NCJ Number
145798
Journal
Violence and Victims Volume: 8 Issue: 1 Dated: (Spring 1993) Pages: 41-52
Date Published
1993
Length
12 pages
Annotation
Using data from 83 female inmates, this study examined violent childhood and adult experiences and explored possible links between victimization and offending.
Abstract
Although the study instrument was designed primarily to assess criminal behavior, it also included questions on victimization experiences. Six kinds of victimization were measured: physical abuse by parents, sexual assault by relatives, physical assault by a spouse or live-in partner, physical assault by a stranger, sexual assault by a stranger, and robbery. Of the 83 women, 28.9 percent reported having been physically abused as children. Eighteen percent experienced forced sexual contact with relatives. Only three women reported that family members had forced them to have sex as recently as the year before incarceration. The most prevalent form of abuse was violence by an intimate partner, reported by 69.9 percent of the women. Nearly half of these claimed injuries severe enough to warrant medical attention. Physical assaults by strangers were reported by 37.3 percent of the women, with about half requiring medical attention. Attacks by strangers were more often reported by women who engaged in more frequent and diverse criminal activity. The data show that to understand female crime, additional research on the complex relationships between offending and victimization is warranted. 6 tables, 6 notes, and 20 references