Crime and work: what role for employment in the life-course?
This article analyzes the effects of employment on crime in a sample of formerly institutionalized men and women. Prior to age 18, these men and women were treated for serious behavioral problems in a Juvenile Justice Institution in the Netherlands. Based on conviction records their criminal careers were reconstructed from ages 18 to 32. We used fixed effects models to estimate the effect of employment on
offending, by itself and in combination with marriage and parenthood. Findings show that employment is significantly related to reduced offending. For men, the association between employment and crime is stronger in combination with marriage. Women only benefit from employment in combination with parenthood. The ‘package deal’ that includes employment, marriage and parenthood reduced offending only for men.