“Something Works” in U.S. Jails: Misconduct and Recidivism Effects of the IGNITE Program

Marcella Alsan (), Arkey M. Barnett, Peter Hull and Crystal Yang

No 32282, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: A longstanding and influential view in U.S. correctional policy is that “nothing works” when it comes to rehabilitating incarcerated individuals. We revisit this hypothesis by studying an innovative law-enforcement-led program launched in the county jail of Flint, Michigan: Inmate Growth Naturally and Intentionally Through Education (IGNITE). We develop an instrumental variable approach to estimate the effects of IGNITE exposure, which leverages quasi-random court delays that cause individuals to spend more time in jail both before and after the program’s launch. Holding time in jail fixed, we find that one additional month of IGNITE exposure reduces weekly misconduct within jail and three-month recidivism by 25% and 24%, respectively, with the recidivism effects growing over time. Surveys of staff and community members, along with administrative test score records and within-jail text messages, suggest that cultural change and improved literacy and numeracy scores as contributing mechanisms.

JEL-codes: C26 I26 K4 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024-03
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