Delinquent development in Dutch childhood arrestees: developmental trajectories, risk factors and co-morbidity with adverse outcomes during adolescence.
Heterogeneity of re-offending patterns was studied in a group of 287 male early onset offenders who were first arrested before age 12. By combining data on the frequency and severity of offending as registered by the police over a 5-year follow-up period, three delinquent trajectories were identified; low, escalating, and high level re-offenders. Predicting group membership by individual and environmental characteristics known to the police at the time of the first arrest proved difficult. Compared to low level re-offenders, escalators were older and more often came from disadvantaged neighborhoods. High level re-offenders were also older at onset, more often had a non-Western ethnic background, and initially committed more vandalism. Furthermore, at the first police encounter, the police reacted more severely towards those who later became high level re-offenders. Finally, high and escalating re-offenders more often had other adverse outcomes, such as criminal victimization and Child Welfare Agency involvement.
van Domburgh
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Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, VUMC Medical Center, Duivendrecht, The Netherlands. l.vandomburgh@debascule.com
Vermeiren
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Blokland
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Doreleijers
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D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D002653:Child Behavior Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D002669:Child Welfare; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003415:Crime / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004645:Empathy; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D016495:Police; D011329:Prisoners / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012042:Registries; D012931:Social Environment; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires