This study examined whether the Affordable Homes Program (AHP) increased postrelease employment, lowered recidivism, and reduced costs to the State of Minnesota.
This study assessing the Affordable Homes Program (AHP), a prison work crew program managed by the Minnesota Department of Corrections (MNDOC), found that during the 1998-2008 period, AHP (a) built 285 affordable homes, (b) significantly increased offenders’ odds of obtaining postrelease employment in the construction field, and (c) produced US$13.1 million in costs avoided. It did not, however, significantly reduce recidivism. The study uses a retrospective, quasi-experimental design in which propensity score matching was used to control for observable selection bias. (Published Abstract Provided)