Article Title
The Effects of Time in Prison and Time on Parole on Recidivism
Start Page
699
Abstract
In the United States, every year roughly 600,000 people are released from prison, two-thirds of them without having served their full sentence behind bars. Yet little is known about how release before full completion of sentence affects recidivism. I exploit the distinction between sentence and time served in prison to better understand how custodial and noncustodial sanctions affect recidivism. In particular, I study the effects of time in prison and time on parole on recidivism. Relying on two instrumental variables that provide independent variation in sentence and time served in prison, I do not find evidence that parole time affects recidivism. However, I find that a month in prison results in a 1.12-percentage-point decrease in the probability that an individual will reoffend while on parole, but it appears to have no effect on overall reoffending.
Recommended Citation
Zapryanova, Mariyana
(2020)
"The Effects of Time in Prison and Time on Parole on Recidivism,"
Journal of Law and Economics: Vol. 63:
No.
4, Article 4.
Available at:
https://chicagounbound.uchicago.edu/jle/vol63/iss4/4