NCJ Number
220171
Date Published
2007
Length
58 pages
Annotation
This chapter presents an overview of Dutch research on juvenile offending, focusing on studies that have appeared in scientific journals or were published as a book or report in the past 25 years (to the end of 2005).
Abstract
Data on youth crime in the Netherlands are presented in Section I, using various data sources. Data show that levels of juvenile offending in the Netherlands are not high, although they are slightly above the mean level of other Western countries. There are significant differences between the offending of boys and girls and among ethnic groups. Police data show a steady increase in juvenile delinquency over the long term, notably in violent offenses. Section II addresses studies on the characteristics of juvenile offending, on specific offense types, and on offending in groups. Much offending by youth occurs in groups; however, they are rarely territorial and are less hierarchical and organized than are youth gangs in the United States. Offending by youth is often an illegal alternative for obtaining income, respect, and status for marginalized or stigmatized youth. Section III discusses the most important qualitative studies of youth offending. These studies focus on ethnic minority youth as well as minority young adults. Section IV addresses studies of the causes and correlates of juvenile offending. It presents the results of important studies that have tested etiological theories as well as more general studies on the correlates of juvenile delinquency. More complex studies and analyses of the causal role of certain risk factors are highlighted, as are studies that focus on the gender differences in delinquency. Section V summarizes the preceding sections and discusses the nature of Dutch youth crime and youth crime research. Gaps in knowledge are identified, and suggestions for future research are offered. 3 tables, 1 figure, and 182 references