In Sweden and around the world, studies have consistently shown that immigrants commit more crimes than nonimmigrants. Findings of immigrant overrepresentation in crime have led to beliefs that growth in the immigrant population will beget more crime. However, research from around the world has generally indicated that immigration has little to no effect on aggregate rates of crime. In Sweden, crime rates have remained relatively stable over the past 40 years despite a rapidly growing immigrant population. It is unclear why crime rates have not concomitantly increased with the growth in the immigrant population. In this study, we aim to understand how immigration is associated with crime. In the WHiS-Project. We ask seven specific research questions in six sub-studies:

1. How has crime and immigration developed in Sweden and comparable countries between 1975-2019? 2. How has crime and immigration developed in different municipalities? 3. How has the composition of the crime suspects and those prosecuted for different types of crime changed with respect to ethnicity, social class, gender, health, and childhood conditions? 4. What do criminal and social careers look like across generations among individuals? 5. How do individuals interpret their development with regard to crime and other life events? 6. What do "co-offending" networks look like in terms of ethnicity and other social factors for different types of crime? 7. How have the characteristics of persons suspected for or prosecuted for certain types of crime changed?

In the following presentations, we will present preliminary findings from four of our six sub-studies.