The Cycle of Violence: Examining the Impact of Maltreatment Early in Life on Adult Offending

Abstract

Over the last two decades, considerable scholarly attention has been directed toward explaining the "cycle of violence"-a phenomenon whereby victimization and offending appear inexorably linked to one another. Extant work has greatly contributed to our understanding of this cycle for different types of abuse and different types of offending, such as sex offending. The link between sexual abuse and later offending cannot be overstated, with research suggesting the impact of sexual abuse on sex offending to be more pronounced than any other type of abuse. However, in the literature, questions remain regarding sex offenders' patterns of offending. Specifically, it remains unclear whether type of abuse experienced has a differential impact on type of offending in adulthopd. Using retrospective data from sexual offenders in a Canadian penitentiary, we address this research gap by examining the impact of abuse experienced during childhood and adolescence on various types of offending in adulthood. Results indicate partial support for the cycle of violence hypothesis-the extent of criminal involvement can be explained as being a consequence of prior maltreatment; however, findings also suggest refinements to the theory, because the influence of type of abuse varies depending on the type of offending examined. Research and policy implications are discussed.

Effects of Homelessness and Child Maltreatment on the Likelihood of Engaging in Property and Violent Crime During Adulthood

“…The impact of child maltreatment may differ depending on the type, duration, and severity of maltreatment. Prior research indicates that the type of offending being examined also influences the relationship between child maltreatment and future HOMELESSNESS, CHILD MALTREATMENT, PROPERTY CRIME, AND VIOLENT CRIME offending (Reckdenwald, Mancini, & Beauregard, 2013;Widom & Maxfield, 2001). It is also possible that different types of child maltreatment may have interacted with homelessness to impact property and violent crime, which we were not able to observe because of collapsing multiple types of child maltreatment into a single construct.…”

The Life Experiences of Adolescent Sexual Offenders: Factors That Contribute to Offending Behaviours

“…Similar to the reactions of children who have been physically abused, the reactions of children who chronically witness family violence may contribute to cognitive, emotional and/or behavioural disturbance. Children in violent homes learn that violence is an appropriate way of resolving conflict in intimate relationships, and that assaultive behaviour and threats are effective means of maintaining power and control over other people (Reckdenwald & Beauregard, 2013). They tend to rationalize the use of violence when confronted with stressful life situations, and believe that victims bring it upon themselves on account of their own weakness.…”

“…In relation to the cycle of violence, it appears that individuals learn how to treat others through the type of abuse inflicted on them. The experience of trauma early in life may manifest differently in individuals, with some research suggesting that certain forms of abuse may have an impact on crime in later adult life, such as sex offending (Reckdenwald & Beauregard, 2013 ).…”

A Prospective Examination of Whether Childhood Sexual Abuse Predicts Subsequent Sexual Offending

“…1,2 Among these, childhood sexual abuse is believed to increase the risk for subsequent sexual offending. 3 Numerous reports have described sexual abuse in the backgrounds of adult sex offenders who were either incarcerated or in treatment programs [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14] and juvenile sexual offenders. [15][16][17][18][19][20] However, the cross-sectional design of these studies introduced ambiguity into the meaning of these findings because retrospective data do not provide evidence of prospective risk.…”