Juvenile Delinquency and Serious Injury Victimization

• NCJ Number: 188676
• Author(s): Rolf Loeber; Larry Kalb; David Huizinga
• Date Published: August 2001
• Length: 8 pages
• Agencies: OJJDP
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)

Annotation

To enhance the understanding of the interrelationship between delinquency and victimization, this bulletin presented data from two Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), U.S. Department of Justice longitudinal studies on the causes and correlates of juvenile delinquency, the Denver Youth Survey and the Pittsburgh Youth Study.

Abstract

This bulletin reported empirical findings on victimization from two sites of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention’s (OJJDP) Program of Research on the Causes and Correlates of Delinquency: Denver, Colorado and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The longitudinal, multi-site approach used by these studies made it possible to answer a number of important questions concerning victimization involving serious injury. Questions addressed were: (1) what was the prevalence of victimization involving serious injury in the general population; (2) what were the proximal and distal factors associated with becoming a victim who sustained a serious injury; and (3) which risk factors or combinations of risk factors best predicted victimization involving serious injury? The bulletin focused on victims of assaults or robberies who sustained serious injuries. Results indicated that a sizeable percentage of youth and young adult males and females reported being victims. At both sites, minorities, especially African American males, were more likely to have been victims. Risk factors found at both sites included, participation in gang or group fights, carrying weapons, committing serious assault, selling drugs, and associating with delinquent peers. It was noted that for the majority of victims, successful delinquency prevention procedures were likely to prevent victimization. Since most victims themselves were involved in assaultive behaviors, avoidance of such behaviors could result in lowering the risk of victimization. Tables, graphs, and references