Feb. 24: Sytske Besemer, "Children of criminal and incarcerated parents: do they commit more crime?"

Children of criminal and incarcerated parents: do they commit more crime?

Sytske Besemer, IHD Post-Doctoral Scholar & Rubicon Fellow

In my book ‘Intergenerational transmission of criminal and violent behaviour’ I review evidence for different mechanisms that might explain why children with criminal parents have a higher risk of committing crime. This work raises some compelling developmental questions: What exactly happens when children grow up in a criminogenic environment – how exactly does this impact their development? Is there some kind of ‘criminal’ social learning taking place? Does a disadvantaged environment impact their development in specific ways? What is the impact of criminal justice sanctions on these children’s development?
During my talk I will discuss some of these questions and the possible mechanisms and will focus on one issue that has emerged as particularly salient: parental incarceration. Specifically, I will discuss our research on whether it matters in which country you grow up and where your parents have been incarcerated to examine the question: do more punitive countries perhaps enhance the intergenerational transmission of crime? This is a vital issue, especially in the US, where 1% of the population is currently incarcerated.
Here is a link to Sytske's book:Intergenerational transmission of criminal and violent behaviour

This talk will be held in 3105 Tolman on Monday, Feb. 24 from 12:00-1:30pm.