The cycle of crime: examining the relationship between offending and violent victimization

The current study examines the relationship between offending and violent victimization among a sample of African American young adults using data from the Family and Community Health Study (FACHS). I test contrasting predictions derived from three major criminological perspectives. I examine the general strain theory prediction that violent victimization causes offending, and also the argument that this relationship is mediated by anger and depression. I test the lifestyle-exposure theory and routine activity theory claim that offending causes violent victimization through association with criminal peers. Finally, I examine the prediction of self-control theory that self-control is the ultimate cause of both offending and violent victimization. I also examine how self-control influences these relationships. To test these predictions, I employ structural equation modeling in cross-sectional and longitudinal data, focusing on the influence of self-control and the mediating roles of anger, depression, and criminal peers. I also examine how self-control moderates the relationship between offending and violent victimization using multi-group analyses that examine individuals with high self-control and those with low self-control. Results indicate moderate support for the predictions of general strain theory and limited support for the predictions of lifestyle theories and self-control theory. Violent victimization causes future offending, but little evidence suggests that these effects are mediated by negative emotions. Offending has a very weak influence on future violent victimization, but these effects are entirely mediated through criminal peers. Self-control does not influence future offending and only indirectly influences future violent victimization through criminal peers. As predicted, self-control moderates the influence of depression on offending. However, the effects of victimization on offending, anger on offending, offending on victimization, and criminal peers on victimization are not influenced by self-control.