Citation

Weerman FM. Eur. J. Criminol. 2010; 7(5): 339-355.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2010, European Society of Criminology, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/1477370810373729

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This study focuses on delinquent behaviour after secondary school, and investigates the relationship with different educational careers. More specifically, it analyses whether delinquent behaviour increases or decreases among young people with subsequent full-time schooling (without and with educational problems), youths who are working full time or part time, and jobless youths. The sample contains 273 lower-educated youths, aged between 17 and 19 years old, who were questioned while they were still in secondary school during the NSCR School Project on one or more occasions between 2002 and 2004. A mixed-design ANOVA revealed that educational careers do affect changes in delinquency, independently from other factors. Respondents who had attention or other problems in their further education and, in particular, respondents who combined schooling and work appeared to have increased their level of delinquency most strongly. Respondents who left school for a full-time job were not significantly more involved in delinquency.