The Impact of the SNAP Drug Felon Ban on SNAP Caseloads: A State-Level Analysis

Abstract

The late twentieth century ushered in a new era of mass incarceration and increases in non-violent, drug-related arrests in the United States (Diaz Pascual, 2021). This was accompanied by sweeping reductions of welfare programs, and the majority of people affected by these trends have been those living in poverty (Looney & Turner, 2018). A prominent policy from this era was The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA), which made major changes to welfare, including establishing a new lifetime ban on SNAP for anyone convicted of a drug felony on or after the law was passed. Since then, many states have chosen to modify or opt out of this policy. The purpose of this paper is to explore the effects of state variation in the lifetime SNAP ban. We employ a linear probability model to determine if state political ideology influences SNAP ban policy, how caseloads are impacted by changes in SNAP ban policy, and the additional impacts of political ideology and SNAP work requirements on caseloads. Our findings suggest that SNAP caseloads increase significantly when states opt out of the SNAP ban and that very liberal states are more inclined to opt out. Lastly, in states that modify the ban rather opt out, SNAP work requirement waivers can have additional positive impacts on caseloads.