Abstract
Summary
The effect of military service on the development of criminal behaviour
The aim of this study is to examine the extent to which military service influences the development of
criminal behaviour. In life course sociology and criminology different ideas exist about the possible
effects of serving in the military. Some expect military service to change criminal activities, whereas
others assume it has no impact at all or to have a differing impact on different groups. To test these
contrary hypotheses, data of the Criminal Career and Life course Study (CCLS) are analyzed. The
CCLS contains information on the criminal convictions of a 4 percent sample of all people tried for a
criminal offence in 1977. When examining the effects of military service, differences in personal characteristics
between those who served and those who did not are controlled for. The results show that
serving in the military does not change the development of criminal behaviour, when earlier differences
are taken into account. The implications of these findings for life course theories and policy are discussed.
| Original language | Dutch |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 5 |
| Number of pages | 1 |
| Journal | Mens & Maatschappij |
| Volume | 82 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| Publication status | Published - 2007 |