Evidence from Chicago shows that a summer jobs program for youth can reduce violent crime arrests by 51 percent

Common wisdom is that jobs reduce crime, but the research evidence to support this is far from compelling. To investigate the connection between employment and crime, Sara Heller and the University of Chicago’s Crime Lab used a randomized control trial to offer disadvantaged Chicago youth summer jobs. They found that while the program led to a small drop in summer school enrolment, it led to fall of 51 percent for violent crime arrests.