The effect of sentencing types on singlehood and relationship dissolution: Evidence from a Danish policy experiment

TY - CONF

T1 - The effect of sentencing types on singlehood and relationship dissolution

T2 - Stockholm Criminology Symposium

AU - Fallesen, Peter

AU - Andersen, Lars Højsgaard

PY - 2014

Y1 - 2014

N2 - Prior research shows that imprisonment may matter for the risk of experiencing divorce or other types of relationship dissolution, as imprisonment implies separation and the social stigma of criminal conviction. Despite these straightforward theoretical mechanisms, we currently lack empirical knowledge on the causal effect of sentencing types on relationship dissolution. This study fills this gap in the literature by examining how a noncustodial alternatives to imprisonment—electronic monitoring—affects the risk of relationship dissolution in Denmark. While imprisonment might disrupt contacts between spouses or partners, and restrains single convicted men from interacted with other for significant periods, electronic monitoring allows felons to serve time without severing ties to their partner and community. To obtain uncontaminated estimates of the effect of sentencing types on relationship dissolution we exploit a penal reform that increased the use of electronic monitoring as noncustodial alternative to imprisonment in Denmark. We pair the reform with a sample of all sentenced men in Denmark, available through the population registry at Statistics Denmark. Results show that electronic monitoring significantly and persistently lower the risk of both singlehood and relationship dissolution following conviction.

AB - Prior research shows that imprisonment may matter for the risk of experiencing divorce or other types of relationship dissolution, as imprisonment implies separation and the social stigma of criminal conviction. Despite these straightforward theoretical mechanisms, we currently lack empirical knowledge on the causal effect of sentencing types on relationship dissolution. This study fills this gap in the literature by examining how a noncustodial alternatives to imprisonment—electronic monitoring—affects the risk of relationship dissolution in Denmark. While imprisonment might disrupt contacts between spouses or partners, and restrains single convicted men from interacted with other for significant periods, electronic monitoring allows felons to serve time without severing ties to their partner and community. To obtain uncontaminated estimates of the effect of sentencing types on relationship dissolution we exploit a penal reform that increased the use of electronic monitoring as noncustodial alternative to imprisonment in Denmark. We pair the reform with a sample of all sentenced men in Denmark, available through the population registry at Statistics Denmark. Results show that electronic monitoring significantly and persistently lower the risk of both singlehood and relationship dissolution following conviction.

M3 - Paper

Y2 - 9 June 2014 through 11 June 2014

ER -