An Intersectional Look at the Victim-Crime Relationship

• In Event: Understanding the victim-offender overlap

Abstract

The link between victimization and offending has long been tested in criminological scholarship. These studies have generally suggested that offending places one at greater risk of victimization, controlling for factors such as gender, delinquent peers, and offense characteristics. Victimization is also a significant strain that increases one’s likelihood of coping with criminal behavior. Few studies, however, have examined the link between victimization and offending through an intersectional lens, testing how the intersection of race, gender, and socioeconomic status affect these relationships. Using a subsample of Black, Latina, and White young women from the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods data, this project analyzes the reciprocal relationship between victimization and offending through an intersectional lens, while controlling for other relevant factors including fear of crime, gun exposure, or contact with the system.

Authors

• Kelsey Collins, University of South Carolina

• Deena A. Isom Scott, University of South Carolina