NCJ Number
160570
Journal
Journal of Crime and Justice Volume: 18 Issue: 2 Dated: (1995) Pages: 47-62
Date Published
1995
Length
16 pages
Annotation
This study examined whether the violent offender's perception of victim contribution to the offenses was related to the victim-offender relationship.
Abstract
Subjects were 273 male prison inmates serving sentences in the Arizona State Prison system for violent crimes. The study relied on personal, confidential interviews instead of the self- administered questionnaires used in other inmate surveys. A structured interview was developed for the study that incorporated portions of the National Crime Survey. Inmate self- report was used because it was possible to obtain detailed information about the crime not included in other surveys. Among the questions asked were queries about the offense, the offender's relationship to the victim, antecedents and details of the crime, whether the victim provoked or contributed to the crime, whether either the victim or offender were under the influence of substances at the time of the crime, and the extent of the offender's violent offenses during the 3 years prior to the crime. Twenty-seven percent of offenders perceive that the victims initiated the violence. Results show that offenders who victimize strangers are less likely to perceive victim contribution than offenders who victimize acquaintances. Study findings suggest that offender perception of victim blame is a complicated process worthy of further research. Future research on victim contribution and precipitation might also examine the degree of a victim's involvement in a criminal episode in more specific types of acquaintance relationships. In addition, research might examine the victim-offender relationship in the context of both the victim and the offender's history of past offending and victimization experiences. 5 tables and 48 references