Does the Timing and Length of Incarceration Matter for Long-Term Economic and Health Outcomes? Analysis of Male Arrestees Drawn From a Nationally Representative Sample

Abstract

Research has consistently documented that incarceration is associated with numerous negative outcomes later in life. Much of this research has focused only on adults who were incarcerated and either excluded juveniles or examined them separately. Moreover, findings from the majority of these studies are often based on simple binary measures of incarceration without examining the length of time each person was incarcerated. The current study sought to address these shortcomings in the literature by examining whether incarceration length as a juvenile and as an adult are associated with adulthood economic disadvantage, health, suicidal ideation, and depression. To do so, males from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health) who had been arrested were examined. The analysis revealed that juvenile incarceration length was associated with health and suicidal ideation whereas adult incarceration length was associated with economic disadvantage, suicidal ideation, and depression. The results of this study underscore that the timing and length of incarceration matters for life outcomes.