The main focuses of this analysis are the significance of conditions of life for the tendency of individuals towards criminality, and the consequences of the punishment that society imposes on criminals. Society punishes criminals in two ways: directly through the sanctions imposed for specific breaches of the law, and indirectly through the restrictions imposed on the opportunities open to criminals after their punishment, both in the labour market and in their private lives. In this publication, Michael Svarer analyses the indirect punishment that arises from the effects of criminal conviction on the private lives of individuals. To be more precise, he analyses the effects of a criminal conviction on an individual's future chances of finding and remaining with a spouse or partner.