This study examines victimization through firearms, knives, and other weapons among 1663 high school students in ten inner-city schools across the United States. In accounting for victimization patterns, emphasis is placed on socio-demographic characteristics, exposure to guns outside school, exposure to violence in school, and illegal activities which may place students at a greater risk of being victimized either in school or in transit to and from school. Relying on recent research based on the lifestyle/routine activities approach, the study focuses primarily on the behavioral characteristics (i.e., arrest record, gang membership, drug sales) of the students as contributing factors to victimization. The results strongly support the arguments suggesting that exposure to guns out of school and illegal activities have significant effects on the likelihood of victimization. With regard to the former, the findings indicate that weapons carrying among male relatives and perceived access to guns in the neighborhood increase the risk of victimization net of the influence of other variables. Additionally, the findings show strongest support for the lifestyle/routine activities approach, as indicated by the significant effects of arrest record, gang membership, weapons carrying, and involvement in drug sales on violent victimization net of the influence of additional variables. Criminological and policy implications regarding the major findings of this study are considered / acase@tulane.edu
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:TULANE/oai:http://digitallibrary.tulane.edu/:tulane_26014 |
| Date | January 1993 |
| Contributors | McGee, Zina Theres (Author), Sheley, Joseph F (Thesis advisor) |
| Publisher | Tulane University |
| Source Sets | Tulane University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Rights | Access requires a license to the Dissertations and Theses (ProQuest) database., Copyright is in accordance with U.S. Copyright law |
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