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Research suggests that direct exposure (personal victimization) and indirect exposure (witnessing or hearing about the victimization of a family member, friend, or neighbor) to violence are correlated. However, questions remain about the co-occurrence of these phenomena within individuals. We used data on 1915 youths (with an average age of 12 years at baseline) from the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods to examine this issue. Results indicated that youths who tended to be personally victimized were also likely to witness violence; conversely, youths who disproportionately witnessed violence were relatively unlikely to experience personal victimization. In addition, direct and indirect exposures to violence were associated with subsequent adverse outcomes in similar ways. The key distinguishing factor was, rather, the cumulative level of violence (both direct and indirect) to which youths were exposed.

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Although law enforcement agencies, policymakers, and communities have had to confront the issue of increasing metal theft for the past several years, almost no academic literature has attempted to examine the correlates of metal theft and subsequent policy implications. This exploratory study profiles the theft of metal from commercial and residential dwellings through analysis of recorded crime data from April 2008 through July 2010 in Rochester, New York. An opportunity framework guided the analyses. Spatial, trend, and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to examine and better understand metal theft. Results indicate that an opportunity theory approach is useful in addressing metal theft and that this framework provides explicit implications for local law enforcement and policymakers.

One longstanding research interest of criminology that has seen resurgence of late is the relationship between offending and victimization. This line of research reveals that offending and victimization are not randomly distributed among the population but clustered within the same individuals. These individuals share similar individual characteristics and experiences with violence and deviance. Research has only begun to explain this overlap using existing theoretical frameworks. Further, despite this recent interest, little is known about the overlap between theft offending and victimization. To expand and add clarity to the body of research on the victim-offender overlap, the current study uses data from the second International Self-Report Delinquency Study (ISRD-2) to investigate the link between violent and theft offending/victimization. Results reveal that there is a consistent positive relationship between all forms of offending and victimization. Offending and victimization are also accounted for using similar explanatory frameworks.

Neighborhood characteristics have been associated with various facets of children's health. This study explored whether adverse neighborhood conditions-particularly violence exposure and perceptions of danger-were associated with child health status and health risks across four dimensions: health difficulties (for example, headaches, stomachaches, or breathing problems), chronic physical conditions, developmental disorders, and mental health conditions. Data were derived from the 2016 National Survey of Children's Health, a survey of a cross-sectional weighted probability sample of US children ages 0-17. The findings indicate that neighborhood violence exposure and perceptions of danger yielded the strongest associations with the studied health dimensions and were especially relevant to the occurrence and accumulation of intersecting health problems across dimensions. The findings underscore the need for multiple sectors and agencies to collectively invest in public safety and community violence prevention as a means of promoting health among children.

The impact of COVID-19 has been felt by all facets of the criminal justice system and victim services agencies. The ability to monitor and report maltreatment has been severely limited for organizations that work with children of abuse and neglect; this is particularly troubling given that abuse and neglect are likely to rise during times of distress and turmoil. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the importance of organizations that work with children exposed to maltreatment, highlight the novel approach of Child Advocacy Services, SEGA, Inc. (CASSEGA), the sponsoring agency for Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) and the Ogeechee Visitation Centers, in rural southeast Georgia and how the COVID-19 pandemic has challenged this work, and develop strategies that can be put into place to alleviate these challenges for other child-serving organizations.