NCJ Number
215823
Date Published
April 2006
Length
64 pages
Annotation
Utilizing data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health), this paper examines the effects of child maltreatment on crime.
Abstract
Study results found evidence that the apparent negative effects of maltreatment on children’s tendency to engage in crime were real. Being maltreated was found to almost double the probability of engaging in many types of crime and the effects were worst for children from low socio-economic status (SES) backgrounds. Sexual abuse appeared to have the largest effects on crime. Boys were at greater risk for increases in criminal tendencies than girls. Lastly, the probability of engaging in crime increased with the experiences of multiple forms of maltreatment, as well as experiences of Child Protective Services (CPS). The findings suggest that criminal behavior increases not only with the incidence of maltreatment but also with the severity of maltreatment. A major social problem in today’s society is child maltreatment which includes both child abuse and child neglect. In addition, crime is one of the most socially, costly outcomes of maltreatment. This paper focuses on the effect of child maltreatment on crime using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health). The study examined the effects of different types of abuse and the effect of child abuse on future criminality. References, appendix and tables