NCJ Number
217982
Journal
Justice Quarterly Volume: 24 Issue: 1 Dated: March 2007 Pages: 80-105
Date Published
March 2007
Length
26 pages
Annotation
This study examined the effect of monthly changes in lifestyle on victimization for a sample of women involved in drug abuse and related criminal behavior.
Abstract
The study found that the women were more likely to be victimized during those months in which they were involved in an intimate relationship, were living with a partner, or were living with their children. "Victimization" was defined as physical, mental, or sexual abuse by a stranger or intimate partner, as well as any other type of criminal victimization such as assaults, thefts, etc. In months when a woman used drugs, her chances of victimization increased 10.6 percent; and in those months when a woman engaged in criminal activity, her likelihood of victimization increased by 21 percent. In the months when a woman was neither incarcerated nor residing in another type of institutionalized setting, her risk of victimization increased by 40 percent. In months when a woman lived in an apartment or house instead of in a shelter or on the street, her risk of victimization decreased by approximately 13 percent. Contrary to expectations, conventional employment did not reduce a woman's likelihood of victimization. These findings highlight the need to examine more closely the lifestyle patterns and associations related to a woman's domestic situation within a treatment and reentry context. The study involved 198 women who were in the Maricopa County women's jail (Arizona). Researchers interviewed the women between January and August 1999. All of the women had a self-identified substance abuse problem and had volunteered to participate in a community-based drug treatment program. Interviews documented the women's behavior and life circumstances during the 36 months prior to their current arrest and detention. 3 tables, 83 references, and an appended correlation matrix for level one variables