Previous Swedish studies have found that second-generation immigrants participate in offending less than first-generation immigrants, which is a striking finding from an international perspective. The aim of this study is to critically investigate the idea that second-generation immigrants have lower rates of registered offending than first-generation immigrants. The population of the present study consists of all 4.4 million persons who were registered as living in Sweden at the end of 1996. These people were followed for 5 years. During this time, 280,000 persons were registered for 1.5 million offenses. As far as the participation in overall offending is concerned the previous results were reproduced. However, when focusing on the offending rates in different offense types, the first-generation immigrants have the highest risks of being registered for violent crimes and second-generation immigrants with no Swedish-born parents have the highest risks for property crimes. The pattern found is further discussed in relation to the risk of second-generation immigrants with no Swedish-born parent to develop a criminal career and thereby frames the problem of criminality in culture differences, immigration policy, and so on.
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