The Science of Second Chances

“Most crime is committed by repeat offenders. Most prisoners will be released back into the community. With empirical rigor and clear prose, Jennifer Doleac’s The Science of Second Chances tackles arguably the most important question in criminal justice policy–how do we get people to actually stop breaking the rules? A safer, more humane country is within our grasp if we test ideas, follow evidence, and bring promising ideas to scale. This hopeful and illuminating book deserves to be read by anyone who cares about crime and public safety.”
–Matthew Yglesias, author of the Substack Slow Boring

“Jennifer Doleac is one of America’s leading thinkers on how to reform our criminal justice system. The Science of Second Chances offers valuable proposals–feasible ones that actually could happen–on how to reduce people’s chances of reoffending and thus break the incarceration cycle. Everyone interested in criminal justice should read this book.”
–Tyler Cowen, professor of Economics at George Mason University and co-author of the blog Marginal Revolution

“Being serious about crime means being serious about finding paths away from crime for people who have offended. This book is a must read for anyone who wants a better, safer society.”
–Megan McArdle, columnist for The Washington Post

“Interesting and important.”
–Bloomberg

“The Science of Second Chances is a well-organized, well-reasoned, thought-provoking volume that merits close attention from researchers, practitioners, and policymakers in the criminal justice field. It embraces the best features of the factivist tradition, namely rigorous methods, humility about what is known, and disregard for ideological comfort food.”
–Washington Monthly

“An excellent introduction to a growing body of research.”
–National Review

“In the vein of Freakonomics … essential reading for anyone concerned with criminal justice reform.”
–Kirkus (starred)

“Doleac, an expert on the economics of crime and discrimination, skillfully weaves economics into her study of public policy around incarceration…This is a must-read and text for students studying any aspect of the American criminal justice system. The sources Doleac uses are impeccable, her writing style is clear, and her description of the process of researching criminal justice is thorough and instructive.”
–Library Journal (starred)

“Intriguing … takes a Freakonomics-style approach to criminal justice reform, presenting counterintuitive data about recidivism that flies in the face of both left and right talking points … it’s a persuasive argument that ‘evidence-based’ approaches ought to be incorporated into the criminal justice reform movement.”
–Publishers Weekly

Jennifer Doleac is the Executive Vice President of Criminal Justice at Arnold Ventures. She is a leading expert on the economics of crime and discrimination, and a vocal proponent of using rigorous research to inform policy. She frequently writes for outlets including The Washington Post, TIME, and Bloomberg Opinion, and she hosts the Probable Causation podcast on law, economics, and crime. Doleac holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Stanford University and lives in Houston, TX.

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