Work

Immigration, Employment Opportunities, and Criminal Behavior

Year: 2018

Type: article

Abstract: We take advantage of provisions of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA), which granted legal resident status to long-time unauthorized residents but created new obstacles to employment for more recent immigrants, to explore how employment opportunities affect criminal behavior. Exploiting administrative data on the criminal justice involvement of individuals in San Antonio, Texas and using a triple-differences strategy, we find evidence of an increase in felony charges filed against residents most likely to be negatively affected by IRCA's employment regulations. Our results suggest a strong relationship between access to legal jobs and criminal behavior. (JEL J15, J18, J61, K37, K42, R23)

Source: American Economic Journal Economic Policy

DOI: 10.1257/pol.20150165

Authors: Matthew Freedman, Emily Owens, Sarah Bohn

Institutions: University of California, Irvine, Public Policy Institute of California

Language: English

Topic: Criminal Justice and Corrections Analysis

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Peace, justice, and strong institutions, Decent work and economic growth, Reduced inequalities

Open Access status: bronze

Funders: National Science Foundation, University of Pennsylvania, Drexel University