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Published Article

Reducing Crime and Violence

Experimental Evidence from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in Liberia

We show that a number of noncognitive skills and preferences, including patience and identity, are malleable in adults, and that investments in them reduce crime and violence. We recruited criminally engaged men and randomized one-half to eight weeks of cognitive behavioral therapy designed to foster self-regulation, patience, and a noncriminal identity and lifestyle. We also randomized $200 grants. Cash alone and therapy alone initially reduced crime and violence, but effects dissipated over time. When cash followed therapy, crime and violence decreased dramatically for at least a year. We hypothesize that cash reinforced therapy’s impacts by prolonging learning-by doing, lifestyle changes, and self-investment.

Title Reducing Crime and Violence
Author
  • Christopher Blattman
  • Julian Jamison
  • Margaret Sheridan
Published in The American Economic Review, 107(4), 1165-1206
Publication Date 01/04/2017
Project High-Risk Youth in Post-Conflict Liberia
See Published Article

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