The study analyzes how Child Welfare (CW) workers understand suspected violence in families with parents involved in a family law dispute. Typologies of intimate partner violence and constructions of ideal victims constitute the analytical framework. Interviews with 18 CW workers in five group interviews are analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Findings indicate that disputing parents are often not perceived as ideal victims but rather as perpetrators, leading CW workers to interpret violence as situational or as false allegations. This may further contribute to both parents being constructed as perpetrators and the child as a victim of conflict rather than violence.
Research in Malawi has largely examined the prevalence and forms of violence in correctional facilities, leaving little known about how it shapes and influences rehabilitation and social reintegration. The current study examines how interpersonal violence in correctional facilities affects inmates' rehabilitation and social reintegration. Using a convergent mixed-methods design, insights are drawn from survey interviews with 214 formerly incarcerated individuals and a subset of 13 case studies. Further, interviews were conducted with five correctional officers. The findings reveal that violence in correctional facilities is shaped and sustained by structural conditions characterized by overcrowding, resource scarcity, institutional neglect, and unequal power relations. These result in physical, sexual, and psychological violence. The study indicates that correctional violence impedes meaningful engagement in rehabilitation and successful reintegration. Further, the effects of correctional violence go beyond the correctional facilities to shape psychological well-being, social acceptance, and reintegration outcomes. Guided by Structural Violence Theory, the findings demonstrate how institutional conditions generate violence that undermines correctional rehabilitative objectives. The findings offer relevant insights into the understanding of violence in correctional facilities that operate under crowded and resource-constrained conditions globally. The implications for research, practice, and policy are discussed in detail.
Gendered assumptions within judicial reasoning shape how cases of sexual violence (SV) are interpreted, prosecuted, and adjudicated. This systematic review synthesizes empirical evidence on how gender stereotypes and cultural myths influence judicial and prosecutorial perceptions of adult female victims, primarily in SV cases, with limited evidence from intimate partner violence (IPV). Twenty-eight studies, with judges, prosecutors, and jury eligible mock jurors' samples were identified across five databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Medline, PsycINFO, and SCOPUS), following PRISMA guidelines. Findings suggest that gender stereotypes function as heuristic frameworks shaping the construction and discounting of victim credibility, the interpretation of evidence, and the attribution of responsibility. These patterns were most consistently observed in SV contexts, where deviations from the "ideal victim" stereotype were associated with increased victim-blaming and reduced case progression. Evidence from IPV studies, although limited, suggests distinct credibility dynamics linked to ongoing relational contexts. The review highlights the persistence of gendered biases across decision-maker types and study designs. Conclusions are therefore tempered by the heterogeneity of the evidence base and the predominance of SV research. The findings support the need for structural, procedural, and training-based interventions to reduce bias and promote more equitable judicial outcomes.
South Africa experiences persistently high rates of violent crime, contributing to widespread feelings of fear and insecurity. House robbery is categorized as robbery with aggravating circumstances. It differs from burglary because residents are present, and violence is often used. House robbery is an intrusive and violent form of crime that has received growing attention across the Global South. This paper examines house robbery in South Africa through a victim-centered lens, drawing on narrative victimology. Twenty-one in-depth interviews with victims reveal the modus operandi of perpetrators, including methods of entry, use of violence, and psychological coercion. Findings were analyzed thematically and exposed how house robbery disrupts victims' sense of safety, with some offenders displaying unexpected empathy. The study advances understanding of house robbery within an African context, emphasizing survivor narratives as critical to policy and intervention. By amplifying victim perspectives, this research contributes to criminological discourse and the development of context-sensitive crime prevention strategies in the Global South.
Public response to Sean "Diddy" Combs' acquittal on racketeering and sex trafficking charges reveals divisions in how victims and defendants are perceived in high-profile trials. Examining 1000 high-engagement Instagram comments, we analyze how victimhood is constructed by the public, and how trials can become cultural battlegrounds where credibility and justice are debated in real time. Findings reveal polarized reactions, with some commenters engaging in victim-blaming and minimization of harm, while others emphasized systemic failures of the CLS, expressing empathy for survivors. A smaller group also framed Diddy as a victim of racialized persecution, demonstrating how himpathy can traverse racial contexts.
