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Family Formation and Crime

Author

Listed:
  • Maxim Massenkoff
  • Evan K. Rose

Abstract

We perform a large-scale analysis of the impact of family formation on crime. For mothers, criminal arrests drop precipitously in the first few months of pregnancy, decreasing 50 percent overall. Men show a sustained 20 percent decline in crime that begins around pregnancy, although arrests for domestic violence spike at birth. A separate design using parents of stillborn children to estimate counterfactual arrest rates reinforces the main findings. Marriage, in contrast, is not associated with any sudden changes and marks the completion of a gradual 50 percent decline in arrests for both men and women.

Suggested Citation

  • Maxim Massenkoff & Evan K. Rose, 2024. "Family Formation and Crime," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 16(4), pages 444-483, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:aea:aejapp:v:16:y:2024:i:4:p:444-83
    DOI: 10.1257/app.20220751
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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • J12 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Marriage; Marital Dissolution; Family Structure
    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
    • J22 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Time Allocation and Labor Supply
    • K42 - Law and Economics - - Legal Procedure, the Legal System, and Illegal Behavior - - - Illegal Behavior and the Enforcement of Law

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