The Cycle of Violence #11

1. The Cycle of Violence#11 Cathy Spatz Widom

2. Study • The study followed 1575 cases from child hood through young adulthood, comparing the arrest record of two groups

3. Study Group • 908 substantiated cases of childhood abuse processed by the courts from 1967-1971 and tracked for 15-20 years

4. Comparison Group • 667 children, not officially recorded as abused, and matched to the study group according to sex, age, race and approximate family socioeconomic status

5. Study Findings • Being abused increase chances of being arrested as a juvenile by 53%, as an adult by 38%, and for a violent crime by 38%

6. Study Design • This study was able to examine the long-term consequences of abuse. • The sample was from a mid-west metropolitan area and were children under eleven years old • Juvenile records were checked between the ages of 20 and 30. The average age was 25 • Two thirds white, one third black • 50% were male, 50% were female • Juvenile court and probation records were the source of the information for neglect and the status of the family • Arrest data was taken from the Federal, State and local law enforcement

7. Definition of Abuse • Physical Abuse • Cases that injuries were documented • Sexual Abuse • fondling • touching in an obscene manner • Neglect • failure to provide food, clothing, shelter

8. Findings by Sex • In the case of females, being abused increased their chances of committing crime by 77% over the control group.

9. Findings By Race • Both black and white children were more likely to be arrested who were abused when they were a child compared to the Control Group. However abused black children had more of a chance of getting arrested than compared to white children in the same category.

10. Does Physical Abuse Produce Violent Criminals? • Those who were physically abused were more likely to be arrested later for violent crimes • Neglected children were a close second • Neglect produces more damaging effects than physical • Early malnutrition had attention deficit, reduced social skill and poorer stability than a comparison group • These have a greater risk of violence

11. Findings By Juvenile Record • Abused children started a life of crime at a younger age. • In both groups, roughly the same amount of juveniles arrested also had an arrest as an adult. • Those with violent juvenile arrests also had violent arrests as an adult • Childhood abuse did not seem to effect the movement of juvenile offenders to adult offenders.

12. Out of Home Placement and Criminal Consequences • Foster homes, guardian homes, and specialized schools • Did not prove to be effective in reducing the arrests for children • Those who were moved three or four times had a much higher arrest rate for criminal behavior • They also had behavior problems such as fighting, fire setting and destructiveness • It is not advantageous to remove a child from their natural parents

13. Problems With Study • Comparison Group • Can not be sure if children were actually abused or not. They were not documented • 2/3 White, 1/3 black. • These are not equal samples • Study determined the black children had a higher risk of being arrested later in life if abused as a child

14. Conclusion • Being abused increase chances of being arrested as a juvenile by 53%, as an adult by 38%, and for a violent crime by 38% • Abused Females had a greater chance of being arrested • Black children had a greater chance of being arrested of a crime. • Out of home placement did not decrease juvenile crime.