Update on the Cycle of Violence

Cycle of Violence - Update

An update on the "Cycle of Violence" (Widom & Maxfield, 2001) compares data on 908 people who were abused or neglected as children against data on 667 people who were not abused or neglected as children. In a 1988 study, researchers found a strong link between abuse or neglect and juvenile/adult nontraffic arrests. The 1994 study goes much further, using later data from the same sources, plus interviews with the subjects, and also looks at the data from a number of different perspectives. The 1994 researchers conclude that there is an even stronger link between abuse or neglect and juvenile/adult nontraffic arrests, and also shows data from all the different perspectives.

Analysis

An update on the "Cycle of Violence" (Widom & Maxfield, 2001) is an article published by the U.S. Department of Justice in 2001 that uses data comparing the arrest records of 908 children who were abused or neglected from 1967-1971 with the arrest records of 667 children who were not abused or neglected from 1967-1971 in a Midwestern metropolitan county. This article updates results from 1988, when the average age of the subjects was 26, with results from 1994, when the average age of the subjects was 32.5. The 1988 study used simpler data from juvenile court and probation records for abuse or neglect and Federal, State and local law enforcement records for arrests. The 1994 study used juvenile court and probation records for abuse and neglect, law enforcement records from Federal, State and local law enforcement for arrests, and interview information for additional information on abuse and neglect.

According to the article, the 1988 study showed that abuse and neglect in childhood increased the odds of delinquency and adult arrests by 29%, but that most abused and neglected children did not become offenders. The 1994 researchers reported that "Those who had been abused or neglected as children were more likely to be arrested as juveniles (27% versus 17%), adults (42% versus 33%), and for a violent crime (18% versus 14%)" (Widom & Maxfield, 2001, p. 3). These abused or neglected people were also arrested at a younger age and had more frequent arrests (Widom & Maxfield, 2001, p. 3) The 1994 study also gave a more complex series of findings by looking at the data from several perspectives, according to all arrests for non-traffic offenses, arrests for violent offenses, arrests for nonviolent offenses, poor educational performance, mental health problems, low achievement, socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, gender, neglect, physical abuse and sexual abuse.

After examining all the data from all these perspectives, the 1994 study concluded that the connection between "childhood victimization" and the likelihood of "delinquency, adult criminality, and violent criminal behavior" (Widom & Maxfield, 2001, p. 7) continued from the time of the 1988 study. These 1994 researchers also concluded that "Poor educational performance, mental health problems, and generally low levels of achievement also characterize victims of early childhood abuse and neglect studied here" (Widom & Maxfield, 2001, p. 7). The 1994 study also modified the 1988 study's finding, saying that the 1988 study stressed its findings that the majority of abused and neglected children did not become offenders while the 1994 study found that "almost half of the abused and neglected individuals overall (49%) have had an arrest for a nontraffic offense (juvenile or adult). The 1994 study also showed a number of tables according to the subgroups of non-traffic offenses, arrests for violent offenses, arrests for nonviolent offenses, poor educational performance, mental health problems, low achievement, socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, gender, neglect, physical abuse and sexual abuse.

3. Conclusion