DOI: 10.1257/pol.20170490
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    Cited by:

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    2. Bhuller, Manudeep & Khoury, Laura & Løken, Katrine V., 2021. "Prison, Mental Health and Family Spillovers," Discussion Paper Series in Economics 19/2021, Norwegian School of Economics, Department of Economics.
    3. Gaurav Khanna & Carlos Medina & Anant Nyshadham & Jorge Tamayo & Nicolas Torres, 2023. "Formal Employment and Organised Crime: Regression Discontinuity Evidence from Colombia," The Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 133(654), pages 2427-2448.
    4. Riccardo Ciacci, 2024. "Banning the purchase of sex increases cases of rape: evidence from Sweden," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 37(2), pages 1-30, June.
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    6. Amanda Agan & Andrew Garin & Dmitri Koustas & Alexandre Mas & Crystal S. Yang, 2024. "The Labor Market Impacts of Reducing Felony Convictions," American Economic Review: Insights, American Economic Association, vol. 6(3), pages 341-358, September.
    7. Colin Gray & Adam Leive & Elena Prager & Kelsey Pukelis & Mary Zaki, 2023. "Employed in a SNAP? The Impact of Work Requirements on Program Participation and Labor Supply," American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, American Economic Association, vol. 15(1), pages 306-341, February.
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    10. Lovett, Nicholas & Xue, Yuhan, 2022. "Rare homicides, criminal behavior, and the returns to police labor," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 194(C), pages 172-195.
    11. Riccardo Ciacci, 2023. "On the economic determinants of prostitution: marriage compensation and unilateral divorce in U.S. states," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 21(3), pages 941-1017, September.
    12. Ian K. McDonough & Daniel L. Millimet, 2019. "Criminal Incarceration, Statutory Bans on Food Assistance, and Food Security in Extremely Vulnerable Households: Findings from a Partnership with the North Texas Food Bank," Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 41(3), pages 351-369, September.
    13. Marguerite Burns & Laura Dague, 2023. "In-Kind Welfare Benefits and Reincarceration Risk: Evidence from Medicaid," NBER Working Papers 31394, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    14. Barrios-Fernandez, Mauricio Andres & Garcia Hombrados, Jorge, 2021. "Recidivism and neighborhood institutions: evidence from the rise of the evangelical church in Chile," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 114355, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    15. Tammy Leonard & David Andrews & Sandi L. Pruitt, 2022. "Impact of changes in the frequency of food pantry utilization on client food security and well‐being," Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 44(2), pages 1049-1067, June.
    16. Semenza, Daniel C. & Testa, Alexander M. & Jackson, Dylan B. & Vaughn, Michael G., 2021. "Incarceration and cardiovascular health: Multiple mechanisms within an intersectional framework," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 73(C).
    17. Marco T. C. Stam & Marike G. Knoef & Anke A. T. Ramakers, 2024. "Crime over the welfare payment cycle," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 62(3), pages 1309-1334, July.
    18. Brewer, Mike & Dang, Thang & Tominey, Emma, 2022. "Universal Credit: Welfare Reform and Mental Health," IZA Discussion Papers 15178, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    19. Mike Brewer & Thang Dang & Emma Tominey, 2023. "Welfare reform: Employment, mental health and intrahousehold insurance," CEPEO Working Paper Series 23-06, UCL Centre for Education Policy and Equalising Opportunities.
    20. Joel Cuffey & Timothy K. M. Beatty & Elton Mykerezi, 2022. "Work Effort and Work Requirements for Food Assistance among U.S. Adults," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 104(1), pages 294-317, January.
    21. Erkmen G. Aslim & Murat C. Mungan & Carlos I. Navarro & Han Yu, 2022. "The Effect of Public Health Insurance on Criminal Recidivism," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 41(1), pages 45-91, January.
    22. Manasi Deshpande & Michael G. Mueller-Smith, 2022. "Does Welfare Prevent Crime? The Criminal Justice Outcomes of Youth Removed From SSI," NBER Working Papers 29800, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    23. Benjamin Monnery & Saïd Souam & Anna Montagutelli, 2021. "Economie du travail en prison : enjeux, résultats et recommandations," EconomiX Working Papers 2021-26, University of Paris Nanterre, EconomiX.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • H75 - Public Economics - - State and Local Government; Intergovernmental Relations - - - State and Local Government: Health, Education, and Welfare
    • I38 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - Government Programs; Provision and Effects of Welfare Programs
    • K42 - Law and Economics - - Legal Procedure, the Legal System, and Illegal Behavior - - - Illegal Behavior and the Enforcement of Law

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    1. Snapping Back: Food Stamp Bans and Criminal Recidivism (American Economic Journal: Economic Policy 2019) in ReplicationWiki

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