Which prisoner reentry programs work? Replicating and extending analyses of three RCTs

Abstract

Conducting a randomized controlled trial (RCT) can be an ideal way to avoid omitted variable and selection biases that complicate other research designs. However, the way that the data from an RCT are collected and analyzed can unintentionally reintroduce those biases. In this study we replicate and extend the analyses of data from three RCTs related to prisoner reentry, to more cleanly identify the causal effects of treatment. In two of the three experiments, our conclusions differ substantially from those of the original studies. We discuss best practices for running and analyzing RCTs, and consider our extension results in the context of the prisoner reentry literature.