Are Drug-Free School Zones Effective? Evidence From Matching Schools and School-like Entities

Abstract

Using a combination of spatial and statistical analysis, this paper focuses on analyzing the effectiveness of drug-free school zones (DFSZ) around K-12 schools in Los Angeles County. A propensity score matching model is employed to match schools and school-like entities to compare the amount of drug crimes in two distinct 1000-foot buffers surrounding them. The model is then compared to a coarsened exact matching model. The average treatment effects (ATE) and average treatment effects on the treated (ATT) are estimated. Our results indicate that there are 2.7 and 1.7 fewer drug crimes and non–marijuana-related drug crimes respectively near schools, as a result of the policy. The total effect of the policy is estimated to reduce drug crime near schools by between 1065 to 1643 fewer incidences per year. Furthermore, we find no significant differences in gang-related drug crimes, gang-related violent crimes, or property crimes as a result of the policy.

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