The Victim-Offender Overlap
- LAST REVIEWED: 24 May 2017
- LAST MODIFIED: 24 May 2017
- DOI: 10.1093/obo/9780195396607-0220
- LAST REVIEWED: 24 May 2017
- LAST MODIFIED: 24 May 2017
- DOI: 10.1093/obo/9780195396607-0220
Introduction
Since the foundational work in victimology at the turn of the 20th century, researchers have acknowledged a relationship between victims and offenders (or, differently stated, victimization and offending). Indeed, many victims were observed to be offenders and many offenders turned out to have experienced victimization. Early work in this area was mostly descriptive or correlational in nature suggesting that similar people have similar experiences with violence as both victims and offenders. In the latter half of the century, scholars began to address why it is that offenders tend to also be victims and vice-versa. More sophisticated analyses and longitudinal studies were brought to bear on this “overlap” of experiences indicating that a host of individual factors (such as sex/gender, age, self-control, and genetic predisposition) and situational factors (such as living in a dangerous neighborhood, having poor relationships with parents, and associating with delinquent peers) led to an increase in the risk of both offending and victimization. In other words, individual personalities and exposure to dangerous environments put people at risk of both committing delinquency and becoming the victim of a crime. This so-called “victim-offender overlap” has become one of the most empirically supported and established findings in the field of criminology leading researchers to consider this phenomenon in crime prevention and intervention efforts.
Systematic Overviews and Summaries of the Victim-Offender Overlap
Several systematic reviews, summaries, and tests of foundational overarching themes have been conducted on the victim-offender overlap over the past forty years—and the past ten years in particular. Some of these efforts include chapters/entries by criminologists such as Berg and Felson 2016, Jennings 2016, and Schreck and Stewart 2011 which summarize the recurring themes on the victim-offender overlap and Moore 2013 which explores victim identities as both victims and offenders. Jennings, et al. 2012 provides a systematic review of the relevant literature testing the existence of the victim-offender overlap and its etiology through recent years. Two articles, Singer 1981 and Widom 1989, provide early empirical and theoretical evidence of the cycle of violence which laid the foundation for future research on the victim-offender overlap such as Lauritsen and Laub 2007 and Entorf 2013. Cuevas, et al. 2007 provides an excellent overview of the overlap among adolescents aged ten to seventeen.
Berg, M. T., and R. B. Felson. 2016. Why are offenders victimized so often? The Wiley handbook on the psychology of violence. Edited by Carlos A. Cuevas and Callie Marie Rennison, 49–65. Chichester, UK: Wiley Blackwell.
DOI: 10.1002/9781118303092.ch3
This entry covers a wide range of theoretical work on the victim-offender overlap including how situational and individual differences contribute to the relationship between victimization and offending. The authors use a social psychological perspective to understand the overlap and identify gaps in the current literature.
Cuevas, C. A., D. Finkelhor, H. A. Turner, and R. K. Ormrod. 2007. Juvenile delinquency and victimization: A theoretical typology. Journal of Interpersonal Violence 22:1581–1602.
Using a national sample of one thousand youth aged ten to seventeen from the Developmental Victimization Survey, Cuevas and colleagues uncover three distinct types of delinquent-victims. They name these groups: (1) bully-victims, (2) delinquent sex/maltreatment-victims, and (3) property delinquent-victims. A nice review and typology of the victim-offender overlap that should be read by anyone interested in the topic.
Entorf, H. 2013. Criminal victims, victimized criminals, or both? A deeper look at the victim offender overlap. IZA Discussion Paper No. 7686. Bonn, Germany: Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA).
This paper covers many theoretical explanations of the victim-offender overlap with particular attention paid to economic explanations. Economic analyses indicate that victimization depends on prior offending but not vice-versa. A nice theoretical introduction and analysis for those interested in the economic perspective of the victim-offender overlap. See pp. 1–38.
Jennings, W. G. 2016. Victim-offender overlap. In The encyclopedia of crime and punishment. Edited by Wesley G. Jennings, 1278–1281. Chichester, UK: John Wiley.
This entry is an excellent overview of victim-offender overlap theory and research. The entry covers historical research as well as contemporary research. The entry concludes with a look at the future of scholarship on the victim-offender overlap.
Jennings, W. G., A. R. Piquero, and J. M. Reingle. 2012. On the overlap between victimization and offending: A review of the literature. Aggression and Violent Behavior 17:16–26.
