Pathways into Prison for Dutch Caribbean Women

• In Event: Pathways to Crime and Incarceration for Caribbean Girls and Women

Abstract

In the Netherlands, Dutch Caribbean females have been found five times more likely to be in contact with the police as a crime suspect than native Dutch women (De Boom et al., 2012; CBS Statline, 2010). Dutch Caribbean women also make up almost 10% of the Dutch female prison population, being one of the largest ethnic minorities in Dutch female prisons (see also Slotboom et al., 2008). Despite their relatively large involvement in crime, there is still little known about the life paths that lead this group of women into prison. The scarce literature that does exist suggests that criminal (Dutch) Caribbean women are faced with problems across multiple life domains including poverty, a lack of education, childhood abuse, early (single) motherhood, and adult victimization through partner violence (e.g., Althof, 2012; Bailey 2013; Boom et al., 2012). For the Dutch VIP project 397 female detainees in The Netherlands were interviewed with the use of a Life History Calendar (Freedman et al., 1988) and an online survey. The life histories of Dutch born female prisoners will be compared with those of Caribbean born female prisoners on risk factors for detention.

Authors

• Katharina Joosen, Netherlands Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement (NSCR)

• Anne-Marie Slotboom, VU University

• Catrien Bijleveld, Netherlands Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement (NSCR)

• Candace Kruttschnitt, University of Toronto