Incarceration and the Formation and Stability of Marital Unions

Authors: Lopoo, LeonardM.¹; Western, Bruce²

Source: Journal of Marriage and Family, Volume 67, Number 3, August 2005 , pp. 721-734(14)

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Abstract:

Rising imprisonment rates and declining marriage rates among low-education African Americans motivate an analysis of the effects of incarceration on marriage. An event history analysis of 2,041 unmarried men from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth suggests that men are unlikely to marry in the years they serve in prison. A separate analysis of 2,762 married men shows that incarceration during marriage significantly increases the risk of divorce or separation. We simulate aggregate marriage rates using estimates from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth and find that the prevalence of marriage would change little if incarceration rates were reduced.

Keywords: incarceration; marital dissolution; marriage

Document Type: Research article

DOI: 10.1111/j.1741-3737.2005.00165.x

Affiliations: 1: Syracuse University 2: Princeton University *