How do the effects of pairs on arrests impact the recurrence of former detainees?

Responsible researcher: Bruno Benevit

Original Title: Prison As A Criminal School: Peer Effects and Criminal Learning Behind Bars

Authors: Anna Pil Damm and Cédric Gorinas

Intervention Location: Denmark

Sample size: 1,928 individuals

Sector: Crime Economy

Variable of main interest: Crimes recurrence

Intervention Type: Effect of Pairs

Methodology: Sur

Summary

With the economic and social relevance related to crime costs, understanding the factors of maintenance of these practices is fundamental to their mitigation. In this context, the prison incarceration process can represent a source of criminal capital, improving and inciting crimes. This study evaluated the existence of pairs between prisoners in Denmark, observing possible effects on introducing new modalities of crimes and reinforcing modalities of previously committed crimes. The results showed that the effects of reinforcement between pairs are strong for crimes that require planning and specific networks, such as drug crimes and theft. In contrast, exposure to criminals of the same specialization discourages recurrence in violent crimes such as sexual crimes and theft.

1. Policy Problem

The occurrence of crimes implies great social and economic costs for societies, imposing a major challenge for governments today. These crimes are estimated to represent $ 200 billion in costs for the United States, and $ 60 billion for the United Kingdom, where substantial part of these values ​​are associated with the prison system of these countries (DAMM; GORINAS, 2020).

However, the prison system can jointly have new adverse impacts arising from its social dynamics. As prisoners maintain contact with each other within prisons, it is plausible to suppose a mechanism for transmitting new practices and improving crimes through interactions and networking between detainees. Thus, the effect of pairs can potentially improve the criminal capital of these prisoners after imprisonment.
As different types of crimes require different demands in terms of specialization and need for coordination and networking , it is important to take into account each modality. For example, drug -related crimes, theft, burglary and reception may require specific capital, planning and network . Therefore, for the efficient allocation of resources to combat violence, as well as for greater effectiveness in the process of reintegration of prisoners in society, it is essential to understand how such social dynamics occur within the prison environment.

2. Policy Implementation Context

Currently, prison practices in Denmark are characterized by a humanized and adaptive approach. Prison and Probation Service ( prison system evaluates the characteristics of convicted before designating them to institutions, considering factors such as residential proximity, medical needs, family responsibilities or educational and work involvement. Young people aged 18 to 22 receive special attention in this process. The system differentiates arrest regimes according to the individual's profile: closed arrests offer greater security, while open allows for greater contact with the external environment. For young offenders, the imposition of unconditional sentences is rare, and in these cases they are allocated to less punitive midfield institutions. Interaction between prisoners, including activities such as classes and exercises, is widely encouraged, promoting an environment that favors social reintegration.

However, DPPs underwent important institutional reforms that preceded the current prison system. In 1999, a significant reform was implemented, which created high security sections aimed at detainees considered highly problematic, such as gang members and out -of -law motorcyclists. During the period 1994-1997, the Danish system had nine closed arrests, destined to convicts with longer penalties, and 13 open arrests, which prioritize social reintegration, allowing supervised external activities. In addition, there were lower capacity of local arrests, often used for detainees with short sentences or waiting for trials. Additionally, prisoners could easily interact within and between prisons during this period, facilitating social interaction between them.

3. Assessment Details

The database used in the study combined administrative and police records that cover the entire population of Denmark between 1991 and 2010. The sample was limited to young adults for the first time between 1994 and 1997, aged 18 to 21, excluding those with prior prisons interactions to avoid residual pairs. The initial period was defined to ensure the complete record of the criminal history since the age of 15, and the final period excluded individuals after 1997. Additionally, the analysis was closed in 2006, due to changes in the institution's coding system. The final sample comprised 1,928 individuals.

Regarding the characteristics of the detainees, it was observed that 95% were a man, 88% were of native origin. The average age of admission to the observed incarceration was 19 years. About 10% had small children, and only 8% completed secondary education before prison. The average duration of incarceration was 43 days, with two thirds of individuals allocated in open arrests. Regarding criminal history, 53% had previous convictions for theft and theft, 45% for violent or sexual crimes, and lower proportions to other categories, such as drug -related crimes (11%) and weapons possession (10%). As for recurrence, 53%of prisoners received a new conviction within one year, especially theft and theft (26%) and violent or sexual crimes (8%).

