Like mother, like child? Sex differences in the maternal transmission of offending among a Scottish cohort of pre-adolescent children

That parental offending acts as a strong risk factor for offending in children is well-established within criminology. Yet, research on maternal offending is relatively limited, even though many women take on a significantly higher share of childcare responsibilities, and as such, might reasonably be expected to exert an especially strong influence on their children. In part, this lacuna might be attributed to a male-centric lens within criminology, which has tended to overlook female offending. Aimed in part at redressing this imbalance, this article investigates the maternal transmission of offending among a cohort of 12-year-olds, using self-report data from the longitudinal Growing Up in Scotland study. The analysis shows that intragenerational maternal offending acts as a significant predictor of offending among daughters, but that intergenerational offending does not. We found no significant relationship between mothers’ offending and sons’, who appear more vulnerable to a range of wider risk factors.

518Trajectories of offending in people with psychotic illness and other mental disorders: a population study

Background Trajectory analysis has been used to study long-term patterns of offending and identify offending groups. Only few studies have explored patterns in people with psychotic illness and these were restricted to adult offenders. This study examines offending trajectories, and identifies risk factors, for people aged 10-26 with psychotic illness (PI) and other mental disorders (OMD) compared to those with no mental disorders (NMD). Methods This is a whole-population record-linkage study of 184,147 people born in Western Australia (WA) 1983-1991 using data from WA psychiatric case register, WA corrective services and other state-wide registers. Group-based trajectory modelling was used to identify offending trajectories. Results Four offender groups were identified for each mental health status (MHS) group: MHS groups had similar offending patterns, however PI had a lower proportion of individuals in the G1 group and later offending onset in the G3 group. Gender, indigenous status, substance use, childhood victimisation and parental offending were risk factors associated with group membership; for PI, childhood victimisation and parental offending were only significant in the G4 group. Conclusions Overall offending patterns and risk factors were similar for all MHS groups, however, some differences were observed for PI. Key messages To reduce offending in this population, interventions need to occur at an early age.

Parental offending and children’s emergency department presentations in New South Wales, Australia

ObjectivesChildren whose parents have a history of criminal offending may be at risk of higher rates of emergency department (ED) presentation, along with other adverse health outcomes. We used data from a large, population-based record linkage project to examine the association between maternal and paternal criminal offending and the incidence of ED presentations among child offspring.MethodsData for 72 772 children with linked parental records were drawn from the New South Wales Child Development Study. Information on parental criminal offending (spanning 1994–2016) and child ED presentations (spanning 2005–2016; approximately ages 2–12 years) was obtained from linked administrative records. Cox proportional hazards regression analyses were conducted to examine the association between parental offending and the incidence of children’s ED presentations for any reason and for physical injury, while accounting for important covariates.ResultsChild rates of ED presentation, particularly for physical injury, were higher among those with parental history of criminal offending, after adjusting for covariates. The magnitude of the association was higher for paternal criminal offending (ED presentation for any reason: HR=1.44 (95% CI 1.41 to 1.48); physical injury: HR=1.70 (95% CI 1.65 to 1.75)) than maternal criminal offending (any reason: HR=0.99 (95% CI 0.95 to 1.03); physical injury: HR=1.05 (95% CI 1.00 to 1.10)).ConclusionChildren of parents, particularly of fathers, with a history of criminal offending have an increased incidence of ED presentation, including for potentially avoidable physical injury. These findings require replication and further research to understand the mechanisms underlying these associations.

The Role of Online Knowledge Hubs in Developing Practice and Policy: Lessons from i-HOP for Professionals Working with Children and Families Affected by Parental Offending

This article reports on the role of an online knowledge hub in supporting the development of policy and practice relevant to children and families affected by parental offending. The authors use a case study of the i-HOP service, a national web-based collection of resources that supports professionals to work with children and families affected by parental offending. Delivered by the national children’s charity Barnardo’s, the knowledge hub provides a comprehensive collection of research and evidence, policy frameworks, practice examples, funding opportunities and training resources ( https://www.i-hop.org.uk ). The article begins by considering the rationale behind the development hub, including an increase in the number of children and families affected by parental offending, unsystematic policy response and limited resources for practitioners working with children and families. Next, the article discusses the development of the hub, including the challenges encountered and practical solutions employed. The implementation of a quality assessment system to support policy-makers and practitioners to make informed judgements about the suitability and quality of research and evidence deposited on the hub is also considered. The article concludes with practical suggestions for organisations that are contemplating the development of a knowledge hub to bridge the gap between research and evidence and practice and policy.

Intergenerational offending

Intergenerational offending refers to the observed phenomenon that offending tends to run in families. As small groups of families have been shown to be responsible for a considerable proportion of crime, there has been a substantial amount of effort expended in researching both the prevalence and patterns of such crime. The mechanisms by which intergenerational continuity of offending is generated, however, are not well understood. Perhaps more importantly, there is even less understanding about those factors that may prevent intergenerational offending. Given the strong focus on examining risk factors for offending, the observation that the majority of children in families where there is parental offending do not go on to become offenders themselves seems to have become lost in the discussion. This article presents a brief overview of research that aims to understand the intergenerational transmission of offending, but then goes on to argue that we need to develop our understanding of protective factors and resistance as well if we are to improve our efforts at prevention. An understanding of the internal and external resources and strategies utilized by those who resist criminal behaviour will enable researchers and policy-makers to rigorously examine and verify these, and implement relevant supportive strategies.