Steve van de Weijer

The Intergenerational Transmission of Violent Offending

The current study examines the intergenerational transmission and concentration of violent offending using conviction data of 3,440 persons from three consecutive generations from the Dutch Transfive study. Violent offending is more concentrated within nuclear families than non-violent offending, and the intergenerational transmission of violent offending is stronger than the intergenerational transmission of non-violent offending. Due to the low prevalence of violent offending by women, only transmission from father to son is studied. Paternal violent offending before the birth of the son does not increase the son’s risk to become violent, while paternal violent offending during the son’s childhood and adolescence does. These results suggest that exposure to paternal violence plays an important role in the intergenerational transmission of violent offending.

An Exploration of Mate Similarity for Criminal Offending Behaviors : Results from a Multi-Generation Sample of Dutch Spouses

There has been a growing body of research examining mate and spousal similarity on antisocial behaviors. The results of these studies have shown varying degrees of similarity between mates and spouses, but the precise mechanisms accounting for such similarity have remained somewhat elusive. The current study builds off this line of research and examines spousal similarity on criminal offending behaviors. Moreover, we also examine the potential factors that might account for spousal similarity. This study analyzed data drawn from two generations of Dutch spouses. The analyses revealed statistically significant associations between mates on criminal offending prior to marriage, a finding that is directly in line with an assortative mating explanation of spousal similarity. In addition, the analyses also revealed that criminal offending between spouses becomes even more similar after marriage, a finding that is line with a behavioral contagion explanation of spousal similarity. We conclude by discussing the limitations of the study along with the implications that these findings have for criminological research.

Risk Marker or Risk Mechanism? The Effect of Family, Household, and Parental Imprisonment on Children and Adults’ Social Support and Mental Health:

There is robust evidence of associations between parental imprisonment (PI) and a variety of harms to children, but the consequences of other forms of family imprisonment are largely unknown. Using Household, Income, and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA), a nationally representative Australian data set, this article looked at the direct effects of PI, household member imprisonment (HI), or close family member imprisonment (CFI) on the social support and mental health of nonincarcerated adults and young people. Recent PI, HI, or CFI had no association with social support. Recent CFI did increase men’s risk of poor mental health, but not women’s or young people’s. We consider the implications of these findings in the context of strong negative effects of paternal imprisonment on mothers in the United States.

Testing an Integrated Self-Control and Routine Activities Framework to Examine Malware Infection Victimization

Recent research demonstrates that those with low self-control have an increased risk of victimization due to involvement in routine activities that place them in close proximity to motivated offenders and decrease their willingness to utilize appropriate guardianship factors. This relationship is significant in predicting physical forms of victimization, though few studies have considered how this may account for property offenses, particularly forms of cybercrime which may be hidden from victims. This article explores the extent to which personal characteristics and user behaviors affect the probability of malicious software infections, a serious form of cybercrime, using the integrated routine activities and self-control theory of victimization. Using a nationally representative sample of adults in the Netherlands, this analysis found time spent on specific computer activities (e.g., downloading files) as well as low self-control increase indications of malware infection, while protection of wireless networks seems effective in preventing them.

Determinants of reporting cybercrime: A comparison between identity theft, consumer fraud, and hacking

Although the prevalence of cybercrime has increased rapidly, most victims do not report these offenses to the police. This is the first study that compares associations between victim characteristics and crime reporting behavior for traditional crimes versus cybercrimes. Data from four waves of a Dutch cross-sectional population survey are used (N = 97,186 victims). Results show that cybercrimes are among the least reported types of crime. Moreover, the determinants of crime reporting differ between traditional crimes and cybercrimes, between different types of cybercrime (that is, identity theft, consumer fraud, hacking), and between reporting cybercrimes to the police and to other organizations. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.