DOI: 10.1016/j.avb.2011.09.003
This paper provides the most comprehensive and systematic review of research on the victim-offender overlap. A must read for any student or researcher interested in the empirical work on the victim-offender overlap.
Lauritsen, J. L., and J. H. Laub. 2007. Understanding the link between victimization and offending: New reflections on an old idea. Crime Prevention Studies 12:55–76.
This chapter is an excellent review and evaluation of the existing research on the victim-offender overlap. The findings presented in the chapter are in line with previous research which the authors suggest indicates that victims and offenders are often drawn from the same population pool.
Moore, C. 2013. Beguiling Eve and her innocent counterpart: Victim-offender identities in the criminal justice process. Global criminology: Crime and victimization in a globalized era. Edited by K. Jaishankar and Natti Ronel, 289–313. Boca Raton, FL: CRC.
This book chapter reviews some of the problematic issues that arise when victims are questioned about their involvement in their own victimization. In particular, victims’ identities are discussed in relation to their behaviors and provocations that lead to their subsequent victimization.
Schreck, C. J., and E. A. Stewart. 2011. The victim-offender overlap and its implications for juvenile justice. In The Oxford handbook of juvenile crime and juvenile justice. Edited by B. C. Feld and D. M. Bishop, 47–70. New York: Oxford Univ. Press.
This chapter reviews the theoretical foundation of the victim-offender overlap with attention to longitudinal analyses of the overlap. Careful attention is paid to how the victim-offender overlap can inform juvenile justice and crime intervention. A great source for those interested in how the overlap can assist in developing prevention and intervention programs.
Singer, S. I. 1981. Homogeneous victim-offender populations: A review and some research implications. Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology 72:779–788.
DOI: 10.2307/1143015
This paper presents seminal work on the victim-offender overlap. Singer presents early findings on the relationship between offending and victimization finding a significant relationship between the two. He uses subcultural theory to highlight the link between offenders and victims setting the foundation for future theoretical work on the overlap.
Widom, C. S. 1989. Does violence beget violence? A critical examination of the literature. Psychological Bulletin 106:3–28.
DOI: 10.1037/0033-2909.106.1.3
This seminal piece on the so-called “cycle of violence” provides an overview of the research on the consequences of abusive home environments on children. Widom concludes that the lack of research in this area hinders a definitive conclusion on the cycle of violence and provides a framework for future research to clarify the issue.
Users without a subscription are not able to see the full content on this page. Please subscribe or login.
How to Subscribe
Oxford Bibliographies Online is available by subscription and perpetual access to institutions. For more information or to contact an Oxford Sales Representative click here.
Article
- Active Offender Research
- Actus Reus
- Adler, Freda
- Adversarial System of Justice
- Adverse Childhood Experiences
- Aging Prison Population, The
- Airport and Airline Security
- Alcohol and Drug Prohibition
- Alcohol Use, Policy and Crime
- Alt-Right Gangs and White Power Youth Groups
- Animals, Crimes Against
- Anomie
- Arson
- Art Crime
- Back-End Sentencing and Parole Revocation
- Bail and Pretrial Detention
- Batterer Intervention Programs
- Bentham, Jeremy
- Big Data and Communities and Crime
- Biosocial Criminology
- Blackmail
- Black's Theory of Law and Social Control
- Blumstein, Alfred
- Boot Camps and Shock Incarceration Programs
- Burglary, Residential
- Bystander Intervention
- Capital Punishment
- Chambliss, William
- Chicago School of Criminology, The
- Child Maltreatment
- Chinese Triad Society
- Civil Protection Orders
- Collateral Consequences of Felony Conviction and Imprisonm...
