Working Paper: NBER ID: w15945
Authors: Howard Bodenhorn; Carolyn Moehling; Gregory N. Price
Abstract: This paper considers the extent to which crime in early America was conditioned on height. With data on inmates incarcerated in Pennsylvania state penitentiaries between 1826 and 1876, we estimate the parameters of Wiebull proportional hazard specifications of the individual crime hazard. Our results reveal that, consistent with a theory in which height can be a source of labor market disadvantage, criminals in early America were shorter than the average American, and individual crime hazards decreased in height.
Keywords: height; crime; labor market; nineteenth century; Pennsylvania
JEL Codes: J24; K14; N31
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| greater stature (H11) | reduced crime hazards (R48) |
| height influences labor market opportunities (J29) | decreases likelihood of engaging in criminal behavior (K40) |
| cognitive measures included in the model (C52) | further reduced hazard for tallest quintile (I14) |
| individuals in the fifth quintile of height (I14) | lower hazard of entry into prison (K14) |
| shorter stature (I14) | lesser cognitive ability (D91) |