The effect of conviction on income through the life cycle
D Nagin, J Waldfogel - International Review of Law and Economics, 1998 - Elsevier
Existing studies of the impact of conviction on income and employment do not consider life
cycle issues. We postulate that conviction reduces access to career jobs offering stable, long-
term employment. Instead, conviction relegates offenders to spot market jobs, which may
have higher pay at the outset of the career but do not offer stable employment or rapidly
rising wages. Thus, first-time conviction may increase the wages of young workers while
decreasing the wages of older workers. We test our theory with data on federal offenders …
cycle issues. We postulate that conviction reduces access to career jobs offering stable, long-
term employment. Instead, conviction relegates offenders to spot market jobs, which may
have higher pay at the outset of the career but do not offer stable employment or rapidly
rising wages. Thus, first-time conviction may increase the wages of young workers while
decreasing the wages of older workers. We test our theory with data on federal offenders …