How does society respond to crime?

After a crime has been committed, a variety of things may happen: the victim may report the crime to the police (or not), the crime may be linked to a suspect (or not), a suspect may be found guilty (or not), and convicted offenders may end up being incarcerated (or not). NSCR studies all these aspects of the aftermath of crime and our societal response to crime and punishment.

We investigate the impact of sanctions on the lives of perpetrators and the risk of recidivism. To study sanctions we use a variety of methods and datasets. We investigate police practice through interviews and observations, and we follow convicted persons through the legal system. In addition, we conduct research in correctional institutions for juvenile offenders.

Program leaders: Barbora Holá and Anja Dirkzwager

Victim rediscovers identity and sense of meaning through contact with fellow victims

11 September 2020

Victims and survivors of a traumatic event often experience a loss of identity as a result of this. Part of their identity is rediscovered through interaction with fellow sufferers, state participants in peer groups. A weight also falls off their shoulders when they share experiences with others. They notice that somebody who has not experienced […]

Scientifically strengthen police research and practice

24 August 2020

The research program is in line with the Strategic Research Agenda for the Police, and examines how police action works, in what circumstances those action work, for whom, and by whom it works. NSCR uses advanced scientific methods and the latest, current insights and theories, applied to the Dutch context. The program takes research into […]

Suspect with mild learning disability has difficulty obtaining the right care and reoffends

7 July 2020

Lifelong Obstacles is the first life course study in the Netherlands into young people with an MLD who have bene in trouble with the law in their youth. How do they get on in life ten years after completing a youth rehabilitation order? Legal documentation reveals that two-thirds of the study population (N=120) reoffends. The […]

New NSCR pillar: research into victims and victimization

27 June 2020

What exactly is victimology? ‘Victimology is the research into victims and victimization. For example, with victims of a crime we investigate: what did you experience? What feelings do you have? What should be done for you? How do police and criminal law treat you? What do you expect from a criminal trial? How does the […]

Real-life observations of social distance in public: do people actually do it?

6 April 2020

Rosenkrantz Lindegaard and Snoek draw on full time recordings of 55 surveillance cameras in Amsterdam to identify hotspots for rule-breaking of the social distancing measures. For their analysis, they apply video artificial intelligence and systematic behavioral coding, in order to establish where in the city people tend to break the rules, e.g. gather in groups […]

The Human Factor of Cybercrime

5 December 2019

As a result, human decision-making plays a substantial role in the course of an offence, the justice response, and policymakers’ attempts to legislate against these crimes. This book focuses on the human factor in cybercrime: its offenders, victims, and parties involved in tackling cybercrime. Traditional criminal or new offender types? The distinct nature of cybercrime […]

How to recognize a mild intellectual disability earlier in the criminal justice system?

30 November 2019

A mild intellectual disability (LVB) is often not recognized in the criminal justice system in time or even not at all. However, research shows that the percentage of clients with a LVB in forensic care is high. Characteristics of a LVB are limitations in intellectual functioning (IQ <85) and social functioning. Existing information is not […]

Deterrence versus procedural justice. Successfully reducing reoffending

10 October 2019

An important aim of imposing sanctions is preventing people who have already committed crimes from breaking the law again. However, worldwide, the figures for reoffending are high. Usually, the criminal law system assumes that criminals will reoffend less if they perceive sanctions as (more) severe and if they feel they have been treated (more) fairly […]

Peter van der Laan appointed as interim director NSCR

10 October 2019

Peter van der Laan studied special education at Leiden University. In 1991, he gained his doctorate for a thesis entitled Experimenteren met alternatieve sancties voor jeugdigen (Experimenting with alternative sanctions for juveniles). For many years, he has carried out research in the area of child protection, juvenile deliquency and (youth) criminal law. From 1981 to […]

How does society respond to crime?

Program leaders: Barbora Holá and Anja Dirkzwager

Victim rediscovers identity and sense of meaning through contact with fellow victims

Scientifically strengthen police research and practice

Suspect with mild learning disability has difficulty obtaining the right care and reoffends

New NSCR pillar: research into victims and victimization

Real-life observations of social distance in public: do people actually do it?

The Human Factor of Cybercrime

How to recognize a mild intellectual disability earlier in the criminal justice system?

Deterrence versus procedural justice. Successfully reducing reoffending

Peter van der Laan appointed as interim director NSCR

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