According to the 2021 National Crime Victimization Survey - Identity Theft Supplement, almost four million Americans experienced e-mail or social media account misuse, marking the first national assessment of these emerging identity theft subtypes. Using this data, we examined the predictors and consequences of e-mail and social media misuse, comparing these new forms against each other as well as with traditionally measured forms of identity theft. Analyses of the full sample (N = 88,772) identified both shared and distinct risk factors for these victimization subtypes. Moreover, an examination of victims (n = 8,090) revealed that e-mail and social media misuse were less likely to produce financial harm than traditional identity theft types, but e-mail and social media misuse were associated with greater social costs. We discuss the implications for prevention and future research on these subtypes.
We examine how Massachusetts' decriminalization and legalization of marijuana affected police responses to youth under age 21, focusing on both how often incidents were formally handled and whether officers used summonses rather than on-view arrests. Using statewide data for 2007-2021 aggregated by race and quarter across the policy transitions, we implement an interrupted time-series design with seasonal controls and race - time interactions. Enforcement intensity declined sharply at each policy change for both White and Nonwhite youths and continued to fall thereafter. During legalization, the rate levels diverged where Nonwhite rates were higher at key policy milestones and declined more slowly. For enforcement modality, the odds of a summons rose over time overall, yet Nonwhite youths experienced a significant immediate drop at decriminalization and no clear increase after legalization, while White youths showed a sustained rise following legalization. Taken together, the policy shifts correspond with broad reductions in youth marijuana enforcement along with observed racial disparities in offense rates after legalization and in patterns in the use of summonses versus arrests.
This study examines how experiences of cyber offending and victimization relate to the adoption of precautionary behaviors. Using nationally approximated representative survey data from 1,500 U.S. adults, we compare offender-only, victim-only, victim-offender, and non-involved groups across two types of practices: high-tech measures (e.g., VPNs, encryption) and low-tech measures (e.g., antivirus, updates). Prior research suggests that past experiences shape how individuals perceive and respond to digital risks, but little work has differentiated precautionary behaviors by complexity or across involvement groups. Results indicate that individuals who experienced cyber victimization, including victim-offenders, were more likely to adopt high-tech precautionary measures compared to non-involved individuals, while all cyber-involved groups reported greater use of low-tech protective practices. Adoption of precautionary behaviors also varied across demographic characteristics, with higher levels of education, income, and ag associated with greater use of certain protective strategies. Self-control was positively associated with both high- and low-tech precautionary behavior adoption. These findings suggest that precautionary cybersecurity practices vary across cybercrime involvement groups and demographic characteristics, highlighting the importance of tailoring prevention and education efforts to differences in behavioral patterns and resource accessibility.
Few studies have assessed sexual, intimate partner, and stalking polyvictimization in adult populations, including the use of nationally representative adult samples large enough to detect potential differences in victimization by sex, race, and ethnicity. This study assesses sexual, intimate partner, and stalking polyvictimization experiences using nationally representative data from the 2015 National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (N = 10,081). This study examines rates and group differences in sexual, intimate partner, and stalking polyvictimization in a sub-sample of participants reporting experiences with two or more different types of violence (n = 4,176) across race and ethnicity, as well as differences by sex within racial/ethnic groups. This study also assesses the number of perpetrators reported by the subsample. Results suggest significant group differences among racial/ethnic groups, such that American Indian/Alaska Native adults reported the highest rates of polyvictimization as well as experiencing victimization by multiple perpetrators Significant differences by sex were noted within racial/ethnic groups, such that females within most racial/ethnic groups reported higher rates of being victimized by multiple perpetrators and experiencing multiple types of violence than males. Findings highlight the need for criminal justice practice and policy to address racial/ethnic and sex inequities in polyvictimization.
Sexual assaults are underreported and are among the most difficult cases to successfully prosecute. Challenges to reporting and prosecution may be heightened in rural communities due to a lack of privacy, geographic isolation, and cultural factors. As a result, alternate remedies have been explored in survivors' search for "justice." One avenue that affords survivors more control in the process is the civil legal system. The current paper adds to a nascent but growing body of work exploring civil legal needs, barriers, and opportunities for sexual assault survivors, with specific focus on rural survivors. Using qualitative analysis of semi-structured interviews with rural victim service providers, we found that civil legal needs including protection orders, referrals to attorneys, housing-related issues, and immigration are common. Analysis also revealed common barriers: cost, transportation, rural community attitudes toward sexual violence, and limited resources all emerged as impediments to accessing justice. Interviewees identified areas for improving access to civil justice, including expanding formal and informal legal services, diversity training for providers, and trauma-informed care. Results suggest that while civil legal needs and barriers are common experiences amongst rural sexual assault survivors, there are tangible and feasible opportunities to improve survivors' recovery post-assault through civil legal services.
