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IZA Discussion Paper No. 18413
February 2026
The Intergenerational Costs of Crime: Evidence from Maternal Victimization in Brazil

We study the causal effect of maternal criminal victimization on child health using linked police reports and birth records from Brazil. Focusing on robbery and theft - everyday crimes not involving physical injury - we show that victimization during pregnancy increases low birthweight by 6.9 percentage points, with effects particularly pronounced among socioeconomically disadvantaged mothers. These effects are comparable in magnitude to those documented for physical assaults, indicating that stress and economic disruption alone adversely affect fetal development. We also document persistent effects, including elevated hospitalization and ICU admission rates in early childhood, pointing to significant intergenerational costs.

Communications
Mark Fallak
mark.fallak@liser.lu
+352 585-855-526
World of Labour
Olga Nottmeyer
olga.nottmeyer@liser.lu
+352 585-855-501
Network Coordination
Christina Gathmann
christina.gathmann@liser.lu

The IZA@LISER Network is a global community of scholars dedicated to excellence in labor economics and related fields, now coordinated at the Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research (LISER) following its transition from Bonn.

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