Mass incarceration has led to a significant increase in the proportion of the population that has spent time in prison, with many now approaching old age. Upon release, this population faces significant challenges, including loss of family and community networks, difficulties finding employment, and chronic health issues and disabilities. As a result, social safety net support upon release is crucial for the most vulnerable individuals, such as the older and disabled prison population, to facilitate their successful transition back into society. Supplemental Security Income (SSI), a critical social safety net program offering monthly cash payments to disabled individuals with limited income, can serve as a vital lifeline for disabled individuals released from prison. This project investigates the relationship between disability and participation in the SSI program among formerly incarcerated individuals.
I will utilize individual-level data from the NLSY79 and NLSY97 surveys, focusing on a sample of individuals who have been incarcerated and released before age 65. To examine the relationship between incarceration, disability, SSI eligibility, and SSI participation, I will analyze changes in these outcomes before and after incarceration. Specifically, I will investigate how incarceration affects the likelihood of developing a disability, becoming eligible for SSI, and participating in the SSI program.
Finally, acknowledging the challenges of causal analysis, I will employ propensity score matching to identify a matched sample of non-incarcerated individuals similar to those who have been incarcerated, thereby estimating the impact of incarceration on disability, SSI eligibility, and SSI participation.