Middle-class offenders as employees – assessing the risk : a 35-year follow-up

Soothill, Keith and Humphreys, Leslie and Francis, Brian (2013) Middle-class offenders as employees – assessing the risk : a 35-year follow-up. Journal of Offender Rehabilitation, 52 (6). pp. 407-420. ISSN 1050-9674

Abstract

A 35-year follow-up of a series of 317 middle-class offenders in England and Wales suggests that the dangers of employing offenders may be more limited than expected. Although 40% were subsequently convicted, only 8% were subsequently convicted of offenses that directly and adversely affected an employer. This work should challenge the “exaggerated fears” of employers. Interestingly, variables which normally predict subsequent criminal activity made no impact in trying to predict offenses against an employer.