A recent study in Developmental Child Welfare examines life-course trajectories of offending among adults with a history of out-of-home care (OHC), conducted by Ylva B Almquist together with Lars Brännström.
It is well-known that experiences of out-of-home care (OHC; foster-family care and residential care) are linked to criminal behavior. Less is known how criminal activity in the OHC population develops over the lifecourse and to what extent such development is characterized by desistance or persistence.
The current study used population-based longitudinal register data for more than 740 000 Swedish men and women, of which around 2.5% have experience of OHC, followed until age 40. Statistical analyses were based on group-based trajectory modelling (GBTM) and multinomial regression analysis.
The study findings have implications for understanding the dynamics of offending in OHC populations and underscores the necessity for interventions that can prevent the onset of criminal careers, as well as disrupt or modify the ongoing paths of offending within this disadvantaged group of individuals.
Read more: https://doi.org/10.1177/25161032231217265