The contribution of sport to reintegrating offenders receives limited attention, both in science and in the practice of probation and the prison system. From the perspective of desistance, this literature study concluded that sport can contribute to the development of individual capital, social capital and an alternative identity. However, the effect of sport is not necessarily positive. There are risks of negative influence or the reinforcement of problem behaviour. In counselling offenders, sport should be combined with other interventions to reduce recidivism. A personalized approach is required, based on the risk-need-responsivity model.

The Life In Custody-study is a large scale, prospective panel study, aimed to examine the quality of prison life in The Netherlands. This paper describes the LIC-study by giving a detailed overview of the data collection procedure, and strategies to optimize response, and presents the first nationwide results on prison climate in The Netherlands. Results show that the data collection procedures utilized were successful in obtaining a high response rate (which was an exceptional 81%) and reaching a representative group of prisoners. Furthermore, results show that the perceptions of prison climate vary across prison regimes, and to a lesser extent across age groups and time spent in detention.

This research paper looks at the relationship between substance use and delinquency among young adults (aged 15 till 25 years) in a probation service for addicted offenders. Using a qualitative research method, twelve young adults give their opinions on the origin and development of their own problematic behavior. Results indicate that there is a relationship between substance use and delinquency, though determining causality is difficult and differs on an individual basis. They explain that this relationship is usually established in a risky environment and gradually grows by encounters with both substance use and criminal behavior, often early on in childhood. Friends and family introduced them to a problematic lifestyle in which drugs, alcohol and criminal offences appeared to be normal. Looking for excitement, being part of a group and experiencing positive effects after using substances are factors that stimulate them to continue with this behavior. The downside being that these adolescents get deeper into trouble and develop a dependency for this lifestyle. At that moment, certain turning points can offer a way to escape from using substances and/or committing offences

On July 1st 2016 a law entered into force that gives the victim or survivors of serious crimes the right to speak unrestrictedly in court. Where the victim or survivors used to be only permitted to make a statement on the consequences of the crime for them, the recent amendment of the law permits them to speak about the evidence, the legal qualification of the crime, the culpability of the offender and the appropriate punishment as well. Discussions on the introduction or extension of the victim’s right to speak mainly focused on the consequences of victim statements on the procedural consequences and on the consequences for the victim. Little attention is paid to the consequences for the offender. This article reports the findings of a systematic literature review on the relation between a victim statement and the imposed punishment. The findings from the American studies show that a victim statement aggravates sentencing outcomes. How desirable is that? For answering that question, more research is needed, which the legislator has not wanted to wait for.

For several years the Netherlands has been facing group violence around football matches and other recreational events. Offenders involved may be characterized as notorious troublemakers, incidental offenders or ‘new hooligans’. Notorious troublemakers and new hooligans actively look for risky situations. Their behavior is related to both contextual factors and individual predispositions. In contrast incidental offenders get involved in public disorder only due to a combination of circumstances. (Individual) disruptive behavior during public disorder therefore has different underlying causes. A combination of a person-centered approach, early identification of potential notorious troublemakers and situational prevention measures are important pillars for future policy and police practice.

In dit artikel wordt de toepassing van de levensloopcriminologie bij interventies besproken aan de hand van de uitkomsten van empirisch onderzoek. Het betreft hier een tussentijds evaluatieonderzoek van interventies die tussen voorjaar 2007 en begin 2009 onder coördinatie van een aantal veiligheidshuizen bij justitiabelen werden uitgevoerd. Uitgangspunt bij deze interventies is een resocialisatietheorie of model op basis van theoretische en empirische bevindingen uit de levensloopcriminologie. Uit het onderzoek blijkt dat deze levensloopbenadering bruikbare aanknopingspunten biedt voor interventies die gebruikmaken van factoren die samenhangen met het proces van stoppen of doorgaan met criminaliteit.