Vidi grant for research into Dutch people behind foreign bars

Van de Weijer will use his Vidi grant to conduct research into the thousands of Dutch people who have been imprisoned abroad in recent years. Scientific knowledge about this group is very limited because previous research has focused almost exclusively on prisoners in their own country. In this project, therefore, the risk factors, experiences and consequences for rehabilitation are researched for imprisonment abroad.

Improve interventions, support and assistance

Through a combination of quantitative and qualitative research methods, knowledge is developed within the research Behind Foreign Bars: Risk Factors, Experiences, and Consequences, to improve interventions, support and assistance specifically for this group of prisoners and their families. In this way, the negative consequences of imprisonment abroad can be limited as much as possible.

Influence of and on family members

Van de Weijer is a senior researcher within the research group that deals with offenders: who commits crime and why? His research includes the transmission of criminal behavior from generation to generation, and the influence of and on family members. How does family affect criminal behavior? And what are the consequences of, for example, imprisonment for family members? He also studies genetic and biosocial influences on criminal behaviour.

Innovation and curiosity

Together with the Veni and Vici grants, Vidi is part of the NWO Talent Programme which gives researchers the freedom to pursue their own research based on creativity and passion. The programme encourages innovation and curiosity. Curiosity-driven research contributes to and prepares us for tomorrow's society. That is why NWO focuses on a diversity in terms of researchers, domains, and backgrounds. NWO selects researchers based on the academic quality and the innovative character of the research proposal, the scientific and/or societal impact of the proposed project, and the quality of the researcher.

Click here for answers to frequently asked questions about the Talent Programme.