U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

NCJRS Virtual Library

The Virtual Library houses over 235,000 criminal justice resources, including all known OJP works.
Click here to search the NCJRS Virtual Library

Importance of Co-Convictions in the Prediction of Dangerous Recidivism: Blackmail and Kidnapping as a Demonstration Study

NCJ Number
230023
Journal
Criminology & Criminal Justice Volume: 10 Issue: 1 Dated: February 2010 Pages: 23-36
Author(s)
Keith Soothill; Brian Francis; Jiayi Liu
Date Published
February 2010
Length
14 pages
Annotation
This study examined co-convictions in regards to predicting serious recidivism.
Abstract
Co-convictions are court convictions made at the same time as a more serious conviction. Their importance has been little recognized. This study investigates their value using data on two separate serious crimes. Taking official conviction careers in England and Wales (1979-2001) for blackmail (n = 5774) and kidnapping offenders (n = 7291), the study considered how much information on co-convictions is normally overlooked, and how knowledge of co-convictions contributes to predicting serious recidivism. The study identified that co-convictions were pervasive, with 54 percent of convictions for blackmail and 77 percent for kidnapping having co-convictions. Co-convictions provided extra explanatory power in predicting the risk of a subsequent sexual or violent offence for both blackmail and kidnapping. For blackmail, most types of co-conviction were associated with a significantly raised relative risk, whereas for kidnapping, only co-convictions which were not acquisitive, sexual or violent had a significantly raised relative risk. The authors concluded that co-convictions are a useful measure of short-term specialization and are important when predicting serious recidivism. 1 figure, 4 tables, 5 notes, and 22 references (Published Abstract)