PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Stephen B. Billings AU - Kevin T. Schnepel TI - Hanging Out with the Usual Suspects: Neighborhood Peer Effects and Recidivism AID - 10.3368/jhr.58.1.0819-10353R2 DP - 2020 Oct 12 TA - Journal of Human Resources PG - 0819-10353R2 4099 - http://jhr.uwpress.org/content/early/2020/10/02/jhr.58.1.0819-10353R2.short 4100 - http://jhr.uwpress.org/content/early/2020/10/02/jhr.58.1.0819-10353R2.full AB - Social interactions within neighborhoods, schools and detention facilities are important determinants of criminal behavior. However, little is known about the degree to which neighborhood peers affect successful community re-entry following incarceration. This paper measures the influence of social networks on recidivism by exploiting the fact that neighborhood peers may be locked up when a prisoner returns home. Using detailed arrest and incarceration data that includes residential addresses for offenders, we find consistent and robust evidence that a former inmate is less likely to reoffend if more of his peers are held captive while he reintegrates into society.