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

We thank Mauricio Cáceres Bravo, Jennifer Doleac, Sara Heller, Lawrence Katz, Adriana Lleras-Muney, Matthew Mizel, Michael Mueller-Smith, Nathan Nunn, Matthew Pecenco, Evan Rose, Nico Rotundo, Yotam Shem-Tov, and seminar participants at Harvard University, Opportunity Insights, the University of Connecticut, the University of Michigan, the NBER Economics of Crime Working Group, and the University of California Los Angeles for helpful comments. We are grateful to Meghan Beal at the National Sheriffs’ Association, Superintendent Mickie Kujat and Principal Brad Basista of Mt. Morris Consolidated Schools, and the administration of Genesee County and Saginaw County Jails—especially Deputy Annie Bueche, Undersheriff Mike Gomez, Major Jason Gould, Lieutenant Ebony Rasco, and Sheriff Christopher Swanson. We gratefully acknowledge funding from Arnold Ventures. Xingyou Ye, Miguel Purroy, Meera Mody, Anne Fogarty, Lucia Gomez Llactahuamani, Luyuan Jia, Jeongmook Lim, and Michelle Wu all provided expert research assistance. The views expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Bureau of Economic Research.

• March 29, 2024
• May 6, 2024