PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Aaron Chalfin AU - Benjamin Hansen AU - Rachel Ryley TI - The Minimum Legal Drinking Age and Crime Victimization AID - 10.3368/jhr.59.2.0720-11070R2 DP - 2022 May 09 TA - Journal of Human Resources PG - 0720-11070R2 4099 - http://jhr.uwpress.org/content/early/2022/05/02/jhr.59.2.0720-11070R2.short 4100 - http://jhr.uwpress.org/content/early/2022/05/02/jhr.59.2.0720-11070R2.full AB - For nearly every crime there is a victim. However, the vast majority of studies in the economics of crime have focused the causal determinants of criminality. We present novel evidence on the causal determinants of victimization, focusing on legal access to alcohol. The social costs of alcohol use and abuse are sizable and well-documented. We find criminal victimization — for both violent and property crimes — increases noticeably at age 21. Effects are not present at other birthdays and do not appear to be driven by a “birthday celebration effect.” The effects are particularly large for sexual assaults, especially those that occur in non-residential locations. Our results suggest prior research which has focused on criminality has understated the true social costs associated with increased access to alcohol.