- Browse/Search the Program
Search
Program Calendar
Browse By Day
Browse By Room
- Information Menu
Search Tips
Virtual Exhibit Hall
- Navigation and Settings Menu
Personal Schedule
Sign In
Behind Foreign Bars: The role of socio-economic factors in the life-course of Dutch citizens detained abroad.
Fri, September 5, 5:00 to 6:15pm, Communications Building (CN), CN 2114Abstract
Criminological research into the life-course of offenders has consistently shown that socio-economical characteristics, such as education, employment, income, debts and housing, are associated with individuals’ criminal behavior and, consequently, imprisonment. Although a lot of research into the life-course and socio-economic backgrounds of general prison populations has been undertaken, little is known about the life-course of people detained abroad. This is problematic since the existing knowledge might not be generalizable to this specific population and because more and more people are being detained in a country which is not their homeland. In Europe, almost 30% of the inmates in local prisons are foreigners. Being detained abroad can cause various additional pains of detention for the prisoner for example isolation from family. Besides this, also local authorities are struggling with properly dealing with foreigners in their prison system, for example in offering them the same activities as local prisoners.
Yearly almost 2000 Dutch citizens are serving penalties in prisons all over the world. Although previous research into this population is limited, it finds a high prevalence of drug-related offenses and financial debts, which suggests importance of socio-economic factors in committing crimes abroad and in the life-course of Dutch prisoners abroad. The aim of this study is to gain more insight into the life-course of Dutch nationals abroad and the role of socio-economic factors in their life-course. For this purpose we examine case files of approximately 600 Dutch nationals incarcerated abroad who were in contact with the International Office of the Dutch Probation Service. Secondly these data will be combined with register data of Statistic Netherlands in order to make comparisons with Dutch offenders imprisoned in the Netherlands.