Essays on Law, Economics, and Punishment

Abstract

This dissertation consists of three essays that apply the empirical methods of labor economics to study issues related to the criminal justice system and financial aid for postsecondary education. Each of these essays uses administrative data to study how a particular state intervention impacted individual outcomes. The first essay estimates the impact of eliminating post-release supervision for low-level offenders who were recently released from prison. The second essay (coauthored with Jessica Simes) examines a sharp increase in the Kansas prison system's capacity to hold inmates in solitary confinement and the subsequent increase in the use of solitary confinement. The third essay (coauthored with Oded Gurantz and Shayak Sarkar) studies a policy change in California that increased the institutional eligibility requirements for a large financial aid program and its effect on student enrollment decisions and degree completion outcomes.