Recent efforts in the criminal justice system aim to improve its effectiveness and fairness. Policy reforms have focused on areas such as drug policy, prioritization according to the seriousness of cases, as well as exploring alternatives to incarceration for low-level, non-violent crimes.
A possible unintended consequence of these policies is that the decrease in admission of low-level offenders in correctional facilities can change the composition of inmates and very likely create a more hostile incarceration experience. To explore this possibility I leverage the staggered decriminalization and legalization of recreational marijuana at the state level. These laws result in fewer low-level criminals being incarcerated for marijuana-related crimes and potentially more violent offenders taking their place.
Using offender-level data, this paper examines the effects of marijuana laws on the composition of inmates and analyzes how these changes in the prison population affect recidivism rates.