Returning Citizens Stimulus
Participants who received cash payments after release had fewer parole violations, according to MDRC’s evaluation.
Research
Cash at reentry works. It arrives too late and too small.
A growing body of evidence shows that money in hand after release improves outcomes. Most people still leave with gate money averaging about $53.
What the studies found
Just Income GNV (Gainesville, FL)
About 12 fewer re-incarcerations per 100 participants and an estimated $13,000 in taxpayer savings per participant.
RAMP Up
69% of participants reached permanent housing, compared with 47% of the comparison group.
The gap CRP fills
These programs raise outside money and pay it after release. CRP builds the balance during incarceration from value that already flows through the system, then adds a philanthropic match. The money is there on day one.
No published study yet evaluates matched savings accumulated during incarceration. CRP’s pilots are designed so that one can be run.
A caution from history: the 1970s TARP experiment found that benefits which shrink when a person finds work can discourage work. CRP’s release balance is never reduced by employment.
Researchers: help design the evaluation
We are looking for research partners for the first matched-savings study during incarceration.
Contact us