Persisters and Desisters in Crime from Adolescence into Adulthood Explanation, Prevention and Punishment

Too many juvenile delinquents persist in their offending into adulthood. They constitute a major burden for individual victims, for businesses and the justice system, all contributing to the total cost of crime for society. Focusing on the transition between juvenile offending and adult crime, this book examines research based on Dutch, European and North-American studies on the persistence and discontinuity of offending between late adolescence and early adulthood. Presenting empirical studies showing why persistence or discontinuity take place, the book provides up-to-date information on preventive and remedial interventions to promote discontinuity of offending amongst young adults. From the same team who produced 'Tomorrow's Criminals', this book will be a valuable resource for criminologists, criminal justice professionals, psychologists, sociologists, and psychiatrists interested in juvenile and young adult offenders, as well as those interested in what makes career criminals and youth who reform.

Rolf Loeber is Professor of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Epidemiology, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, USA. Machteld Hoeve is Research Fellow Forensic Child and Youth Care Sciences, University of Amsterdam. N. Wim Slot is Professor of Education and Child Protection, VU University Amsterdam.