The Science of Second Chances

Drawing on economic research and real-world experiments, this book presents a blueprint for reform throughout the system.

It explains how shifting incentives can produce dramatic changes in decisions, reducing the number of people cycling through the prison system.

Jen and Cardiff discuss economists' contributions to understanding the criminal justice system.

They also discuss why erring towards leniency so often leads to less reoffending, and the surprising failures of ideas that seem sensible.

They examine the evidence needed to answer questions like how long prison sentences should be and how probation should be structured.

They also discuss the best policies to put people on the path to success after they get out of prison.