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Good Jobs and Recidivism

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  • Schnepel, Kevin

Abstract

I estimate the impact of employment opportunities on recidivism among 1.7 million offenders released from a California state prison between 1993 and 2009. The institutional structure of the California criminal justice system as well as location-, skill-, and industry-specific job accession data provide a unique framework to identify a causal effect of labor demand on criminal behavior. I find that increases in construction and manufacturing employment opportunities at the time of release are associated with significantly lower recidivism rates. Other types of employment opportunities, including those typically accessible to individuals with criminal records but characterized by much lower wages, do not influence recidivism rates. My results illustrate the importance of considering job quality when estimating the impact of employment opportunities on crime and when designing programs to help former inmates successfully reenter noninstitutionalized society.

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  • Schnepel, Kevin, 2014. "Good Jobs and Recidivism," Working Papers 2014-10, University of Sydney, School of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:syd:wpaper:2014-10
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