The role of repeat victimization in adolescent delinquent behaviors and recidivism

Abstract

Purpose To report prevalence of adolescent victimization and delinquency recidivism as well as to assess the association between repeat victimization and delinquency recidivism in a large, population-based sample of high school seniors. Methods A nationally representative sample of the Monitoring the Future Project (about 17,000 high school seniors from 1996 to 1999) was analyzed as a pooled sample. The analysis was based on self-reported measures of ten different types of delinquent behaviors including violent and property offenses. Other measures included in the analysis are victimization and information about sociodemographic (e.g,. geographic region, parental education, number of parents in the home) and lifestyle (e.g., grade from average, truancy, work experience, religious commitment) characteristics. Pairwise and multivariate methods were used to examine the risk association between repeat victimization and delinquency recidivism. Results From 1996 to 1999, a downward trend was observed for most types of delinquent behaviors: recidivism among seniors except for hitting instructors/supervisors, damaging school property, and car theft. For the same study period, the prevalence of victimization recidivism was also on the decline except for injury with a weapon and physical threats. Repeat victimization was found to be significantly associated with delinquency recidivism. Other risk factors more frequently associated with delinquency recidivism included gender, race, drug use, poor school performance, truancy, risk-seeking, and conflicts with parents. Conclusions The present study showed a significant association between repeat victimization and delinquent recidivism; it identified characteristics of adolescent at risk of repetitive delinquent behaviors, which could be used for planning intervention strategies.