The Impact of Formal Control Interventions in England and Germany

• In Event: The Role of Criminal Justice Experiences in the Life Course: Cross-National Perspectives

Abstract

Objective: Studying the effects of criminal justice interventions on reoffending has a rich theoretical history (deterrence and labeling theory). While some US studies have empirically examined these intervention effects, the same is true for only a few European longitudinal studies.
Data & Methods: The current study uses panel data collected from juveniles in Peterborough (England; Peterborough Adolescent and Young Adult Developmental Study, n = 710) and Duisburg (Germany, Crime in the modern City-Study, n = 3,411). Against the background of different sanctioning regimes (somewhat more punitive in England than in Germany) the effects of minor formal control interventions on juveniles’ reoffending and subsequent system contacts are estimated with propensity score matching.
Results show that (1) although formal contacts have barely any short-term effects on the prevalence, frequency, and versatility of reoffending, (2) they drastically increase the probability of a repeated formal contact in the subsequent year.
Conclusion: The study neither supports any strong labelling nor deterrent effects of low-key formal interventions on self-reported delinquency but suggests that the likelihood of future police contacts may increase.

Authors

• Klaus Boers, University of Muenster

• Per-Olof Wikström, University of Cambridge

• Florian Kaiser, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Crime, Security and Law

• Marcus Schaerff, University of Muenster