Prison Work Programs in a Model of Deterrence

Abstract

This article considers the social desirability of prison work programs in a model in which the function of imprisonment is to deter crime. Two types of prison work programs are studiedvoluntary ones and mandatory ones. A voluntary work program generates net social benefits: if prisoners are paid a wage that just compensates them for their disutility from work, the deterrent effect of the prison sentence is unaffected, but society obtains the product of the work program. But a mandatory work program yields even higher net social benefits: if prisoners are forced to work without compensation, the deterrent effect of the prison sentence rises, allowing society to restore deterrence and save resources by reducing the probability of detection or the sentence

Prison Work and Convict Rehabilitation

“…This conclusion is consistent withPolinsky's (2017) analysis of a static economic model of deterrence via prison work. The optimal mandatory work program actually features zero compensation because the absence of earnings maximizes the deterrent effect of incarceration.6 Since prison populations consist almost entirely of men and since female prisoners are excluded from my analysis (see Section 3), masculine pronouns are used (throughout) when referring to individual prisoners.…”

Economic Consequences of the U.S. Convict Labor System

“…However, convict labor may worsen nationwide labor market-outcomes, thus overshadowing any possible positive e↵ects from new prisons' construction. By providing evidence of adverse externalities that prison labor imposes on free labor, I address the discussion of mandatory work programs in contemporary prisons (Zatz (2008(Zatz ( , 2009 and Polinsky (2017)).…”