IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/hhs/sofiwp/2013_003.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Does Placing Children in Foster Care Increase Their Adult Criminality?

Author

Listed:
  • Lindquist, Matthew J.

    (Swedish Institute for Social Research, Stockholm University)

  • Santavirta, Torsten

    (Swedish Institute for Social Research, Stockholm University)

Abstract

We evaluate the association between foster care placement during childhood and adult criminality. In contrast to previous studies, we allow associations to vary by gender and age at initial placement. We find that foster care predicts higher adult criminality for males first placed during adolescence (ages 13–18). We find no significant association for boys who were placed in foster care before age 13 and no significant association on the adult criminality of girls. These null findings stand in stark contrast to the poor outcomes reported in earlier work concerning the long-run effects of foster care.
(This abstract was borrowed from another version of this item.)

Suggested Citation

  • Lindquist, Matthew J. & Santavirta, Torsten, 2013. "Does Placing Children in Foster Care Increase Their Adult Criminality?," Working Paper Series 3/2013, Stockholm University, Swedish Institute for Social Research.
    • Handle: RePEc:hhs:sofiwp:2013_003
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://su.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:641673/FULLTEXT01.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Joseph J. Doyle Jr., 2007. "Child Protection and Child Outcomes: Measuring the Effects of Foster Care," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 97(5), pages 1583-1610, December.
    2. Joseph G. Altonji & Todd E. Elder & Christopher R. Taber, 2005. "Selection on Observed and Unobserved Variables: Assessing the Effectiveness of Catholic Schools," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 113(1), pages 151-184, February.
    3. Almond, Douglas & Currie, Janet, 2011. "Human Capital Development before Age Five," Handbook of Labor Economics, in: O. Ashenfelter & D. Card (ed.), Handbook of Labor Economics, edition 1, volume 4, chapter 15, pages 1315-1486, Elsevier.
    4. William P. Warburton & Rebecca N. Warburton & Arthur Sweetman & Clyde Hertzman, 2014. "The Impact of Placing Adolescent Males into Foster Care on Education, Income Assistance, and Convictions," Canadian Journal of Economics, Canadian Economics Association, vol. 47(1), pages 35-69, February.
    5. Janet Currie, 2009. "Healthy, Wealthy, and Wise: Socioeconomic Status, Poor Health in Childhood, and Human Capital Development," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 47(1), pages 87-122, March.
    6. Christina Paxson & Jane Waldfogel, 2002. "Work, Welfare, and Child Maltreatment," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 20(3), pages 435-474, July.
    7. Flavio Cunha & James J. Heckman & Susanne M. Schennach, 2010. "Estimating the Technology of Cognitive and Noncognitive Skill Formation," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 78(3), pages 883-931, May.
    8. Randi Hjalmarsson & Helena Holmlund & Matthew J. Lindquist, 2015. "The Effect of Education on Criminal Convictions and Incarceration: Causal Evidence from Micro‐data," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 125(587), pages 1290-1326, September.
    9. Joseph J. Doyle Jr., 2008. "Child Protection and Adult Crime: Using Investigator Assignment to Estimate Causal Effects of Foster Care," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 116(4), pages 746-770, August.
    10. Jeffrey R. Kling, 2006. "Incarceration Length, Employment, and Earnings," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 96(3), pages 863-876, June.
    11. Anne Case & Christina Paxson, 2008. "Stature and Status: Height, Ability, and Labor Market Outcomes," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 116(3), pages 499-532, June.
    12. Christina Paxson & Jane Waldfogel, 2003. "Welfare reforms, family resources, and child maltreatment," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 22(1), pages 85-113.
    13. Vinnerljung, Bo & Sundell, Knut & Lofholm, Cecilia Andree & Humlesjo, Eva, 2006. "Former Stockholm child protection cases as young adults: Do outcomes differ between those that received services and those that did not?," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 28(1), pages 59-77, January.
    14. Tarjei Havnes & Magne Mogstad, 2011. "No Child Left Behind: Subsidized Child Care and Children's Long-Run Outcomes," American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, American Economic Association, vol. 3(2), pages 97-129, May.
    15. Christopher Swann & Michelle Sylvester, 2006. "The foster care crisis: What caused caseloads to grow," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 43(2), pages 309-335, May.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Stewart, Shannon L. & Graham, Alana A. & Poss, Jeffrey W., 2023. "Examining the mental health indicators and service needs of children living with foster families," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 147(C).
    2. Anthony Bald & Eric Chyn & Justine Hastings & Margarita Machelett, 2022. "The Causal Impact of Removing Children from Abusive and Neglectful Homes," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 130(7), pages 1919-1962.
    3. Borgen, Nicolai T. & Frønes, Ivar & Raaum, Oddbjørn, 2023. "Every tenth child: Heterogeneity in characteristics and life-course patterns among children in contact with child welfare services," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 155(C).
    4. Orri, Massimiliano & Côté, Sylvana M. & Marttila, Mikko & Ristikari, Tiina, 2021. "Childhood out-of-home placement and pathways to adult socioeconomic outcomes," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 129(C).
    5. Bennett, Patrick, 2018. "The heterogeneous effects of education on crime: Evidence from Danish administrative twin data," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 160-177.
    6. Petra Gram Cavalca & Mette Ejrnæs & Mette Gørtz, 2022. "Before and after out-of-home placement: Child health, education and crime," CEBI working paper series 22-22, University of Copenhagen. Department of Economics. The Center for Economic Behavior and Inequality (CEBI).
    7. Sasaki, Yuya & Ura, Takuya, 2023. "Estimation and inference for policy relevant treatment effects," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 234(2), pages 394-450.
