Effects of Employment and Unemployment on Serious Offending in a High-Risk Sample of Men and Women From Ages 18 to 32 in the Netherlands

• NCJ Number: 240157
• Journal: British Journal of Criminology Volume: 52 Issue: 5 Dated: September 2012 Pages: 845-869
• Author(s): Janna Verbruggen; Arjan A.J. Blokland; Victor R. van der Geest
• Date Published: September 2012
• Length: 25 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Language: English
• Country: United Kingdom

Annotation

This study examined the effects of unemployment on crime rates among a group of Dutch adults who were incarcerated as adolescents in juvenile justice facilities in the Netherlands.

Abstract

Using longitudinal data on the criminal careers of a group of high-risk men and women (N = 540) who were institutionalized in a Dutch juvenile justice institution in the1990s, this article addresses the effects of (un)employment on crime. Results show that, for both men and women, employment rates are below average and stability in employment is low. Nevertheless, random effects models consistently show employment to reduce the estimated number of convictions for both men and women. Employment duration has an additional effect on crime, but only for men. Unemployment duration increases the estimated number of convictions for women, while slightly decreasing them for men. (Published Abstract)