NCJ Number
228550
Journal
Journal of Quantitative Criminology Volume: 25 Issue: 3 Dated: September 2009 Pages: 227-257
Date Published
September 2009
Length
31 pages
Annotation
This study examined the effect of first-time imprisonment between age 18 to 38 on the conviction rates in the 3 years immediately following the year of the imprisonment in the Netherlands.
Abstract
Findings suggest that the experience of first-time imprisonment was associated with an increase in criminal activity in the 3 years following release, implying that on balance the criminogenic effects of imprisonment on the imprisoned are larger than any preventive effect that might stem from special deterrence. The effect of imprisonment is similar across offense types. It is important to recognize that this conclusion is circumscribed by several important considerations. These involve the use of non-experimental data, restriction placed on the sample used for analysis, and the source of the data (the Netherlands). Data were collected from 5,164 individuals selected using abstracts from the general documentation files (GDF) of the Criminal Record Office from 1997 to 2002. Tables, figures, and references