NCJ Number
237621
Journal
Criminology Volume: 49 Issue: 4 Dated: November 2011 Pages: 1195-1234
Date Published
November 2011
Length
40 pages
Annotation
This study investigated the effects of employment, job quality, and job stability on future offending in a sample of high-risk males, 18 to 32 years of age.
Abstract
This article analyzes the effects of employment on delinquent development from 18 to 32 years of age in 270 high-risk males. Prior to 18 years of age, all men had undergone residential treatment for serious problem behavior in a juvenile justice institution in the Netherlands. The authors use semiparametric group-based models to investigate the effect of employment on their offending, taking into account static personality and background characteristics. The authors examine the effect of being employed and further distinguish the effects of job quality ("on the payroll" or being employed through temporary work agencies) and job stability (duration). The authors find that employment is significantly related to delinquent development among most (active) offender groups. Among high-frequency chronic offenders, only temporary employment is significantly associated with a reduction in offending, whereas among high-frequency desisters, the association is significantly stronger with regular employment. Stability in employment was limited in our sample, and it did not have an additional effect on offending. (Published Abstract)