Employment Opportunities for Applicants with Cybercrime Records: A Field Experiment

Various studies have shown that convicted offenders often face difficulties in finding employment. These studies, however, only examined traditional types of crime and little is known about the job opportunities of convicted cybercrime offenders. Therefore, this study examines the influences of being convicted for a cybercrime on labour market chances in the IT sector in the Netherlands. An experiment was conducted in which fictitious job applications were sent to existing job openings between March and June 2021 (N = 300), varying for type of crime (cybercrime, property crime, no offence) and ethnic background (Dutch or Turkish). In order to test the hypotheses, logistic regression analyses were carried out to test whether differences in responses were significant. No significant differences in positive responses were found between cybercrime offenders and non-offenders, implying that cybercrime offenders do not have less labour market opportunities. Moreover, significant differences were found between Dutch and Turkish applicants. The results of this study indicate that results from previous studies on job opportunities of traditional offenders are not generalisable to cybercrime offenders. Possibly, a cybercrime record gives a positive signal of IT-skills that are useful for employees, while a criminal record for a property crime is associated with negative characteristics

Risk factors of violent offending in mentally ill prisoners with autism spectrum disorders

Background Results of research regarding a possible causal relation between autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) and violence are mixed. Several explanations have been proposed. Aims To assess prevalence rates of comorbid disorders in a large sample of mentally ill offenders diagnosed with ASD. Offenders with and without comorbid mental disorders were compared on several characteristics. To better understand the relationship between ASD and violent criminal behavior, the predictive value of several proposed risk factors (comorbidity, negative social network/influenceability, and childhood trauma/victimization) on violent offending was investigated. Method Data of 394 male offenders with a diagnosis of ASD were included. Prevalence rates of comorbid mental disorders next to ASD were calculated, and characteristics were compared using chi-square or t-tests. The predictive value of the risk factors was assessed using a binary logistic regression (n = 357). Results High rates of comorbidity were found (78.9%), specifically for substance use disorders (39.8%), schizophrenia spectrum disorders (31.7%), and neurodevelopmental disorder other than ASD (24.1%). Offenders with and without comorbidity differed significantly in their criminal and mental health care history. Both comorbidity (OR = 1.68; 95% CI 1.27–2.18) and a negative social network/influenceability (OR = 1.49; 95% CI 1.11–1.99) showed to be significant predictors of violent offending within this sample. Conclusions The highest rates of comorbid disorders found were disorders that have been previously linked to violent offending, and the risk of violent offending could be unrelated to ASD. However, the role of social functioning indicates a risk specific to the symptoms of ASD

Successful five-item triage for the broad spectrum of mental disorders in pregnancy - A validation study

Background: Mental disorders are prevalent during pregnancy, affecting 10% of women worldwide. To improve triage of a broad spectrum of mental disorders, we investigated the decision impact validity of: 1) a short set of currently used psychiatric triage items, 2) this set with the inclusion of some more specific psychiatric items (intermediate set), 3) this new set with the addition of the 10-item Edinburgh Depression Scale (extended set), and 4) the final set with the addition of common psychosocial co-predictors (comprehensive set). Methods: This was a validation study including 330 urban pregnant women. Women completed a questionnaire including 20 psychiatric and 10 psychosocial items. Psychiatric diagnosis (gold standard) was obtained through Structured Clinical Interviews of DSM-IV axis I and II disorders (SCID-I and II). The outcome measure of our anal

Evaluation of the use of alternative sample types for mosquito-borne flavivirus surveillance: Using Usutu virus as a model

Wild birds are reservoirs of several zoonotic arboviruses including West Nile virus (WNV) and Usutu virus (USUV), and are often monitored as indicators for virus introduction and spread. To optimize the bird surveillance for arboviruses in the Netherlands and to explore the possibilities for citizen science in surveillance, we investigated the suitability of using alternative sample types from live and dead birds. The sensitivity of molecular detection via RT-PCR of viral RNA in feather, heart, lung, throat and cloaca swabs from dead birds, and serum, dried blood spots (DBS) and throat and cloaca swabs from live birds were compared. IgY antibody detection was also assessed from DBS relative to serum on protein-microarray and virus neutralization test. Feathers showed a high detection sensitivity for USUV RNA in both live and dead birds, and no significant decrease was observed in the RNA loads in the feathers after being stored dry at room temperature for 43 days. Additionally, viral RNAs extracted from feathers of day 0 and 43 were successfully sequenced. The results indicated no statistical significant difference in sensitivity and viral loads detection in heart, spleen, and lung relative to corresponding brain samples in dead birds. In live birds, viral RNA loads did not differ between throat and cloaca swabs. This study identified less-invasive sample types that allows involvement of citizens in collecting samples from wild birds for arbovirus surveillance. Sensitivity and specificity of DBS-based antibody detections were significantly lower and therefore need optimization