Does Visitation in Prison Reduce Recidivism?
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Visitation in prison is associated with a low recidivism rate after release, but the causality is not clear. This paper tries to estimate the effect of visitation experience on the recidivism outcome of state prisoners in Missouri, using an instrumental variable approach. The instrumental variable used for identification is the distance from a prison to an address before incarceration. The results support that visitation has a causal effect on recidivism in the short run. Further analysis shows that employment is an important channel of the visitation effect. However, no discernible effect on housing stability is found.
Dr. Yuki Otsu is an Assistant Professor at the Center for Spatial Information Science, the University of Tokyo. He received a B.A. in Commerce from Waseda University, an M.A. in Economics from Osaka University, and a Ph.D. in Economics from Washington University in St. Louis in 2021. His research interests include applied microeconomics, labor economics, law and economics, and urban economics. In particular, his research focuses on crime-related topics such as recidivism and criminal justice policy, immigration policy and criminal behavior, and labor market and housing issues after prison release.