Classroom Heterogeneity, Immigration Background, and Juvenile Delinquency in Switzerland: An Exploratory Study

• Author: Anastasiia Lukash,Olga Siegmunt
• Published date: 01 November 2019
• Date: 01 November 2019
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1177/1043986219883447
• Subject Matter: Article

https://doi.org/10.1177/1043986219883447

Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice

2019, Vol. 35(4) 484 –505

© The Author(s) 2019

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DOI: 10.1177/1043986219883447

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Article

Classroom Heterogeneity,

Immigration Background,

and Juvenile Delinquency

in Switzerland: An

Exploratory Study

Olga Siegmunt1,2 and Anastasiia Lukash3

Abstract

In this article, we explore the relationship between the heterogeneity of secondary

school classes and juvenile delinquency. The heterogeneity of school classes was

measured by calculating the Herfindahl index of variety in students’ immigration

background. The index was composed of three groups: natives, first-generation

immigrants, and second-generation immigrants. Involvement in 13 forms of

juvenile delinquency, committed during the last 12 months, was our independent

variable. The offenses were grouped into minor, violent, and property offenses.

The data analyzed the national class-based sample of seventh-, eighth-, and ninth-

grade students in Switzerland (n = 4,158) and were collected in 2013 within the

framework of the Third International Self-Report Delinquency Study (ISRD3). In

general, it was found that juveniles are more likely to commit offenses when they

attend school classes with higher heterogeneity, regardless of the nature of the

heterogeneity (i.e., mixture of natives, first-generation immigrants, or second-

generation immigrants). Within the bivariate analysis, the heterogeneity of school

classes relates significantly to involvement in graffiti, vandalism, shoplifting, group

fight, robbery, burglary, bicycle theft, vehicle theft, and personal theft. After

statistically controlling for gender and school grade, effects of class heterogeneity

persist for selected offenses.

1Siberian Federal University, Krasnoyarsk, Russia

2University of Vechta, Germany

3University of St. Gallen, Switzerland

Corresponding Author:

Olga Siegmunt, Department of Deviantology and Criminology, Law Institute, Siberian Federal University,

Maerzaka 6, Krasnoyarsk 660075, Russia.

Email: olga.siegmunt@uni-hamburg.de

883447CCJXXX10.1177/1043986219883447Journal of Contemporary Criminal JusticeSiegmunt and Lukash

research-article2019

Siegmunt and Lukash 485

Keywords

delinquency, classroom heterogeneity, immigration background, Herfindahl index,

Switzerland, ISRD3

Growing immigration and ethnic diversity is a worldwide phenomenon (Demanet,

2012). Among juveniles attending school in Switzerland, the proportion of students

whose parents were both Swiss-born is, depending on the area where the school is

located, no more than 50% to 60% on average but often below 10% (Killias, 2009).

Ethnic diversity of the school population is associated with different issues, such as

fewer friendships between the students, lower attachments to friends (Demanet, 2012),

and higher prevalence of bullying (Tolsma, van Deurzen, Stark, & Veenstra, 2013). As

stated by Montgomery, Vaughn, Thompson, and Howard (2013, p. 1327), in the mod-

ern diverse world, not taking into account the apparent heterogeneity among juvenile

offenders may be a limiting factor in research. Heterogeneity of ethnic groups can be

measured in different ways. One of the most elementary methods is using the propor-

tion of natives or migrants. Some studies show the importance of considering differ-

ences between migrants of the first and second generation (Agnew, 2006; Bersani,

2014; Bersani, Loughran, & Piquero, 2014). In the current study, these differences will

be considered by using the Herfindahl index to measure the diversity in migration

background within school classes. The Herfindahl index can be used with a small

number of subgroups which have cultural or behavioral differences. In this article, we

provide an analysis of immigration heterogeneity (or heterogeneity in immigration

background with subgroups of native born, first generation, or second generation) in

school classes using the results of the Third International Self-Report Delinquency

Study (ISRD3) in Switzerland.

State of Research

Immigrants in Switzerland

Switzerland is one of the main destinations of immigrants in Europe. In accordance

with data of the Swiss Federal Office of statistics, the number of the permanent resi-

dent population over all age groups was 8,139,631 in 2013 (time of our fieldwork),

where 1,937,447 (23.8%) of people are foreigners (Bundesamt für Statistik [BFS],

2014). The prevalence of foreign population was 24.6% in 2015 (BFS, 2016).

Almost one-third of the children born in Switzerland had foreign citizenship (28%,

in 2013). In 2014, the number of immigrants increased by 10.8% compared with the

previous year (Federal Statistical Office, 2015, p. 7). Due to increasing foreign popu-

lation in Switzerland, this process led to considerable social tensions, and immigra-

tion became one of the most controversial political issues (Linder, 2011). National

crime statistics show that each second perpetrator of violent offenses has no Swiss

citizenship (Polizeiliche Kriminalstatistik, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015). Of course,

it is important to keep in mind that such overrepresentation of non-citizens in the