This study aims to examine the impact of criminal offending on marriage formation and partner selection. Although it is well established that marriage has the potential to foster desistance from crime, far less attention has been paid to offenders' marital chances. The few studies that did investigate the effects of crime on marriage formation have not taken into account spouses' criminal behavior. However, desistance from crime may strongly depend on the criminal history of the spouse.
Method.
We employ data from a unique longitudinal study: The Criminal Career and Life-course Study (CCLS). The CCLS contains data on the officially registered criminal careers of 4,615 Dutch offenders and their spouses. To analyze the relationship between criminal offending and outcomes in the marriage market, we use event history models.
Results.
The results show that not only the seriousness of a criminal history but also the timing of criminal convictions affects offenders' outcomes in the marriage market. The more criminal offenses individuals have committed, the lower the chances of marrying and, given marriage, the higher the chances of marrying a criminal partner. The impact of a criminal record on marriage likelihood becomes weaker when offenders have been convicted a longer time ago.
Conclusions.
On the basis of our findings, we have to nuance the prominent idea that marriage reduces criminal behavior. Because of their lower marital chances and their tendency to marry criminal partners, offenders are less likely to experience protective effects of marriage.
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