Further Illuminating the Genetic Scaffolding of Victimization and Offending

• In Event: Biosocial and Evolutionary Research on Violence and Victimization

Abstract

A consistent finding which has emerged from criminological research over recent decades has been that victimization experiences do not appear to be randomly distributed in the population. Indeed, there appears to be certain factors which correspond to an increased likelihood of being victimized for some individuals. Interestingly, it also seems as if similar factors predict both the likelihood of being victimized, as well as the likelihood of committing a criminal offense. At the same time, an explosively expanding body of biosocial research has revealed that every trait currently studied by criminologists—including victimization, criminal offending, and criminal justice processing, to mention only a few examples—is under the influence of genetic factors. Recent research, moreover, is suggesting that the same genes which account for variation in offending also account for variation in victimization experiences. The current study expands on this possibility further by utilizing a latent measure of genetic risk and examining the overlap between victimization experiences and criminal justice processing measures.

Authors

• Richard H. Lewis, Sam Houston State University

• Brian B. Boutwell, Saint Louis University

• J.C. Barnes, University of Cincinnati

• Kevin M. Beaver, Florida State University