# Presentation: 124153

## Parental imprisonment: Effects on children’s delinquency through the life-course in England and Sweden

- Dr. Joseph Murray
- Institute of Criminology
- University of Cambridge, England

**National Institute on Drug Abuse meeting November 6, 2006**

## Overview of 4 studies

| Study | Bedford Prison
Study | Cambridge Study in Delinquent Development | Cambridge Study in Delinquent Development | Project Metropolitan
 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Child
Outcome | Numbers/ living circumstances | Mental Health | Delinquency | Delinquency |
| Method | 150 male prisoners.
Survey | 411 boys.
Longitudinal
study | 411 boys.
Longitudinal
study | 15,117 children.
Longitudinal
Study |
| Paper | Murray 
(in press) Criminology and Criminal Justice | Murray & Farrington
(in press)
Development & Psychopathology | Murray & Farrington (2005)
Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry | Murray, Janson, & Farrington
(in press)
Criminal Justice & Behavior |

## Effects of parental imprisonment	

**Parental**** ****imprisonment**

**Other childhood** **stresses**

**Crime**

**Pre-existing risk factors**

## Cambridge Study (England)

**411 boys**, working-class, born 1953
- Main interview ages: 8-10, 14, 18, 32, 48
- Parents, Teachers, Boys, Official Records
**Ages 8-10**: IQ, daring, school attainment, poor parenting, mental health parents, poor marital relations, family size, family SES, family income **& **
**	****parental convictions and imprisonment**

**Notes:**
Parents imprisoned 2 mums, 1 mum and dad
Boys

## Cambridge Study

**Ten antisocial-delinquent outcomes**
- Antisocial personality (14, 18, 32)
- Self reported delinquency (18, 32)
- Convicted (10-16, 17-25, 26-40)
- Poor life success (32)
- Imprisoned (by 40)
**Aims**
- Risk compared to other forms separation
- After controlling for other risks

**Notes:**
Parents imprisoned 2 mums, 1 mum and dad
Boys

## Cambridge Study

**Method**
- 	 _23 __	__Separated parental imprisonment_
- 227  	No separation
- 77 	  	Separated hospital/ death
- 61 	  	Separated other reasons
- 17   	Parents imprisoned only before boys’ births
*Statistically control for background childhood adversities*

## Cambridge Study: Antisocial outcomes

**Number of antisocial outcomes, ages 14-40**

**Notes:**
Counted up to 12 antisocial outcomes

## Cambridge Study: Other Childhood Risks

*Parental imprisonment (0-10) still predicts even after controlling for other childhood adversities*

**Cambridge Study: ****Other Childhood Risks**

**Number of childhood risk factors, age 10**

**Notes:**
Mental Health

## 15,117 children, born 1953, Stockholm, Sweden
Official records until age 30
Criminal records of children
Criminal records of parents

- Official records until age 30
- Criminal records of children
- Criminal records of parents

**Project Metropolitan (Sweden)**

**Notes:**
Born 1953; living Stockholm 1963

## Aims
Replication
Girls
Middle-upper class
Different social context

Outcome
Criminal records of children from ages 19 to 30

- Replication
- Girls
- Middle-upper class
- Different social context
**Outcome**
- Criminal records of children from ages 19 to 30

**Project Metropolitan**

**Notes:**
Born 1953; living Stockholm 1963

## Method
283     	Children of imprisoned parents (0 to 19)
14,589 	Children of unconvicted parents
245 	Children of imprisoned parents (before child’s 	birth)

- _283     __	__Children of imprisoned parents (0 to 19)_
- 14,589 	Children of unconvicted parents
- 245 	Children of imprisoned parents (before child’s 	birth)

**Project Metropolitan**

*Statistically control for background parental criminality *

**Notes:**
Born 1953; living Stockholm 1963

## Project Metropolitan: Dose-response relationship

## Results: Delinquency in Sweden

- Parental imprisonment predicted girls’ and boys’ delinquency
- Predicts different types of crime with similar strength
- No differences by social class of child

*Controlling for parental criminality, effects of *
*parental imprisonment disappear!*

**Notes:**
If anything, slightly more predictive among girls.

## Effects of parental imprisonment	

**Parental**** ****imprisonment**

**Other childhood** **stresses**

**Crime**

**Pre-existing risk factors**

- Parental crime/ antisocial behaviour

## Close comparison of samples

| 
Children: | ENGLAND | SWEDEN |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Year of birth
Residency
Sex
Social class
Outcome | 1953
London (capital)
Male
Working-class
Crime 19-30 | 1953
Stockholm (capital)
Male
Working-class
Crime 19-30 |
| Parental imprisonment
Boy aged 0 to 19
versus before boy’s birth
Parental criminality
Parental convictions
 | 
n = 29
n = 17

up to boy 19 | 
n = 92
n = 72

up to boy 19 |

## Comparing England & Sweden: Crime

|  | ENGLAND |  | SWEDEN |  |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|  | 

Odds ratio | (controlling for 
parental criminality)

Partial 
odds ratio | 

Odds ratio | (controlling for parental criminality)

Partial 
Odds ratio
 |
| Crime
 19 to 30 | 
4.1** | 
3.2* | 
1.3 | 
1.3  |

- Odds ratio = comparing boys with imprisoned parent (0 – 19) and boys 	whose parents were imprisoned only before boy’s birth.
- Partial odds ratio = after controlling for parental criminality
- * *p* < .10, ** *p* < .05

## Slide 17

| Social context | ENGLAND | SWEDEN |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Average length of prison sentences | Longer | Shorter |
| Prison policies | Less family friendly prison policies | More open prisons, home leave, conjugal visits |
| Juvenile Justice | Similar to adult criminal courts | Child welfare committees |
| Social support systems | Developing welfare state | “Cradle to grave” social/financial support |
| Punitive attitudes | Less liberal | Liberal: “Swedish prisoner remains a citizen” |

## Main conclusions

- Parental imprisonment strongly predictive of crime in later life in England and Sweden
- In England parental imprisonment = possible cause of criminal behavior
- In Sweden parental imprisonment ≠ cause of criminal behavior

**Notes:**
Therefore, need to investigate in research designed specifically for this purpose: experiences of stigma, children’s thoughts about their parents’ crime and punishment, attachment relations

## Parental imprisonment across 3 generations

- Cambridge Study: Future research
- -  500 brothers
- -	519 sisters
- -  600 children
- Compare with similar study in the Netherlands
- Replicate among siblings in 1950s
- Replicate among children in contemporary England
- Compare between England and the Netherlands