4. Method

The study tested two hypotheses on the effects of pairs on Denmark arrests on criminal capital: (i) introductory effects, in which individuals acquire new criminal capital when exposed to pairs specialized in different types of crime, and (ii) Effects of reinforcement, in which exposure to pairs specializing in similar crimes strengthens prior criminal capital. Semingly Unrelated Regression method was adopted to estimate the likelihood of recurrence in specific crimes. Additionally, several model specifications were used, considering individual and pairs characteristics, such as criminal history and demographic attributes, as well as fixed effects by prison and criminal history.

At first, a model was estimated to identify the likelihood of a young criminal being imprisoned according to his type of conviction (crime committed), considering models that estimate the effects of pairs of young prisoners or all ages in isolation. . Subsequently, a model was estimated with the addition of effects associated with both types of groups simultaneously, allowing to identify the effects of pairs on the specialization and introduction of criminal capital. The recidivism was considered within 12 months after liberation from seven main categories of crimes.

The study also conducts a series of robust analyzes by adopting alternative definitions of peer groups. The authors verify possible impacts of prisoners with cultural similarities by identifying peer groups such as Western and Non-Obdentals. In addition, groups have been defined from their type of criminal experience, seeking to identify overflowing effects on the transmission of specialized knowledge. Finally, pairs on recurrence were considered considering 24 months after the prisoner's release.

5. Main Results

The results indicated effects of significant reinforcing pairs for drug -related crimes and threats, both considering all pairs and restricting the group to younger individuals. For drug -related crimes, exposure to young pairs has generated additional reinforcing effects, while for threats the influence was equivalent among young and older peers. On the other hand, the introductory effects were not significant for any kind of crime, suggesting a lack of influence on the diversification of criminal capital. For theft, there was a significant deterrent effect when considered the broad definition of pairs, but this effect was not maintained in other specifications. Thus, the findings reinforce the logic of criminal specialization on reinforcing effects, while introductory effects remain without empirical support.

Regarding the results of pairs effects considering ethnic factors, reinforcing effects were observed between individuals with a history of drug-related crimes and threats when restricting peers to companions of the same ethnicity. The results indicated the presence of significant reinforcing effects for drug -related crimes, but not for threats. In addition, when comparing young criminals of the same ethnic origin with the general definition of young pairs, a stronger impact on increased recurrence among young drug offenders was identified. In the criminal analysis, it was identified that exposure to young repeat offenders intensified recurrence in drug-related crimes and threats. For vandalism and a criminal fire, repeating pairs of all ages also significantly increased recurrence rates.

Regarding the analysis considering a period of 24 months for recurrence, the results corroborated the effects of previously identified pairs. Drug -related crimes, threats, vandalism and fire were reinforced, while theft crimes were reduced. In addition, for violent crimes, there was a significant reduction associated with exposure to experienced repeat offenders, which had not been detected in the shorter window. On the other hand, crimes such as theft and possession of weapons continued without evidence of reinforcing effects, except theft, which had significant effects on recurrence due to exposure to young repeat offenders.

6. Public Policy Lessons

In this article, the authors verified the existence of pairs effects on the criminal capital of prisoners based on the Denmark prison system, analyzing how exposure to different pairs groups impacts specific recidivism by type of crime. The results indicated that pairs with similar characteristics, such as ethnic origin or criminal history related to the same type of crime, reinforced recurrence for crimes such as drugs, threats, vandalism and criminal fire. Dissuarity effects were also identified for violent crimes such as theft and sexual crimes. Introductory effects, on the other hand, were not significant. The analyzes also demonstrated that the experience and age of the pairs intensified the effects, especially in crimes that require greater specialization.

The results presented in the article contribute to the understanding of the factors associated with criminal recurrence. This evidence provides relevant information for strategies that seek to reduce the negative effects of conviviality between prisoners, indicating that public policies focused on segregation of prisoners based on criminal experience or specific recurrence standards are able to reduce recurrence rates.

References

DAMM, AP; GORINAS, C. Prison as A Criminal School: Peer Effects and Criminal Learning Behind Bars. The Journal of Law and Economics , v. 63, n. 1, p. 149–180, Feb. 2020.