Inmates survey, recidivism, labour market, illict drug use.

Summary In this paper data from a survey of 1,771 inmates conducted in 31 German prisons provide microeconometric evidence on the relationship between individual anticipated labour market opportunities and the perceived probability of future recidivism. Results show that inmates with poor labour market prospects expect a significantly higher rate of future recidivism. Hav ing a closer look at subgroups of prisoners reveals that drug and alcohol addiction cause ad verse effects. Thus, improving prisoner health care by installing effective anti-drug pro grammes would be one of the most effective measures against crime.