American Economic Journal:
Economic Policy
ISSN 1945-7731 (Print) | ISSN 1945-774X (Online)
Impacts of Private Prison Contracting on Inmate Time Served and Recidivism
American Economic Journal: Economic Policy
vol. 13,
no. 2, May 2021
(pp. 408–38)
(Complimentary)
Abstract
This paper examines the impact of private prison contracting by exploiting staggered prison capacity shocks in Mississippi. Motivated by a model based on the typical private prison contract that pays a per diem for each occupied bed, the empirical analysis shows that private prison inmates serve 90 additional days. This is alternatively estimated as 4.8 percent of the average sentence. The delayed release erodes half of the cost savings offered by private contracting and is linked to the greater likelihood of conduct violations in private prisons. The additional days served do not lead to apparent changes in inmate recidivism.Citation
Mukherjee, Anita. 2021. "Impacts of Private Prison Contracting on Inmate Time Served and Recidivism." American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, 13 (2): 408–38. DOI: 10.1257/pol.20170474Additional Materials
JEL Classification
- H76 State and Local Government: Other Expenditure Categories
- K42 Illegal Behavior and the Enforcement of Law
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