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  5. Mental Health Consequences of Correctional Sentencing

American Economic Journal:
Economic Policy

ISSN 1945-7731 (Print) | ISSN 1945-774X (Online)

Mental Health Consequences of Correctional Sentencing

  • Manudeep Bhuller
  • Laura Khoury
  • Katrine V. Løken
American Economic Journal: Economic Policy (Forthcoming)

Abstract

Understanding whether and in what situations correctional sentencing improves or exacerbates defendants’ mental health conditions is important for the design of criminal justice policies. We combine detailed Norwegian data on visits to health-care professionals with quasi-experimental designs to measure the impacts of correctional sentences on mental health-related visits. Our causal evidence shows that rehabilitation-oriented sentencing can improve defendants’ mental health conditions. We find that these effects are persistent and unlikely driven by shifts in health-care demand. We interpret these findings in light of the rehabilitative focus of the Norwegian correctional system.

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