Short-Term Labor Market Outcomes of Female Ex-Offenders

Abstract

This paper uses a unique data set constructed from two sets of administrative records to estimate the association between imprisonment and employment rates for former female state prisoners from Illinois. To control for individual heterogeneity the paper compares the employment rates of women who enter prison to employment rates of future prison entrants. Although employment rates tend to decline during the quarters leading up to prison entry, it does not appear to harm future employment prospects. In the short-term, it is estimated that female post-prison employment rates are about seven to eight percentage points above expected levels. These results show that female incarceration is not associated with an undesirable signal that will diminish the future employability of former inmates.