Replication data for: The Effects of Pretrial Detention on Conviction, Future Crime, and Employment: Evidence from Randomly Assigned Judges

Principal Investigator(s): View help for Principal Investigator(s) Crystal S. Yang; Jacob Goldin; Will Dobbie

Name	File Type	Size	Last Modified
Replication-Files			08/03/2019 12:09:AM
LICENSE.txt	text/plain	14.6 KB	08/02/2019 08:09:PM

Project Citation:

Project Description

Summary: Over 20 percent of prison and jail inmates in the United States are currently awaiting trial, but little is known about the impact of pretrial detention on defendants. This paper uses the detention tendencies of quasi-randomly assigned bail judges to estimate the causal effects of pretrial detention on subsequent defendant outcomes. Using data from administrative court and tax records, we find that pretrial detention significantly increases the probability of conviction, primarily through an increase in guilty pleas. Pretrial detention has no net effect on future crime, but decreases formal sector employment and the receipt of employment- and tax-related government benefits. These results are consistent with (i) pretrial detention weakening defendants' bargaining positions during plea negotiations and (ii) a criminal conviction lowering defendants' prospects in the formal labor market.

Scope of Project

JEL Classification:
      J31 Wage Level and Structure • Wage Differentials
      K42 Illegal Behavior and the Enforcement of Law
      J23 Labor Demand
      K41 Litigation Process
      J65 Unemployment Insurance • Severance Pay • Plant Closings

Related Publications

Download this project

Published Versions

V1 [2019-08-03]

Export Metadata

Dublin Core

DDI 2.5

Report a Problem

Found a serious problem with the data, such as disclosure risk or copyrighted content? Let us know.

This material is distributed exactly as received from the data depositor. As of April 2026, depositors are required to submit study materials in accessible formats. ICPSR has not reviewed, checked, or processed this material. For additional information about the study, please contact the investigator(s) directly. If you have questions about the accessibility of materials distributed by ICPSR or require further assistance, please visit ICPSR's Accessibility Center.