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Victimization, Youth

Youth victimization is generally defined as violence and/or crimes perpetrated against youth. This definition can include physical assaults such as hitting, punching, and kicking, sexual assaults such as rape and molestation, and other crimes such as theft and bullying. Furthermore, youth victimization can be both direct (being the victim of violence or crime) and indirect (witnessing violence and crimes perpetrated against others). Research shows that youth between the ages of 12 and 17 have the highest rates of victimization for both crime of violence and crimes of theft. This entry addresses specific factors that lead to minority youth victimization and their subsequent involvement in violence.

Explanations for Youth Victimization

Criminologists and sociologists have suggested several possible explanations for patterns of youth victimization. Some theorists suggest that lifestyle and routine activities contribute to victimization, while others suggest that a victim's individual traits may increase victimization. Those suggesting lifestyle explanations emphasize the lack of protection and guardianship for the victim and the presence of a capable offender. According to the routine activities theory, individuals are at an increased risk for victimization when they are placed in daily situations with lower protection and increased exposure and proximity to offenders. Criminologists suggest that offenders victimize individuals due to several different factors, such as weakened social bonds, poverty, and cultural conflicts. Other theorists suggest the integration of theories of victimization and criminology to explain how the interaction of criminal motivation and availability of victims increases victimization. Regarding the nexus between victimization and violence among minority youth, one major concern is the disproportionate minority confinement that occurs when a large percentage of juveniles who have previously been victimized find themselves detained or confined in secured detention facilities. Black, Hispanic, and other minority youth are often at a higher risk of victimization and subsequent violence, often leading to disproportionate targeting and unfair treatment by law enforcement officials and obtaining racially skewed charges and plea bargaining decisions of prosecutors by discriminatory sentencing practices.

Structural and Choice Components in Explanations of Victimization

Structural components of the explanations of victimization, proximity and exposure, are increasingly significant due to the social and physical contexts in which victimization occurs. Proximity relates to the ecological proximity or closeness to criminal behavior. Exposure is the rate at which individuals are faced with motivated offenders. An individual increases his or her exposure to crime when he or she participates in activities in dangerous environments. Both of these are often determined by neighborhood and community characteristics. The choice components of victimization are related to the particular offenders and victims. A lack of guardianship will yield an environment in which an offender feels safe to commit an offense. Guardianship can be viewed as the ability to prevent the occurrence of a crime, such as the presence of others or alarm systems. Attractiveness of a victim will then determine who an offender will violate based on assumptions that an individual has some value to the offender.

Rational Choice Explanation

According to the rational choice explanation of victimization and crime, offenders commit crimes based on personal benefit that can be derived from that offense. Following this line of theory, criminals weigh the costs and benefits of their actions prior to making them. A situational perspective is used to address the connection between situations and behaviors. Contextual information is gathered to determine the likelihood of victimization. The decision to commit a crime is made in stages, the first being the decision to participate in criminal activity. The second stage involves selecting a crime that fulfills the needs of the offender. Given this theoretical perspective, victims are identified by the offenders, therefore suggesting the likelihood of victimization to increase in areas with more offenders.

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