Applying a Racial Lens to the "Cycle of Violence"

• NCJ Number: 309763
• Journal: Child Maltreatment Dated: August 2024
• Author(s): Cathy Spatz Widom; Maureen Allwood; Preeti Chauhan; Xuechen Li ; Kellie Courtney; Funlola G. Are
• Date Published: August 2024
• Length: 13 pages
• Grant Number(s): 86-IJ-CX-0033; 89-IJ-CX-0007; 2011-WG-BX-0013
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)

Annotation

This paper reports on the authors’ examination of a 1989 journal article on the cycle of violence to determine whether race differences were explained by risk factors traditionally associated with violence; it describes the research methodology and findings, noting that disparities could reflect complex processes influenced by racial bias or structural racism.

Abstract

One overlooked result in a 1989 Science paper on the “cycle of violence” was a race-specific increase in risk for arrest for violence among Black maltreated children, but not White maltreated children. The authors examine whether race differences in the cycle of violence are explained by risk factors traditionally associated with violence. Using a prospective design, maltreated and non-maltreated children were matched on age, sex, race, and approximate family social class and interviewed at mean age 28.7 years (N = 1196). Arrest histories were obtained through age 50.5. Regression analyses included maltreatment, race, self-reported violent behavior, and risk factors (e.g., family, school, neighborhood variables). For arrests for violent crime, race was a significant predictor, whereas childhood maltreatment was not significant. For violent arrests, there was a significant race × maltreatment interaction when the total number of risk factors were included controlling for self-reported violent behaviors. For self-reported violent behaviors, childhood maltreatment remained significant for some risk factors. However, race did not predict self-reported violent behaviors. Offending behavior and traditional risk factors did not explain the disproportionate arrests among Black maltreated children. This disparity in the cycle of violence may reflect complex processes influenced by racial bias or structural racism. (Published Abstract Provided)