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The relation between mild to borderline intellectual disability (MBID) and violent offense behavior was studied among a group of former juvenile delinquents currently in a diversion program for persistent young adult violent offenders from Amsterdam ( N = 146). Offenders were considered MBID if they had received juvenile probation from the local youth care agency specialized in intellectual disability (21%). A file study was used to estimate prevalence rates of criminogenic risk factors. Police data were used to depict recent criminal behavior. Nearly all offenders grew up in large and unstable multi-problem households and had psychosocial problems. More MBID offenders displayed externalizing behavior before the age of 12, were susceptible to peer pressure, and had low social-relational skills. MBID offenders committed more violent property crimes than offenders without MBID. Youth care interventions for MBID offenders should focus on the acquisition of social-relational skills and on the pedagogical skills of parents.

This study identified constellations of childhood risk factors associated with violent criminal behavior in early adulthood. Police data were used to sample violent and nonviolent offenders from a population of young adult males with a history of juvenile probation. Risk factors were retrieved from their juvenile probation files. A single classification tree analysis organized these into a decision tree for violent criminal behavior with good predictive accuracy. Two constellations of risk factors were associated with a high risk of violent criminal behavior. The first consisted of juvenile delinquents who had been moderately involved with criminal peers, who had committed offenses under the influence of drugs, and who came from a dysfunctional family. The second was characterized by having been severely involved with criminal peers and having had criminal family members. Presenting with depressive symptoms in childhood was associated with a low risk of violent criminal behavior. These constellations bear clinical importance as they provide targets for personalized interventions.

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