The Relationship Between Trauma and Violence in a Jail Inmate Sample

Abstract

Research suggests there is a link between trauma and violence, although the nature of the relationship is rather equivocal. This study explored this relationship by examining self-reported trauma as a predictor of self-reported violence in 93 jail inmates. Ninety-six percent of the sample reported experiencing a traumatic event, and 67% reported having been violent during the year preceding incarceration. Inmates reporting trauma were more than twice as likely to report having been violent than nonviolent. Stepwise multiple regression analyses suggested traumatic events, as a combined model, significantly contributed to violence perpetration. In addition, witnessing serious violence predicted perpetration of violence. Implications and limitations of the present study are discussed.

The Relationship between Trauma, Arrest, and Incarceration History among Black Americans

“…Empirical support for this hypothesis comes from multiple directions: First, studies of incarcerated individuals invariably report high prevalence of previous trauma and PTSD in both juvenile (Chen 2009; Paton et al 2009) and adult violent offender samples (Gunter et al 2012; Kinsler and Saxman 2007; Neller et al 2006; Saxon et al 2001). Second, in qualitative studies, young male victims of violent crime, particularly those from low-income communities where mistrust of police is common, repeatedly discuss their belief that only swift retaliation will show strength, prevent disrespect, and keep them safe from future victimization (Rich and Grey 2005; Stewart et al 2006).…”

The Politics, Promise, and Peril of Criminal Justice Reform in the Context of Mass Incarceration

“…7 A third argument for tethering anti-violence objectives to criminal reform initiatives concerns the criminogenic nature of the experience of interpersonal violence: Violence survivors are notably over-represented among arrestees, prisoners, and exprisoners, even after controlling for poverty and other risk factors ( Jaggi et al 2016, Neller et al 2006, Western 2015, Wolff et al 2009). Indeed, the popular juxtaposition of (innocent) crime victims and the (guilty) justice-involved is entirely mythical: The people, families, and neighborhoods who suffer the burden of violence are also most harmed by mass incarceration.…”

Child maltreatment and adult criminal behavior: Does criminal thinking explain the association?

“…The Rochester Youth Development Study, which also used a longitudinal design, similarly revealed that maltreatment in childhood and adolescence are associated with increased risk for subsequent delinquent and criminal behaviors in adolescence and young adulthood (Smith and Thornberry, 1995;Smith et al, 2005;Thornberry et al, 2001). Similarly, studies among correctional samples of male offenders show that those who experienced child abuse or witnessed violence growing up are more likely than non-maltreated inmates to engage in violent or aggressive acts as adults (Felson and Lane, 2009;Hill and Nathan, 2008;Komarovskaya, 2009;Neller et al, 2006). Moreover, some studies suggest that the type of criminal behaviors that victims partake in may depend on the type of maltreatment they endured.…”