Factors associated with a history of firearm injuries in juveniles drug traffickers and violent juvenile offenders

Abstract

Firearm injures have reached epidemic proportions within both Juvenile and adult correctional populations Relatively little is known. However, About the Individual and community factors associated with an increased risk violence in offender populations Understanding these correlates of Violent Victimization would represent the First step in the Identification of putative risk factors: permitting the development of mean1nglul and effect1ve Prevention programs the primary objective of the present study was to develop a model of individual and Community factors associated with firearm Injury prevalence in a sample of incarcerated juvenile drug traffickers (n = 217). And violent juvenile offenders (n = 239) The results indicated that the pattern of offending. Drug selling or violence . Was important in determining the particular factors assoc1ated w1th firearm injures in juvenile? Offenders. The results were consistent w1th the hypothesis that Juvenile drug traffickers may have been Injured As a result of a generalmabil1ty to lunction effectively within the drug trafficking arena. or adequately Judge Dangerous situations . including situations where they were at increased risk for robbery or other violent victimization The profile that emerged fort he injured via lent offenders suggested that they may have prec1p1tated a violent attack through an aggressive interactional style. or the predatory nature olther offending . A preliminary review olcommun1ty vandals Indicated that the firearm Injury prevalence for the two different offender groups varied across locality, again suggesting that community or environmental factors may interact w1th offend1ng in defining the overall risk for Injury.