How Does Visitation Affect Incarcerated Persons and Their Families? Estimates Using Exogenous Variation in Visits Driven by Distance between Home and Prison

A-Tier
Journal: Journal of Human Resources
Year: 2024
Volume: 59
Issue: 2

Authors (3)

Lars Højsgaard Andersen (not in RePEc) Maria Fitzpatrick (Cornell University) Christopher Wildeman (not in RePEc)

Score contribution per author:

1.341 = (α=2.01 / 3 authors) × 2.0x A-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

Tens of millions of people in the world are incarcerated, which may negatively affect them and their families. Visitation may mitigate the negative consequences, but there is little causally identified evidence on its efficacy. To generate plausibly causal estimates, we utilize the fact that incarcerated persons in Denmark are assigned to the prison with open capacity that is closest to their home. The distance-driven variation in visitation coupled with Danish registry data allow us to measure the effects of visitation on incarcerated persons and their families. We find little evidence that visitation affects incarcerated individuals or their family members.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:uwp:jhriss:v:59:y:2024:i:2:p:389-415
Journal Field
Labor
Author Count
3
Added to Database
2026-01-25