Prison-Based Training Programs, Recidivism, and Employment

In this paper, I study the effects of prison-based social skills and job skills training programs on post-release employment and crime outcomes. First, I provide empirical evidence that these programs significantly reduce recidivism and increase employment in the medium term. To do so, I take advantage of a rich panel dataset on serious juvenile offenders, the Pathways to Desistance. Second, I develop and estimate a model of crime, employment, and prison-based training program participation, which allows me to explore the underlying mechanisms. In the model, training programs alter individuals' preferences towards crime and provide information about the legal labor sector, facilitating the transition once released. I find that participating in a prison program increases the psychic cost of crime and reduces the average time to receive a job offer by a month, partially neutralizing the negative effect of criminal records. I further use the model to show that prison-based training programs have significant effects on crime and employment even if criminal experience has accumulated, and that policies that reduce the cost of training programs can have important and lasting effects on subsequent crime and employment outcomes