Do Sectoral Training Programs Reduce Arrests?

Abstract

This study presents the first causal evidence of the impact on arrest rates of a sectoral training program that was implemented using a randomized control trial. The results indicate that, among those with a prior criminal record, individuals in the treatment group were two-fifths as likely to be arrested post-randomization as those assigned to the control group. Among the overall population, arrest probabilities decreased by one-half. We explore potential mechanisms for this effect and find suggestive evidence in favor of the training program’s impact on earnings, as well as peer effects from other trainees.