Education and Incarceration in the Jim Crow South: Evidence from Rosenwald Schools

Katherine Eriksson ()

Journal of Human Resources, 2020, vol. 55, issue 1, 43-75

Abstract: This paper examines the effect of childhood access to primary schooling on adult black incarceration in the early 20th century. I construct a linked census data set of incarcerated and nonincarcerated men to observe access to schooling in childhood. I find that full exposure to one of the new primary schools built as part of the Rosenwald program reduces the probability of incarceration by 1.9 percentage points. I argue that the reduction in incarceration comes from increased opportunity costs of crime through higher educational attainment. These results contribute to a broader literature on racial gaps in social outcomes in the United States.

JEL-codes: I24 K42 N32 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
Note: DOI: 10.3368/jhr.55.2.0816.8142R
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (18)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:uwp:jhriss:v:55:y:2020:i:1:p:43-75

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