Effects of unemployment, conviction and incarceration on employment. a longitudinal study on the employment prospects of disadvantaged youths

This study aims to investigate the effects of a history of unemployment, conviction and incarceration on the likelihood of being employed in a sample of disadvantaged youths. All youths (N = 540) were institutionalized in adolescence. From age 18 to 32 official data were available on employment, convictions and incarceration. To control for unobserved heterogeneity, fixed effects models are used to estimate effects of unemployment, conviction and incarceration on the likelihood of employment. Results show that for men, a criminal background does not damage employment prospects when a history of unemployment is taken into account. However, for women, a criminal record does lower employment chances in addition to the detrimental effects of unemployment

Adult life adjustment of vulnerable youths. The relationship between criminal history, employment history and adult life outcomes

Purpose This article examines adult outcomes of vulnerable youths. Methods The sample consists of 251 boys and girls who were institutionalized in a Dutch juvenile justice institution in the 1990s. Information on personal and childhood characteristics was extracted from treatment files that were compiled during their stay in the institution. In addition, conviction data was used to determine subjects’ criminal careers. Conducting face-to-face interviews with these former JJI detainees when they were on average 34 years old, we collected retrospective information on employment history and several important current life course outcomes. Group-based trajectory modeling was used to identify distinct offending and employment groups. Results Results showed that previously institutionalized youths experience difficulties adjusting to conventional adult life. Most personal and childhood characteristics exert no significant effect on adult outcomes. Criminal behaviour in young adulthood does impact adult life outcomes, as the two chronic offender groups show more difficulties in conventional adult life domains. Employment is associated with better adult outcomes, as the two employment groups that have an increasing or high employment rate in adulthood show higher levels of adult life adjustment. Conclusions Adult life adjustment in this sample of previously institutionalized youths is mainly explained by events during young adulthood, and not so much by childhood risk factors. Ties to employment appear to facilitate transitions in other life domains, thereby promoting life success in adulthood

The relationship between the development of general offending and intimate partner violence perpetration in young adulthood

This study examined how patterns in general offending relate to the occurrence of and likelihood of persistence in intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration in young adulthood. The study used longitudinal data from the cohort of 18 year olds from the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods study. Self-reported offending was measured in all three waves, and data on IPV were collected in Waves 1 and 3. Group-based trajectory modeling identified three distinct general offending trajectory groups: non-offenders, low-rate offenders, and high-rate offenders. The majority of respondents engaged in psychological IPV perpetration, and half of all young adults reported physical IPV, but prevalence rates decreased over the waves. Binary logistic regression analyses showed that those involved in offending, especially those who showed a diverse offending pattern, were at increased risk of perpetrating psychological and (severe) physical IPV, as well as to show persistence in the different forms of IPV perpetration. The findings highlight an important overlap between general crime and IPV perpetration. In recognition that IPV is often part of a broader pattern of antisocial behavior, interventions should focus on interrupting the criminal careers of all young offenders to reduce the prevalence and harms of IPV

De rol van de politie en zijn partners bij de aanpak van huiselijk geweld

Huiselijk geweld is een groot en hardnekkig maatschappelijk probleem. Om huiselijk ­geweld effectiever aan te kunnen pakken, slachtoffers beter te beschermen, en de schade van huiselijk geweld te beperken, zijn er de afgelopen jaren verschillende initiatieven geïmplementeerd om de aanpak van huiselijk geweld te verbeteren. De aanpak van huiselijk geweld is tegenwoordig multidisciplinair en systeemgericht, met name in complexe ­zaken. De politie werkt samen met verschillende netwerkpartners, waaronder Veilig Thuis en het Openbaar Ministerie. De politie speelt een belangrijke rol in het bewerkstelligen van acute veiligheid, en werkt met partners samen aan het toewerken naar structurele veiligheid. De ontwikkeling naar een brede aanpak van huiselijk geweld, waarin niet ­alleen de politie, maar ook verschillende andere organisaties een rol spelen, is belangrijk voor het effectiever kunnen bestrijden van verschillende vormen van huiselijk geweld. Ondanks dat het belang van samenwerking wordt erkend, hebben sommige ontwikkelingen in de netwerkaanpak van huiselijk geweld relatief recent plaatsgevonden, waardoor men in de praktijk nog tegen problemen in de samenwerking aanloopt

Criminaliteit en Werk, een veelzijdig verband

English abstract: Employment and crime are commonly assumed to be negatively correlated. Those employed are less likely to commit crimes, and conversely, those who have a criminal record are less likely to become employed. Criminological research has provided strong empirical and theoretical support for the link between employment and crime, but also suggests that a complex set of mechanisms may be at play. Additionally, studies show that employment can also increase the risk of criminal behaviour. In the introduction of this special issue, three causal relationships in the work-crime nexus will be discussed: employment causing crime, employment preventing crime, and crime blocking future employment. Dutch abstract: Woning, werk en wijf. In het reclasseringsjargon zijn dit al heel lang de drie voorwaarden voor succesvolle resocialisatie van delinquenten na detentie en voor preventie van recidive. Vooral werk wordt vaak gezien als een mogelijke oplossing voor problemen met delinquentie en criminaliteit. Het maatschappelijke belang en de – vaak ook complexe – rol van werk in de theorievorming hebben ertoe geleid dat het onderwerp ‘criminaliteit en werk’ in toenemende mate kan rekenen op de belangstelling van criminologen. In criminologisch onderzoek wordt de negatieve relatie tussen werk en criminaliteit zowel theoretisch als empirisch ondersteund (Fagan & Freeman, 1999; Staff e.a., 2010). Door het gebruik van sterke methodologische onderzoeksdesigns is de wetenschappelijke basis van deze algemene vooronderstelling sterker geworden. Door de invloed van het levensloopperspectief is binnen de criminologie sprake van een zekere revival van thema’s die enkele decennia terug centraal stonden in de criminologie, bijvoorbeeld in de Utrechtse school, die in werk vooral een kans op resocialisatie zag, en in de kritische criminologie, die vooral wees op het negatieve stigma van een strafblad voor het vinden van werk

The relationship between criminal behaviour over the life-course and intimate partner violence perpetration in later life

This study examines the relationship between criminal behaviour over the life-course, and IPV perpetration and general violence in later life. The study uses data on a subsample (N=585) from the Dutch Criminal Career and Life-Course Study, and combines officially registered longitudinal data on convictions with self-reported data on IPV perpetration, violent offending, and several individual factors, collected at age 60. The results show that those with a history of persistent violent offending over the life-course are at increased risk of perpetrating IPV and other violent crimes in later life. Additionally, certain background and current factors are also related to IPV perpetration. Men who have experienced family violence in childhood and those who are married are more likely to report IPV perpetration, whereas relationship quality and employment are associated with a reduced likelihood of IPV perpetration. The findings suggest that an integrated theoretical approach is most useful to understand IPV perpetration, with the ultimate aim of informing evidence-based interventions necessary for reducing IPV in society