Cohort Profile: the Prison Project—a Study of Criminal Behavior and Life Circumstances Before, During, and After Imprisonment in the Netherlands

• DOI: 10.1007/s40865-017-0077-2
• Publication Date: 2018-03-02T00:44:00Z
• Authors: A. J. E. Dirkzwager; P. Nieuwbeerta; K. A. Beijersbergen; A. Q. Bosma; R. de Cuyper; J. Doekhie; V. Eichelsheim; S. de Goede; P. H. van der Laan; W. Lamet; H. Palmen; E. Raaijmakers; A. Ramakers; J. Reef; S. van der Stelt; M. Wensveen; H. Wermink
• Keywords: 05 social sciences; 0509 other social sciences; 16. Peace & justice

The Prison Project is a nationwide prospective cohort study examining the development of criminal behavior and other life circumstances before, during, and after detention in the Netherlands. The target population of the study consisted of all men, aged 18–65 years, and born in the Netherlands, who entered pre-trial detention between October 2010 and April 2011. Participants were questioned repeatedly during detention and six and 24 months after release. Self-reported information on a variety of topics was collected at each measurement, including demographics, lifestyle, personality traits, self-control, attitudes towards criminal justice actors, experiences during detention, and different life domains (i.e., recidivism, employment, financial and housing situation, health, family situation, social networks). Moreover, detailed longitudinal information was gathered from different official registration systems. In total, 1904 men participated in the baseline interview. Of those qualifying for an interview six and 24 months after release, 53% and 56% were successfully interviewed. Analyses show that—at each measurement—respondents’ characteristics are almost identical to those of the total target population. Findings of the Prison Project illustrate the value of having longitudinal data to disentangle possible causal relationships. Results of the Prison Project will contribute to more knowledge on life-course criminology and more effective treatment of offenders by the criminal justice system.