Jim Been's research while affiliated with Leiden University and other places

Objectives The objective of this study is to estimate the price of retribution. Methods Based on administrative data on all sentences in the Netherlands in 2012 and recidivism from 2012 to 2018, we first investigate whether community service orders are more effective in reducing recidivism than short-term imprisonment using an instrumental variable approach. Next, we compute the cost savings that could be obtained by replacing short-term prison sanctions with equivalent community service orders. Results We find that short-term prison sanctions lead to an increase in recidivism and an increase in the costs of sanctioning. We find that Dutch society pays about 400 million euros per year for retribution. This is about 21,000 euros per sanctioned offense per year and about 45 euros per taxpayer per year in the Netherlands. This is most likely a lower bound. Conclusions Our study reveals the willingness to pay for retribution as implied by judicial choices.

Objectives This study investigates the effects of the length of imprisonment on reoffending after release. Methods To account for endogeneity from omitted variables that influence both sentencing decisions and the likelihood to reoffend, this study uses variation in the proclivity to impose lengthier sentences across judges to which criminal cases are randomly assigned within district courts in the Netherlands. Using administrative data on all adult offenders convicted to short-term imprisonment (≤ 1 year) by a single-sitting judge in the Netherlands in 2012, we estimate multiple instrumental variable models. Results The results indicate that an increase in imprisonment length significantly reduces the amount of offenses committed after release, whereas we only find small and statistically non-significant estimates for the probability to recidivate. Conclusions We find evidence for a specific preventative effect of longer prison terms on the post-release reoffending frequency, but little evidence for desistance.

Noncustodial sanctions may present an attractive way to reduce the prison population rate, but only when noncustodial sanctions meet custodial ones in terms of deterring recidivism. Using administrative criminal records data of all individuals convicted in the Netherlands in 2012, this study examines the effects of short-term imprisonment versus noncustodial sanctions on crime. We employ an instrumental variables approach to account for selection processes and to produce consistent estimates of the effects of imprisonment. Findings indicate that being sentenced to prison rather than a noncustodial sanction increases the prevalence of recidivism by 10 percentage points and increases recidivism rates by 1.07 registered crimes during a follow-up period of three years. Treatment effect heterogeneity analyses show that the detrimental impact of imprisonment is most pronounced for first-time prisoners, and adult offenders, compared to repeat prisoners and young adult offenders.