- Collective Efficacy
- Commercial and Bank Robbery
- Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children
- Communicating Scientific Findings in the Courtroom
- Community Change and Crime
- Community Corrections
- Community Disadvantage and Crime
- Community-Based Justice Systems
- Community-Based Substance Use Prevention
- Comparative Criminal Justice Systems
- CompStat Models of Police Performance Management
- Confessions, False and Coerced
- Conservation Criminology
- Consumer Fraud
- Contextual Analysis of Crime
- Control Balance Theory
- Convict Criminology
- Co-Offending and the Role of Accomplices
- Corporate Crime
- Costs of Crime and Justice
- Courts, Drug
- Courts, Juvenile
- Courts, Mental Health
- Courts, Problem-Solving
- Crime and Justice in Latin America
- Crime, Campus
- Crime Control Policy
- Crime Control, Politics of
- Crime, (In)Security, and Islam
- Crime Prevention, Delinquency and
- Crime Prevention, Situational
- Crime Prevention, Voluntary Organizations and
- Crime Trends
- Crime Victims' Rights Movement
- Criminal Career Research
- Criminal Decision Making, Emotions in
- Criminal Justice Data Sources
- Criminal Justice Ethics
- Criminal Justice Fines and Fees
- Criminal Justice Reform, Politics of
- Criminal Justice System, Discretion in the
- Criminal Records
- Criminal Retaliation
- Criminal Talk
- Criminology and Political Science
- Criminology of Genocide, The
- Critical Criminology
- Cross-National Crime
- Cross-Sectional Research Designs in Criminology and Crimin...
- Cultural Criminology
- Cultural Theories
- Cybercrime
- Cybercrime Investigations and Prosecutions
- Cycle of Violence
- Day Fines
- Deadly Force
- Defense Counsel
- Defining "Success" in Corrections and Reentry
- Desistance
- Deterrence
- Developmental and Life-Course Criminology
- Digital Piracy
- Driving and Traffic Offenses
- Drug Control
- Drug Trafficking, International
- Drugs and Crime
- Elder Abuse
- Electronically Monitored Home Confinement
- Employee Theft
- Environmental Crime and Justice
- Experimental Criminology
- Extortion
- Family Violence
- Fear of Crime and Perceived Risk
- Felon Disenfranchisement
- Femicide
- Feminist Theories
- Feminist Victimization Theories
- Fencing and Stolen Goods Markets
- Firearms and Violence
- Forensic Science
- For-Profit Private Prisons and the Criminal Justice–Indust...
- Fraud
- Gambling
- Gangs, Peers, and Co-offending
- Gender and Crime
- Gendered Crime Pathways
- General Opportunity Victimization Theories
- Genetics, Environment, and Crime
- Green Criminology
- Halfway Houses
- Harm Reduction and Risky Behaviors
- Hate Crime
- Hate Crime Legislation
- Healthcare Fraud
- Hirschi, Travis
- History of Crime in the United Kingdom
- History of Criminology
- Homelessness and Crime
- Homicide
- Homicide Victimization
- Honor Cultures and Violence
- Hot Spots Policing
- Human Rights
- Human Trafficking
- Identity Theft
- Immigration, Crime, and Justice
- Incarceration, Mass
- Incarceration, Public Health Effects of
- Income Tax Evasion
- Indigenous Criminology
- Institutional Anomie Theory
- Integrated Theory
- Intermediate Sanctions
- Interpersonal Violence, Historical Patterns of
- Interrogation
- Intimate Partner Violence, Criminological Perspectives on
- Intimate Partner Violence, Police Responses to
- Investigation, Criminal
- Juvenile Delinquency
- Juvenile Justice System, The
- Juvenile Waivers
- Kidnapping
- Kornhauser, Ruth Rosner
- Labeling Theory
- Labor Markets and Crime
- Land Use and Crime
- Lead and Crime
- Legitimacy
- LGBTQ Intimate Partner Violence
- LGBTQ People in Prison
- Life Without Parole Sentencing
- Local Institutions and Neighborhood Crime
- Lombroso, Cesare
- Longitudinal Research in Criminology
- Mandatory Minimum Sentencing
- Mapping and Spatial Analysis of Crime, The
- Mass Media, Crime, and Justice
- Measuring Crime
- Mediation and Dispute Resolution Programs
- Mental Health and Crime
- Merton, Robert K.
