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Copyright of Justitiële Verkenningen is the property of Boom uitgevers Den Haag and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Tijdschrift voor Criminologie is the property of Boom uitgevers Den Haag and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The aim of this study is to examine the extent to which military service influences the development of criminal behaviour. In life course sociology and criminology different ideas exist about the possible effects of serving in the military. Some expect military service to change criminal activities, whereas others assume it has no impact at all or to have a differing impact on different groups. To test these contrary hypotheses, data of the Criminal Career and Life course Study (CCLS) are analyzed. The CCLS contains information on the criminal convictions of a 4 percent sample of all people tried for a criminal offence in 1977. When examining the effects of military service, difference in personal characteristics between those who served and those who did not are controlled for. The results show that serving in the military does not change the development of criminal behaviour, when earlier differences are taken into account. The implications of these findings for life course theories and policy are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]