The quantitative risk of violent crime and criminal offending: a case-control study among the offspring of recidivistic Finnish homicide offenders.
OBJECTIVE
To study if later risk of violent offending and criminality among high-risk children can be estimated quantitatively on the basis of parental crimes.


METHODS
The criminal and prison records of the offspring (N=11) of homicide recidivists (N=36) were compared with data from controls (N=220) who were matched for sex, domicile of birth and date of birth and death.


RESULTS
The risk (odds ratio) was increased up to 24-fold for violent crimes (P=0.01), and up to 17-fold for criminality (P=0.0008) among the offspring of homicide recidivists.


CONCLUSIONS
The quantitative risk of a child for later violent offending and criminality can be estimated on the basis of parental homicide recidivism. This kind of method could be used to choose target groups for early preventive interventions, and to study the effectiveness of prevention.
Putkonen
A
A
The Department of Forensic Psychiatry, University of Kuopio, Niuvanniemi Hospital, Kuopio, Finland.
Ryynänen
O-P
OP
Eronen
M
M
Tiihonen
J
J
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D003415:Crime / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D006708:Homicide / Q000208:ethnology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D014754:Violence / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data