- Meta-analysis in Criminology
- Middle-Class Crime and Criminality
- Migrant Detention and Incarceration
- Mixed Methods Research in Criminology
- Money Laundering
- Motor Vehicle Theft
- Multi-Level Marketing Scams
- Murder, Serial
- Narrative Criminology
- National Deviancy Symposia, The
- Nature Versus Nurture
- Neighborhood Disorder
- Neutralization Theory
- New Penology, The
- Offender Decision-Making and Motivation
- Offense Specialization/Expertise
- Organized Crime
- Outlaw Motorcycle Clubs
- Panel Methods in Criminology
- Peacemaking Criminology
- Peer Networks and Delinquency
- Perceptions of Youth, Juvenile Justice Professionals'
- Performance Measurement and Accountability Systems
- Personality and Trait Theories of Crime
- Persons with a Mental Illness, Police Encounters with
- Phenomenological Theories of Crime
- Plea Bargaining
- Poaching
- Police Administration
- Police Cooperation, International
- Police Discretion
- Police Effectiveness
- Police History
- Police Militarization
- Police Misconduct
- Police, Race and the
- Police Use of Force
- Police, Violence against the
- Policing and Law Enforcement
- Policing, Body-Worn Cameras and
- Policing, Broken Windows
- Policing, Community and Problem-Oriented
- Policing Cybercrime
- Policing, Evidence-Based
- Policing, Intelligence-Led
- Policing, Privatization of
- Policing, Proactive
- Policing, School
- Policing, Stop-and-Frisk
- Policing, Third Party
- Polyvictimization
- Positivist Criminology
- Pretrial Detention, Alternatives to
- Pretrial Diversion
- Prison Administration
- Prison Classification
- Prison, Disciplinary Segregation in
- Prison Education Exchange Programs
- Prison Gangs and Subculture
- Prison History
- Prison Labor
- Prison Visitation
- Prisoner Reentry
- Prisons and Jails
- Prisons, HIV in
- Private Security
- Probation Revocation
- Procedural Justice
- Property Crime
- Prosecution and Courts
- Prostitution
- Psychiatry, Psychology, and Crime: Historical and Current ...
- Psychology and Crime
- Public Criminology
- Public Opinion, Crime and Justice
- Public Order Crimes
- Public Social Control and Neighborhood Crime
- Punishment Justification and Goals
- Qualitative Methods in Criminology
- Queer Criminology
- Race and Sentencing Research Advancements
- Race, Ethnicity, Crime, and Justice
- Racial Threat Hypothesis
- Racial Profiling
- Rape and Sexual Assault
- Rape, Fear of
- Rational Choice Theories
- Rehabilitation
- Religion and Crime
- Restorative Justice
- Risk Assessment
- Routine Activity Theories
- School Bullying
- School Crime and Violence
- School Safety, Security, and Discipline
- Search Warrants
- Seasonality and Crime
- Self-Control, The General Theory:
- Self-Report Crime Surveys
- Sentencing Enhancements
- Sentencing, Evidence-Based
- Sentencing Guidelines
- Sentencing Policy
- Sex Crimes
- Sex Offender Policies and Legislation
- Sex Trafficking
- Sexual Revictimization
- Situational Action Theory
- Snitching and Use of Criminal Informants
- Social and Intellectual Context of Criminology, The
- Social Construction of Crime, The
- Social Control of Tobacco Use
- Social Control Theory
- Social Disorganization
- Social Ecology of Crime
- Social Learning Theory
- Social Networks
- Social Threat and Social Control
- Solitary Confinement
- South Africa, Crime and Justice in
- Sport Mega-Events Security
- Stalking and Harassment
- State Crime
- State Dependence and Population Heterogeneity in Theories ...
- Strain Theories
- Street Code
- Street Robbery
- Substance Use and Abuse
- Surveillance, Public and Private
- Sutherland, Edwin H.
- Technology and the Criminal Justice System
- Technology, Criminal Use of
- Terrorism
- Terrorism and Hate Crime
- Terrorism, Criminological Explanations for
- Testimony, Eyewitness
- Therapeutic Jurisprudence
- Trajectory Methods in Criminology
- Transnational Crime
- Truth-In-Sentencing
- Urban Politics and Crime
- US War on Terrorism, Legal Perspectives on the
- Victim Impact Statements
- Victimization, Adolescent
- Victimization, Biosocial Theories of
- Victimization Patterns and Trends
- Victimization, Repeat
- Victimization, Vicarious and Related Forms of Secondary Tr...
- Victimless Crime
- Victim-Offender Overlap, The
- Violence Against Women
- Violence, Youth
- Violent Crime
- White-Collar Crime
- White-Collar Crime, The Global Financial Crisis and
- White-Collar Crime, Women and
- Wilson, James Q.
- Wolfgang, Marvin
- Women, Girls, and Reentry
- Wrongful Conviction