Incarceration, Recidivism, and Employment

Incarceration and its Effects

Overview

  • The study evaluates the impact of incarceration on recidivism and employment using a random judge design in Norway.

  • Key findings include:

    • Imprisonment lowers reoffense probabilities by 29 percentage points over five years.

    • The average number of criminal charges decreases by 11.

Importance of Rehabilitation

  • Focusing on rehabilitation can prevent criminal behavior, particularly in individuals who were nonemployed prior to incarceration.

  • Individuals who were employed prior to incarceration generally faced negative ongoing employment effects.

Incarceration Rates

  • U.S. incarceration rates rose significantly from 220 per 100,000 in 1980 to over 700 in 2012.

  • Incarceration rates in Western Europe also increased but at a smaller scale (62 in 1980 to 112 in 2010).

Effects of Incarceration

General Findings

  • Incarceration discourages crime by convincing individuals that crime does not pay.

  • Imprisonment is linked to increased participation in employment programs by nonemployed individuals, leading to improved future employment.

Key Mechanisms

  • The decline in recidivism is attributed to:

    • Improved employability and increased earnings from educational and job programs.

    • Significant reductions in reoffending observed, particularly among groups not previously employed.

Contrast with Previously Employed Individuals

  • Previously employed individuals experience:

    • A significant drop (30 percentage points) in employment post-incarceration with no notable change in reoffense likelihood.

    • Difficulty in reintegration due to job loss.

Cost-Benefit Analysis of Imprisonment

  • High rehabilitation costs in Norway potentially result in higher societal benefits due to reduced recidivism and improved employability.

  • Estimated savings from decreased police and court expenditures validate the cost-effectiveness of rehabilitation-focused incarceration.

Conclusion

  • The Norwegian prison system shows how focusing on rehabilitation can be preventative rather than criminogenic.

  • Future research should explore whether similar benefits can be generalized to other populations and evaluate additional elements affecting outcomes.