Segregated Worlds? The Level of Overlap Between Dutch Offenders’ Criminal and Core Discussion Networks

We examine the level of overlap between offenders’ criminal networks (i.e., those with whom they discuss criminal activities and exchange criminal knowledge and skills) and offenders’ core discussion networks (i.e., those with whom they discuss important personal matters). We formulate four hypotheses based on social capital and focus theory. Empirical data from 1,904 Dutch pretrial detainees reveal that one third of the criminal network members also function as core discussion partners and that half of the criminal network members know at least one core discussion partner. This implies that o... Mehr ...

Verfasser: Mollenhorst, Gerald
De Cuyper, Ruben
Volker, Beate
Dirkzwager, Anja
Nieuwbeerta, Paul
Dokumenttyp: Artikel
Erscheinungsdatum: 2019
Reihe/Periodikum: Criminal Justice and Behavior ; volume 46, issue 12, page 1775-1792 ; ISSN 0093-8548 1552-3594
Verlag/Hrsg.: SAGE Publications
Sprache: Englisch
Permalink: https://search.fid-benelux.de/Record/base-29029745
Datenquelle: BASE; Originalkatalog
Powered By: BASE
Link(s) : http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0093854819846918

We examine the level of overlap between offenders’ criminal networks (i.e., those with whom they discuss criminal activities and exchange criminal knowledge and skills) and offenders’ core discussion networks (i.e., those with whom they discuss important personal matters). We formulate four hypotheses based on social capital and focus theory. Empirical data from 1,904 Dutch pretrial detainees reveal that one third of the criminal network members also function as core discussion partners and that half of the criminal network members know at least one core discussion partner. This implies that offenders do not completely separate their criminal network from their core discussion network. Multilevel analyses show that this network overlap is larger if criminal network members live close to the offender and/or if they share multiple social settings. Our findings have implications for policies regarding the prevention of recidivism and the reintegration of offenders into society.