Middle-Class Offenders as Employees—Assessing the Risk: A 35-Year Follow-Up

an article by Keith Soothill, Les Humphreys and Brian Francis (Lancaster University, UK) published in Journal of Offender Rehabilitation Volume 52 Issue 6 (August-September 2013)

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 offences against an employer.

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