NCJ Number
167684
Journal
Aggression and Violent Behavior Volume: 1 Issue: 4 Dated: (Winter 1996) Pages: 389-404
Date Published
1996
Length
16 pages
Annotation
Although research has suggested that victimization during childhood may be a primary factor in the adoption of offending behavior during adolescence, the authors question why most child abuse victims do not become delinquent.
Abstract
Several attempts have been made to explain the adoption of offending behavior by abuse victims that focus on victim to offender theory, the intergenerational transmission of violence, and methodological issues in violence causes and prevention. Although empirical and theoretical evidence abounds in the victim to offender literature, pathways responsible for vulnerability toward and protection against criminal activity have not yet been identified. The significance of detecting these influencing factors is apparent, specifically in relation to termination of the violence cycle before or after it has begun. Empirical evidence on the cycle of violence, antisocial behavior, and treatment for child abuse victims is reviewed, and possible outcomes of child abuse are noted. 167 references