Assessing the Victim-Offender Overlap with Jail Populations

• In Event: Victimization Behind Bars: Exploring the Victim-Offender Overlap and Mental Illness in Incarcerated Populations

Abstract

Research has consistently shown that victimization and offending are strongly correlated, yet these aspects of crime are often studied in isolation from one another. Household-based studies often exclude incarcerated populations, which represents a potential gap in survey coverage and our understanding of the correlates of victimization and offending, and many studies of incarcerated populations do not capture information about their victimization experiences. In turn, little is known about reporting and formal assistance-seeking among justice system involved populations. This presentation will describe current efforts to explore the relationship between victimization and offending among jail inmates. First, descriptive findings from a longitudinal, multi-site reentry study on the violent victimization and perpetration experiences (and extent of overlap) among male and female jail inmates prior to incarceration and after release will be presented. Next, strategies for measuring constructs related to the victim-offender overlap in the Bureau of Justice Statistics-sponsored Victim-Offender Overlap Study will be shared. The assessment of victimization, use of formal and informal supports following victimization, and propensity to retaliate during victimization among men and women with histories of justice system involvement will be discussed, with recommendations based on in-depth cognitive interviews conducted with jail inmates as part of this study.

Authors

• Christine Lindquist, RTI International

• Christopher Krebs, RTI International

• Janet Lauritsen, University of Missouri-St. Louis

• Lynn Langton, Bureau of Justice Statistics

• Shannan Catalano, Bureau of Justice Statistics