The Long-Term Impact of Incarceration During the Teens and 20s on the Wages and Employment of Men

This article examines the long-term impact of incarceration during the teens and 20s on labor market outcomes and its causal pathways via education and job experience. Using the 1979 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, this article finds that incarceration in youth correctional institutions significantly reduces wages and the total number of weeks worked per year at age 39 or 40 while incarceration during the 20s only lowers wages. Further, this study finds that incarceration in youth correctional institutions lowers education and job experience at age 39 or 40 while incarceration in the 20s only significantly depresses job experience.