2015/05/01 by Scott Baker · 2 citations
Psychology · Health Professions · Social Sciences · #Migration, Health and Trauma #Employment and Welfare Studies #Crime Patterns and Interventions
paper · doi:10.1257/aer.p20151041
openalex publication_date 2015/05/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/31
I examine the effects that the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA), which legalized almost 3 million immigrants, had on crime in the United States. I exploit the IRCA's quasi-random timing as well as geographic variation in the intensity of treatment to isolate causal impacts. I find decreases in crime of 3-5 percent, primarily due to decline in property crimes, equivalent to 120,000-180,000 fewer violent and property crimes committed each year due to legalization. I calibrate a labor market model of crime, finding that much of the drop in crime can be explained by greater labor market opportunities among applicants.