Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine changes in disorder and fear of crime in a disadvantaged neighbourhood following the implementation of a Business Improvement District (BID) organisation, a collaborative initiative designated to improve a defined geographical area.

Design/methodology/approach: A mixed-method design was used. The quantitative data was collected through an annual community survey with four pre-implementation and five post-implementation waves. Also a comparison area was included. The qualitative data was comprised of interviews with key informants in the community, which were completed before the organisation commenced its work and then again six years later.

Findings: Survey results revealed a reduction in disorder and fear of crime. This trend, albeit smaller, could be seen in the comparison area as well. Key informants further corroborated the reduction in disorder and fear of crime, attributing many of the neighbourhood changes to the organisation’s work.

Originality/value: This study is the first to evaluate whether BIDs can affect perceived disorder and fear of crime, relevant factors affecting crime levels and community well-being. Furthermore, it illustrates the benefits of using a comprehensive study design suitable for accounting for changes in a setting where it is difficult to isolate effects.

The study examines whether school-level immigrant concentration is related to students' involvement in violence, and whether students' moral values moderate the relationship between immigrant concentration and violence. The study is based on six nationally representative school surveys conducted by the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention between 1999 and 2011, with a combined sample of 38,711 adolescents. We have combined different surveys to create one large pooled data set to evaluate segregation effects at the school level. Multilevel linear probability models are used to examine cross-level interaction effects. This study shows that contextual effects impact students differently, and that the relationship between immigrant concentration and violence is considerably stronger for adolescents with weak personal moral values. The paper provides empirical support for the differential vulnerability hypothesis. Policy and practice would benefit from a focus on the further development of programs and interventions that target personal moral values, not least in schools.

This study examines the association between number of siblings and delinquency, adjusting for family relations and demographic variables. Data is based on a nationally representative school survey in Sweden consisting of approximately 25,000 youths. The results show a positive association for those having five or more siblings (IRR = 1.533, p = < .001), whereas one or two siblings is negatively associated with delinquency compared to those having no siblings. These results remain stable after adjusting for family relations. This study underscores the importance of further exploring the variation and direction of the association between the number of siblings and delinquency, as well as deepening our understanding of the various theoretical mechanisms through which the number of siblings is associated with delinquent behaviour.

The current study explores how neighborhood fear of crime ("worry about specific crimes") changes over time in neighborhoods with different levels of disadvantage. With a comparative design, 81 and 123- neighborhoods in two cities in Sweden are followed over a six-year period. Fear of crime trajectories are assessed through growth curve modeling. We consider how differences in neighborhood processes, such as social and physical disorder, might influence fear of crime levels. The results show that fear of crime increased over time in both cities and the increase was related to higher levels of physical disorder in several areas. Furthermore, the change differed depending on the neighborhood type - in highly disadvantaged neighborhoods, the fear was stable at a high level. In contrast, the largest increases in fear could be seen in the areas with the lowest disadvantage in both cities. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

BACKGROUND: Developing a better understanding of drinking patterns across immigrant generations and how these change over time is important for the development of effective alcohol polices. This study investigates the direction and rate of change in youth alcohol intoxication over time, based on immigrant status, and by family structure and parental employment status.

METHOD: The study is based on eight nationally representative school surveys conducted by the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention between 1999 and 2017, with a combined sample of 50,657 adolescents. Group by time interactions were examined to compare rates of change of alcohol intoxication over time across immigrant generations.

RESULTS: The results show a decreasing trend in alcohol intoxication among both first and second generation immigrant youth, and also among immigrant youth across different family structures and parental employment statuses. The results also show that the decrease in alcohol intoxication over time is greater for youths born abroad and for youths with two immigrant parents than for native Swedes, and that the decrease over time is greater for youths from intact families than for native Swedish youths from non-intact families and youths with one immigrant parent.

CONCLUSION: Native and first- and second-generation immigrant youth may differ substantially from one another in many ways, and may therefore manifest different patterns of drinking behaviours. From a policy and prevention perspective, the data in this study imply that native youths and youths with one immigrant parent should be a central target group for alcohol prevention policy in Sweden.

