VICTIM AS OFFENDER IN YOUTH VIOLENCE

Study objective: To determine how often adolescent and young adult Victims of assaultive injury are offenders in assaults and other crimes. Design: Comparison of 10- to 24-year-old males treated in the accident and emergency department for assault-related injuries to similar-aged males treated in the same department for unintentional injuries. Police records were searched on both groups for warnings or convictions. Setting: Accident and emergency department of the Cardiff Royal Infirmary. Results: Assault patients were significantly more likely to be formally warned or convicted, and they had a higher mean number of warnings or convictions per 100 person-years of exposure, than other injury patients. These differences were most pronounced for the younger patients and for the year following the injury. Conclusion: These results suggest that many young male assault patients either have a history of criminal activity or develop criminal behavior subsequent to their assault and may benefit from appropriate intervention aimed at interrupting the cycle of crime and violence.