    8. John Gardner & Bright Osei, 2022. "Recreational marijuana legalization and admission to the foster‐care system," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 60(3), pages 1311-1334, July.
    9. Ie, Judite & Ursin, Marit & Vicente-Mariño, Miguel, 2022. "Foster children’s views of family: A systematic review and qualitative synthesis," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 132(C).
    10. Gypen, Laura & Vanderfaeillie, Johan & De Maeyer, Skrallan & Belenger, Laurence & Van Holen, Frank, 2017. "Outcomes of children who grew up in foster care: Systematic-review," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 74-83.
    11. Lovett, Nicholas & Xue, Yuhan, 2020. "Family first or the kindness of strangers? Foster care placements and adult outcomes," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).
    12. Hayduk Iryna, 2017. "The Effect of Kinship Placement Laws on Foster Children’s Well-Being," The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, De Gruyter, vol. 17(1), pages 1-23, February.
    13. Fallesen, Peter, 2016. "Downward spiral: The impact of out-of-home placement on paternal welfare dependency," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 66(C), pages 45-55.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Lindquist, Matthew J. & Santavirta, Torsten, 2012. "Does Placing Children in Out-of-Home Care Increase Their Adult Criminality?," Working Paper Series 8/2012, Stockholm University, Swedish Institute for Social Research.
    2. Anthony Bald & Eric Chyn & Justine Hastings & Margarita Machelett, 2022. "The Causal Impact of Removing Children from Abusive and Neglectful Homes," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 130(7), pages 1919-1962.
    3. Nina Santavirta & Torsten Santavirta, 2014. "Child Protection And Adult Depression: Evaluating The Long‐Term Consequences Of Evacuating Children To Foster Care During World War Ii," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 23(3), pages 253-267, March.
    4. Andersen, Signe Hald, 2019. "The effect of aftercare on human capital acquisition among foster care alumni," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 103(C), pages 28-41.
    5. Fallesen, Peter, 2016. "Downward spiral: The impact of out-of-home placement on paternal welfare dependency," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 66(C), pages 45-55.
    6. Douglas Almond & Janet Currie & Valentina Duque, 2018. "Childhood Circumstances and Adult Outcomes: Act II," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 56(4), pages 1360-1446, December.
    7. Gabriella Conti & Elena Pizzo & Stephen Morris & Mariya Melnychuk, 2021. "The economic costs of child maltreatment in UK," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 30(12), pages 3087-3105, December.
    8. Orgill-Meyer, Jennifer & Pattanayak, Subhrendu K., 2020. "Improved sanitation increases long-term cognitive test scores," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 132(C).
    9. Janet Currie, 2011. "Inequality at Birth: Some Causes and Consequences," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 101(3), pages 1-22, May.
    10. Dan Anderberg & Christina Olympiou, 2023. "Children's social care and early intervention policy: Evidence from sure start," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 90(359), pages 953-977, July.
    11. Zheng, Xiaodong & Fang, Zuyi & Wang, Yajun & Fang, Xiangming, 2022. "When left-behind children become adults and parents: The long-term human capital consequences of parental absence in China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    12. Lazuka, Volha, 2018. "The long-term health benefits of receiving treatment from qualified midwives at birth," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 133(C), pages 415-433.
    13. Doyle, Joseph J., 2013. "Causal effects of foster care: An instrumental-variables approach," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 35(7), pages 1143-1151.
    14. Sandner, Malte & Thomsen, Stephan L., 2018. "The Effects of Universal Public Childcare Provision on Cases of Child Neglect and Abuse," IZA Discussion Papers 11687, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    15. Patrick Kline & Christopher R. Walters, 2016. "Evaluating Public Programs with Close Substitutes: The Case of HeadStart," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 131(4), pages 1795-1848.
    16. Nina Thorup Dalgaard & Anja Bondebjerg & Elizabeth Bengtsen & Jens Dietrichson & Anders Bach‐Mortensen, 2024. "Protocol: Interventions aimed at preventing out‐of‐home placement of children: A systematic review," Campbell Systematic Reviews, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 20(2), June.
    17. Scott Cunningham & Keith Finlay, 2013. "Parental Substance Use And Foster Care: Evidence From Two Methamphetamine Supply Shocks," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 51(1), pages 764-782, January.
    18. Havari, Enkelejda & Peracchi, Franco, 2017. "Growing up in wartime: Evidence from the era of two world wars," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 25(C), pages 9-32.
    19. John Gardner & Bright Osei, 2022. "Recreational marijuana legalization and admission to the foster‐care system," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 60(3), pages 1311-1334, July.
    20. Dalsgaard, Søren & Nielsen, Helena Skyt & Simonsen, Marianne, 2014. "Consequences of ADHD medication use for children's outcomes," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 37(C), pages 137-151.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    -;

    JEL classification:

    • H75 - Public Economics - - State and Local Government; Intergovernmental Relations - - - State and Local Government: Health, Education, and Welfare
    • I38 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - Government Programs; Provision and Effects of Welfare Programs
    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
    • K42 - Law and Economics - - Legal Procedure, the Legal System, and Illegal Behavior - - - Illegal Behavior and the Enforcement of Law

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:hhs:sofiwp:2013_003. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Daniel Rossetti (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/sofsuse.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.