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The victimization of college students is well documented. Comparative research on the extent of victimization and the risk factors for it is less prevalent. Although some cultural similarities exist, it is possible that American and Canadian college students differ in their experience of victimization. These differences have not been fully explored. To do so, we use data from the American College Health Association's National College Health Assessment II, which assesses health and risk behaviors of college students. In 2013, this survey was also administered to Canadian college students. We find that Canadian college students have higher risks of both violent and sexual victimization, likely due to their higher levels of several risk factors. In addition, key differences in the risk factors for violent and sexual victimization emerged. These findings have implications for the development and implementation of risk reduction and prevention programs on college campuses.

Research shows that U.S. college students are at risk for a variety of victimization types. College students in Canada also experience similar types of victimization compared to U.S students, yet recent research shows that Canadian students are at a greater risk than U.S. college students of being victimized. Little is known, however, as to whether college-level factors influence victimization risk and how these risks may be different for U.S. and Canadian college students. Using the American College Health Association's National College Health Assessment data (ACHA-NCHA II), the current study builds upon past research by exploring the role of both individual and school characteristics and whether they are similarly related to risk of victimization in the two populations. The findings show that Canadian students are at higher risk for victimization and that some school-level factors play a role in predicting this risk for all students, with some variation in ones that matter for each country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prior research on police culture has focused primarily on line officers. This study examined culture at the upper administrative level by identifying a taxonomy of police chiefs based on their role orientations. Relevant predictors of culture types based on chief, department, and jurisdiction characteristics were also tested. Data come from a survey of 460 local police chiefs in Texas and 2013–2017 census estimates from the American Community Survey. Five groups of chiefs were observed in the data: service-oriented, peace-keeper, law and order professionals, lay-lows, and traditionalists. Having a graduate education, being an internal hire, total years of experience in law enforcement, department size, and residential instability levels significantly differentiated the groups. This study sheds insight into occupational culture from the upper administrative level of police organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prior research has provided consistent evidence that minority students are more likely than White youth to experience punitive forms of discipline in schools. Scholars have theorized that these disadvantages are closely connected to gender and socioeconomic status, but little research has explored how these factors independently and jointly might moderate the effects of race/ethnicity. Using data from the 2012 to 2018 8th and 10th grade cohorts of the Monitoring the Future survey (N = 53,986), these analyses find that minority students are more likely than Whites to experience suspension/expulsion and office referrals, and this pattern is especially prominent among females. Further, racial/ethnic disparities are amplified for youth whose parents have higher levels of educational attainment, though some differences by gender also emerge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Being fearful of crime is, unfortunately, a common experience. Research shows that many factors influence a person's fear of crime, demonstrating that certain groups are generally more fearful than others. Even though they are typically young, college students express being fearful of crime on and off campus. What has yet to be investigated is whether college students who attend school in the United States are fearful at similar levels to their Canadian counterparts. Further, the correlates of fear of crime may also be different. To explore these issues, data from the American College Health Association's National College Health Assessment II survey of U.S. and Canadian college students are used. Results show that Canadian college students generally perceive their safety as being higher than U.S. college students, even though they face elevated victimization risks. Further, some correlates of fear of crime differ for U.S. and Canadian college students. These findings suggest the need for additional cross-national comparative work to see if patterns generalize across contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research suggests that people in prison may be especially vulnerable to victimization and may be more likely to report exposure to multiple types, known as poly-victimization. However, the literature surrounding patterns of victimization among prisoners is limited. Before we can fully understand the variation in victimization experiences among prisoners, a necessary first step is to identify victim profiles within prisons. The current study utilizes data from the 2004 Survey of Inmates in State and Federal Correctional Facilities and employs latent class analysis to identify unique victim profiles among prisoners to understand the variation in victimization experiences, with a focus on identifying those exposed to poly-victimization. The findings of this study indicate (a) that there are four distinct victim profiles—poly-victimization (2%), physical victimization in adulthood (31%), physical victimization in childhood (17%), and low/no victimization (49%); (b) that some prisoners experience poly-victimization, although this consists of a small proportion of prisoners; and (c) that there are clear demographic differences between the latent classes, with some of the largest differences among those in the poly-victimization profile. The findings of the current study are important because they add more depth to the knowledge regarding poly-victimization among prisoners, a topic that has received little attention from researchers. The current study suggests that correctional policy may need to be tailored in a way that recognizes the different needs of prisoners who have been exposed to different forms of victimization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research shows that individuals with mental health problems are at an increased risk of victimization compared with individuals without such problems, and certain mental health problems are linked with particular types of victimization. Although most research has not used theory to guide why these differential risks exist, researchers have begun to theorize the reasons why individuals with mental health problems experience victimization. In line with these recent inquiries, the present study uses a Lifestyle/Routine Activities perspective to examine the victimization of people with mental health problems. Further, different types of mental health problems are explored for their potential links to victimization. Risky lifestyle factors are also explored for their potential mediating role in the link between mental health and victimization. A path analysis is conducted with data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health). Results suggest that different mental health problems have differing links to victimization types, and lifestyle factors mediate the link for some forms of victimization. The findings imply that certain lifestyle factors explain victimization risk among people with mental health problems, but these individuals may also have unique risk factors related to mental health. Policy implications and directions for future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The victimization of college students is well documented. Comparative research on the extent of victimization and the risk factors for it is less prevalent. Although some cultural similarities exist, it is possible that American and Canadian college students differ in their experience of victimization. These differences have not been fully explored. To do so, we use data from the American College Health Association's National College Health Assessment II, which assesses health and risk behaviors of college students. In 2013, this survey was also administered to Canadian college students. We find that Canadian college students have higher risks of both violent and sexual victimization, likely due to their higher levels of several risk factors. In addition, key differences in the risk factors for violent and sexual victimization emerged. These findings have implications for the development and implementation of risk reduction and prevention programs on college campuses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While most research focuses on the positive effects of social support on adolescent development, Cullen hypothesizes that social support may promote crime and delinquency under certain conditions. Specifically, when social support is derived from deviant sources, it may promote offending behavior. In this study, we test an elaborated version of this “differential social support” hypothesis. The results indicate that, among adolescents who associate with delinquent peers, peer social support is associated with an increase in delinquent behavior. These findings highlight the potential “dark side” of social support. Implications for criminological theory and crime control policy are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]