NCJ Number
174469
Journal
Deviant Behavior Volume: 16 Issue: 3 Dated: July-September 1995 Pages: 269-290
Date Published
1995
Length
22 pages
Annotation
Self-report data from male and female inmates were used to compare the domestic assault and criminal victimization experiences of these prisoners.
Abstract
The study was prompted by theoretical analyses suggesting that victimization for both genders may both motivate crime and result from criminal involvement. Data came from 122 men incarcerated at a medium-security prison with an inmate population of about 850 and from 83 women housed at a facility that provided minimum through maximum security levels for 220 inmates. Results revealed that male and female inmates had similar histories of physical child abuse. The greatest divergence was in women's high rates of assaults by inmates and men's high rates of assaults by strangers; however, these experiences were common for both sexes. Inmates abused as children were younger at first arrest and had greater participation in crime than did others. Greater criminal involvement was also associated with more criminal victimization by strangers. Findings suggested that criminologists should address how victimization histories are intertwined with criminal behavior for both males and females. Tables, footnotes, and 31 references (Author abstract modified)