This randomized trial evaluates whether automated telephony could be used to perform daily assessments in paroled offenders (N = 108) during their first 30 days after leaving prison. All subjects were called daily and answered assessment questions. Based on the content of their daily assessments, subjects in the intervention group received immediate feedback and a recommendation by automated telephony, and their probation officers also received a daily report by email. The outcome variables were analyzed using linear mixed models. The intervention group showed greater improvement than the control group in the summary scores (M = 9.6, 95% confidence interval [CI] = [0.5, 18.7], p = .038), in mental symptoms (M = 4.6, CI = [0.2, 9.0], p = .042), in alcohol drinking (M = 0.8, CI = [0.1, 1.4], p = .031), in drug use (M = 1.0, CI = [0.5, 1.6], p = .000), and in most stressful daily event (M = 1.9, CI = [1.1, 2.7], p = .000). In conclusion, automated telephony may be used to follow up and to give interventions, resulting in reduced stress and drug use, in paroled offenders.

This study investigates the direction and rate of change in self-reported crime over time, based on immigrant status and region of origin. The study is based on eight nationally representive school surveys conducted by the National Council for Crime Prevention between 1999 and 2017, with a sample of 50,657 adolescents. Results in this study showed a decreasing trend in self-reported offending among both first and second generation immigrant youth, and also among immigrant youths from different regions of origin. The results also show that offending has declined at a faster rate among first generation immigrants by comparison with native Swedes.

This study investigates the incremental validity of changes in ten stress-related acute dynamic risk factors, collected through automated telephony over 30 consecutive days following parole, for predicting time to recidivism during the following year. Before release, the participants completed self-report assessment of some stable risk factors - impulsiveness and history of problematic substance use - as well as an assessment of symptoms of anxiety experienced during the weeks prior to release. Analysis of the baseline assessments showed that impulsiveness and a history of problematic substance use, but not pre-release symptoms of anxiety, were associated with recidivism during the parole year. Growth modelling using a linear mixed model was used to assess whether inmates on parole showed changes in acute dynamic risk factors during the first month following release. Individual growth model slopes and intercept were then extracted and used as covariates in a series of Cox regression analyses to test whether changes in acute dynamic risk factors could provide incremental predictive validity beyond baseline stable risk factors. Changes in five dynamic risk factors were associated with an increased risk of recidivism, of which daily drug use and daily summary score showed incremental predictive improvement beyond impulsiveness and history of problematic drug use.

Projektets syfte var att etablera en funktion och att införa ett arbetssätt kring tillgängliggörande av forskningsdata, samt att förankra tillgängliggörandet av forskningsdata i ledning och forskning. Det betyder även att projektet syftade till att upprätta en lokal DAU senast 2020 som en del av den nationella infrastrukturen som erbjuds genom SND. Projektet var en fortsättning på Malmö högskolas deltagande i SND:s pilotprojekt.

The transition from prison to society is a challenging period for offenders released from prison. Recidivism rates are high, and the offender’s situation can change rapidly. Advances in technology in recent decades have provided new ways for correctional agencies to provide the level of supervision and immediacy needed to help prisoners to successfully re-enter society. One such area of advance is the widespread use of mobile phones and related developments in communication technologies, such as Interactive Voice Response (IVR), an automated telephony system. The overall aim of this thesis is to investigate the feasibility of using IVR to assess and intervene on everyday stress-related acute risk factors for crime among prisoners on parole. Paroled offenders (N=108) performed daily assessment during their first 30 days after leaving prison. Before release, they also completed a baseline assessment of stable risk factors, including personality, substance use problems, and mental health problems. Data on criminal recidivism one year following parole was collected from the Swedish Prison and Parole Service. After release, all subjects were called daily and answered assessment questions. Based on the content of their daily assessments, subjects in the intervention group received immediate feedback and a recommendation by automated telephony, and their probation officers also received a daily report by email. Although the intervention had no effect on criminal recidivism, the intervention group showed greater improvement than the control group on several of the acute dynamic risk factors studied. Several of these factors could predict criminal recidivism with marginal accuracy, and could provide incremental predictive validity beyond the baseline risk level of stable risk factors, i.e. problematic drug use and impulsiveness trait. In conclusion, IVR may be a feasible way to assess and intervene on daily stress-related acute dynamic risk factors among prisoners on parole.