Children, Marriage and Desistance

• In Event: Desistance and Re-entry of Female Offenders

Abstract

As the number of Dutch females (re)entering the justice system has grown considerably over the past few years, increasing attention is being paid to factors promoting females’ desistance from criminal behavior upon re-entry. Although the influence of life events, for example marriage, on crime and desistance is widely acknowledged, most studies covering these topics are based on males. Using criminal career data of a sample of Dutch female prisoners, we carry out analyses on quantitative population data to assess the influence of motherhood and marriage on serious offending. More specifically, we will distinguish between females who stayed out of prison since release in 2007 and females who were re-incarcerated.

Authors

• Elanie Rodermond, VU University Amsterdam

• Anne-Marie Slotboom, VU University

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

• Candace Kruttschnitt, University of Toronto