The effect of childhood abuse and household substance abuse on future offending

• In Event: Juvenile Delinquency: Current Assessments of the Causes and Correlates of Delinquency

Abstract

The victim-offender overlap has been well established in criminological research. Despite the breadth of research on this topic, there has not been much attention paid to whether different types of abuse predict specific offenses among adolescents. This study aims to address this gap by examining whether physical abuse, sexual abuse, and witnessing household drug use are predictive of violent offenses, sexual offenses, and drug use. To do so, this paper uses data from the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice to analyze specific relationships between these types of abuse and offenses. Findings are indicative of a specified victim-offender overlap. Conclusions and implications will be discussed.

Authors

• Caitlyn Muniz, University of South Florida

• Lauren Nicole Miley, University of South Florida

• Bryanna Hahn Fox, University of South Florida