Juvenile offender as a crime victim

Abstract

There is a stereotype of an ideal victim that deserves attention and sympathy of the public because it is helpless and has not done anything to cause harm or damage inflicted on her. In real life, a victim can often have quite the opposite attributes and identities. Recent studies deal with the phenomenon of victim-offender overlap, or the circumstance in which an individual is the victim and the offender at the same time. Numerous authors state that offenders are more likely to become crime victims than non-offenders, while on the other hand, crime victims are more likely to become offenders than non-victims. This article provides an overview of some of the characteristics of the victim-offender overlap phenomenon in the context of adolescents, aiming to point out the theoretical determinants and practical implications of the relationship between offending and victimization of juveniles. Studying this relationship is a current topic in criminology and victimology, which also has applicative importance for making various decisions in juvenile justice system.