Title

Comparing The Lifestyles Of Victims, Offenders, And Victim-Offenders: A Routine Activity Theory Assessment Of Similarities And Differences For Criminal Incident Participants

Abstract

Drawing on routine activity theory, this paper examines a sample of college students involved in criminal assault to assess whether victims, offenders, and those who are both victims and offenders show similarities on demographic, social activity, neighborhood, exposure, illegal activities, and alcohol and drug use variables. This research tests previous claims that criminal victims and offenders have numerous shared characteristics and behaviors. For all three groups a wide range of sophisticated measures of lifestyle are used to predict the likelihood of involvement in criminal incidents of assault. Victimization risks are primarily explained by indicators of individuals’ exposure to offenders. Likelihood of offending is most usefully explained by demographics and participation in other illegal behaviors. Being both a victim and offender of assault is explained by a more complex set of indicators, encompassing a wide range of factors. Based on these results it appears that, for the crime of assault, victims, offenders, and victim-offenders are three distinct groups, identifiable by varying lifestyle measures. Results provide moderate support for routine activity theory and strongly support the need for refined measures of lifestyle when assessing criminal incident involvement. © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

Publication Date

1-1-2000

Publication Title

Sociological Focus

Volume

33

Issue

3

Number of Pages

339-362

Document Type

Article

Personal Identifier

scopus

DOI Link

https://doi.org/10.1080/00380237.2000.10571174

Socpus ID

85010572931 (Scopus)

Source API URL

https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/85010572931

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