Werk, uitkeringen en criminaliteit - Kwetsbare jongeren gevolgd van 18 tot 32 jaar

Abstract

This study examines effects of employment as well as different types of income support on crime, using longitudinal information on a sample of vulnerable men and women (N = 540) who were institutionalized in a Dutch juvenile justice institution in the 1990s. Results show that, although the vast majority of the sample is employed at least once during the observation period, a large number of men and women receive income support at some point during the observational period as well. In addition, the majority of the sample engages in serious criminal behavior in adulthood. Random effects and fixed effects models show that for men, both work and income support are associated with a reduction in the rate of offending. For women, however, those employed show a lower offending rate, while receiving income support, and in particular disability benefits, is associated with an increase in offending. These findings suggest that for men, income from either work or social security can reduce the financial motivation for crime, whereas for women, desistance may primarily result from social control associated with being employed.