Why Do So Many Young American Men Commit Crimes and What Might We Do About It?
- 1 February 1996
- journal article
- Published by American Economic Association in Journal of Economic Perspectives
- Vol. 10 (1), 25-42
- https://doi.org/10.1257/jep.10.1.25
Abstract
This paper shows that participation in crime and involvement with the criminal justice system has reached extraordinary levels among young men. With approximately 2 percent as many men incarcerated as in the labor force, the crime rate should have plummeted. It didn't. Evidence suggests that the depressed labor market for low-skill American workers contributed to the continued high level of crime by less-educated men, despite incapacitation and the deterrent effect of imprisonment. The costs of incarceration are such that even marginally effective prevention policies can be socially desirable.Keywords
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