This study examined the association between components of the lifestyle-routine activity approach and the odds of ransomware victimization using survey data collected among freelancers and small and medium-sized enterprises in the Netherlands (n = 2,685). Some findings aligned with the notion that greater target attractiveness and lower physical guardianship are associated with increased odds of victimization. Namely, a higher annual turnover and not using two-factor authentication were associated with increased odds of ransomware victimization. At the same time, other results diverged from theoretical expectations. For example, not using an online bank account to which customers can transfer payments, not using security software that scans for viruses and malware, and having cyber insurance were associated with decreased odds of ransomware victimization. This contradicts the notion that greater online exposure, lower physical guardianship, and greater target attractiveness are associated with increased odds of victimization. Moreover, several measures related to the lifestyle-routine activity approach, such as social guardianship, were not statistically significant. Overall, the findings suggest that ransomware victimization can be partially explained by exposure to motivated offenders, target attractiveness, and guardianship. The implications of the findings for theory and practice are addressed in the paper.
Sexual minorities experience disproportionately high rates of violent victimization, yet little is known about the situational contexts in which these incidents occur. Using National Crime Victimization Survey data from 2017-2022 (N = 10,316) and the Conjunctive Analysis of Case Configurations (CACC) method, dominant situational profiles of sexual-minority victimization are defined and analyzed. Results indicate that sexual minorities are more than five times more likely to experience violence than heterosexuals, but victimization risk is highly contextual, depending on specific combinations of demographic and situational factors. Findings offer policymakers a framework for targeted, context-specific prevention and training strategies.
The study examined how regulation of affective dependence relates to aggressiveness via jealousy and revenge. Two opposing dependency patterns - Pathological Affective Dependence (PAD) and Fear of Intimacy (FoI) - were tested against internalized (anger/hostility) and externalized (physical/verbal) aggressiveness. Adults from the general population (N = 437; 330 women, 107 men; M(age) = 32.9) completed measures of PAD, FoI, cognitive and behavioral jealousy, revenge motivation, and aggression. Structural equation models specified PAD/FoI as exogenous predictors, jealousy facets as parallel mediators, and revenge as a downstream mediator. PAD predicted both behavioral and cognitive jealousy; FoI predicted cognitive - but not behavioral - jealousy. Both jealousy types predicted revenge, which was positively associated with internalized and externalized aggressiveness. Behavioral jealousy also showed direct positive effects on both aggression forms, whereas cognitive jealousy had no direct effects. PAD and FoI retained direct positive associations with internalized aggressiveness; direct paths to externalized aggressiveness were non-significant for PAD and marginal for FoI. Jealousy-driven revenge appears to be a proximal pathway linking unregulated dependency to aggressive behavior. Targeting monitoring/controlling tendencies (behavioral jealousy), suspicious rumination (cognitive jealousy), and revenge motivations may help prevent escalation of relationship conflict.
Marsy's Law was incorporated into Florida's Constitution in 2018 with the intent to expand and strengthen victims' rights. While the law offers broader protections, its implementation has raised concerns among practitioners. This study explores the perceptions and experiences of 24 primarily system-based victim advocates in Florida, regarding the interpretation and application of Marsy's Law. Using semi-structured interviews and inductive narrative analysis, the findings reveal widespread confusion about the law's language, inconsistent implementation across agencies, and challenges in interprofessional collaboration. Advocates noted that while the law enhanced victims' access to information and protection, it also created misconceptions and, in some cases, a false sense of security among victims. The study underscores the need for clearer statutory guidance, standardized training for criminal justice professionals, and further research into the experiences of non-system-based advocates.
This study examines whether individual characteristics and Routine Activity Theory (RAT) mechanisms operate differently across two forms of cybercrime victimization: interpersonal (cyberbullying and cyberstalking) and financial (identity theft and consumer fraud). Using data from an online survey (N = 331), we analyze the role of sociodemographic factors, online exposure, target suitability and capable guardianship. Results indicate that 30.8% of respondents experienced interpersonal cybervictimization and 22.4% financial cybervictimization. Logistic regression analyses show that being female, having a lower perceived household income and engagement in risk online activities increase the likelihood of interpersonal victimization. Furthermore, online avoidance behaviors were found to be positively associated with interpersonal victimization, suggesting a reactive rather than preventive role. In contrast, sociodemographic variables were not associated with financial cybervictimization. Instead, exposure through online activities related to goods and services, as well as games and interaction, emerged as significant predictors. Online safety behaviors did not significantly reduce victimization risk in the regression models. These findings suggest that RAT mechanisms operate differently across cybercrime types and underscore the need for differentiated prevention strategies.
