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Intergenerational Effects of Incarceration

Author

Listed:
  • Manudeep Bhuller
  • Gordon B. Dahl
  • Katrine V. Loken
  • Magne Mogstad

Abstract

An often overlooked population in discussions of prison reform is the children of inmates. How a child is affected depends both on what incarceration does to their parent and what they learn from their parent's experience. To overcome endogeneity concerns, we exploit the random assignment of judges who differ in their propensity to send defendants to prison. Using longitudinal data for Norway, we find that imprisonment has no effect on fathers' recidivism but reduces their employment by 20 percentage points. We find no evidence that paternal incarceration affects a child's criminal activity or school performance.

Suggested Citation

  • Manudeep Bhuller & Gordon B. Dahl & Katrine V. Loken & Magne Mogstad, 2018. "Intergenerational Effects of Incarceration," AEA Papers and Proceedings, American Economic Association, vol. 108, pages 234-240, May.
  • Handle: RePEc:aea:apandp:v:108:y:2018:p:234-40
    Note: DOI: 10.1257/pandp.20181005
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Estelle, Sarah M. & Phillips, David C., 2018. "Smart sentencing guidelines: The effect of marginal policy changes on recidivism," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 164(C), pages 270-293.
    2. García, Jorge Luis & Heckman, James J. & Ronda, Victor, 2021. "The Lasting Effects of Early Childhood Education on Promoting the Skills and Social Mobility of Disadvantaged African Americans," IZA Discussion Papers 14575, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    3. Manudeep Bhuller & Gordon B. Dahl & Katrine V. Løken & Magne Mogstad, 2018. "Incarceration Spillovers in Criminal and Family Networks," NBER Working Papers 24878, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    4. Kroeger, Sarah & Monahan, Tess & Perry, Brendan, 2022. "How Can Research Improve Foster Care Policy and Practice?," MPRA Paper 113969, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    5. Grenet, Julien & Grönqvist, Hans & Niknami, Susan, 2024. "The effects of electronic monitoring on offenders and their families," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 230(C).
    6. Emeline Bezin & Thierry Verdier & Yves Zenou, 2022. "Crime, Broken Families, and Punishment," American Economic Journal: Microeconomics, American Economic Association, vol. 14(4), pages 723-760, November.
    7. Riise, Julie & Willage, Barton & Willén, Alexander, 2025. "Intergenerational effects of sick leave on child human capital," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 103(C).
    8. Bethencourt, Carlos & Kunze, Lars, 2022. "The economics of crime and socialization: The role of the family," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 197(C), pages 579-597.
    9. Kailaheimo-Lönnqvist, Sanna & Kuja-Halkola, Ralf & Larsson, Henrik & Lichtenstein, Paul & Latvala, Antti, 2022. "Parental criminality and children's educational attainment: A population-based extended family study," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    10. Hjalmarsson, Randi & Lindquist, Matthew J., 2018. "Labour economics and crime," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 147-148.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
    • K42 - Law and Economics - - Legal Procedure, the Legal System, and Illegal Behavior - - - Illegal Behavior and the Enforcement of Law

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