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  3. American Economic Journal: Applied Economics
  4. October 2022
  5. Leave the Door Open? Prison Conditions and Recidivism

American Economic Journal:
Applied Economics

ISSN 1945-7782 (Print) | ISSN 1945-7790 (Online)

Leave the Door Open? Prison Conditions and Recidivism

  • Giovanni Mastrobuoni
  • Daniele Terlizzese
American Economic Journal: Applied Economics
vol. 14, no. 4, October 2022
(pp. 200–233)
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Abstract

We estimate the effect on recidivism of replacing time served in a common closed-cell prison with time served in an open-cell one. We deal with the endogenous assignment of inmates to different prison regimes using variation that is driven by nearby prisons' overcrowding. Switching regimes for a year reduces recidivism by around 6 percentage points. The effects are largest for inmates with low levels of education and are weak for violent and hardened criminals.

Citation

Mastrobuoni, Giovanni, and Daniele Terlizzese. 2022. "Leave the Door Open? Prison Conditions and Recidivism." American Economic Journal: Applied Economics 14 (4): 200–233. DOI: 10.1257/app.20190038

Additional Materials

JEL Classification

  • K14 Criminal Law
  • K42 Illegal Behavior and the Enforcement of Law