Samenvatting

The authors discuss the effects on criminal participation of the 2007 Dutch educational reform which forced individuals between age 16 and 18 to stay in school if they had not attained startkwalificatie level. By comparing the arrest rate of individuals born just before and after the reform, the authors estimate the potential incapacitation effect of education on crime. Their results suggest that this exogenous change in education policy significantly reduced criminal participation among youths affected by the policy. The authors conclude that forcing youths most at risk of leaving school without any qualification to stay longer in education has positive immediate effects on youth crime reduction, that are beyond the potential educational benefits of such policies.