PERSONAL RESOURCES AS MODIFIERS OF THE RISK FOR FUTURE CRIMINALITY - AN ANALYSIS OF PROTECTIVE FACTORS IN RELATION TO 18-YEAR-OLD BOYS

Within the frame of a protective-factors approach, an analysis of the role played by resource factors at the age of 18 for future risk of cr iminality was performed. Both behavioural and home-background risks we re studied. The study group consisted of 7,577 Swedish conscripts foll owed in official registers from the age of 18 through to the age of 36 . The hypothesis was advanced that among subjects with few behavioural risks at the age of 18, resource factors (physical, emotional, social , and cognitive factors relating to the individual) would have relativ ely limited consequences for future delinquency. However, among subjec ts with a history of adjustment problems, having strong resources avai lable might counteract adverse behavioural factors. In line with the h ypothesis, among subjects with high behavioural risk, those with no st rong personal resources were convicted considerably more often in late r life than their counterparts with many resources. This was as true f or subjects with few home-background risks as for those with many. Few differences with regard to conviction rate were found between subject s with few and those with many documented resources among low-risk ind ividuals. Analyses of the separate resource measures revealed that, am ong subjects with high behavioural risk, those with documented high re sources with regard to intellectual capacity, emotional stability, soc ial maturity and psychic energy were convicted significantly less ofte n than high-risk subjects with no documented strong resources. It is c oncluded that greater attention should be paid in criminological resea rch to individuals' risks and resources in analysing and making progno ses of criminality.