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Criminal History and Assault of Dating Partners: The Role of Gender, Age of Onset, and Type of Crime

NCJ Number
186240
Author(s)
Murray A. Straus; I. Luis Ramirez
Date Published
November 1999
Length
20 pages
Annotation
A study of dating violence among 653 university students examined the extent to which partner assaults are a specialized crime or part of a more general pattern of criminal behavior.
Abstract
Results revealed that 31 percent reported assaulting a partner in the previous 12 months. Thirty-two percent of the females and 29 percent of the males reported assaulting a partner. Results also revealed high rates of other self-reported crime. More than half the male students and almost one third of the female students reported having stolen money. The male students reported committing an average of 3.4 crimes; the female students reported an average of 1.4 crimes. Moreover, logistic regression analysis revealed that a history of prior criminal acts is associated with an increased probability of assaulting a partner. The relationship was greater when the person had committed prior violent crime rather than property crime, when onset of criminal behavior was early, and when the offender was female. Findings indicated that a general propensity to crime is an important part of the etiology of dating violence and thus that partner assault is not as unique a category of crime as might be thought. Findings also indicated that the link between dating violence and a history of other types of crime is as strong or stronger for women than men. Results also contribute to understanding of two more general aspects of criminal careers: early onset and criminal generalists versus specialists. Tables and 38 references (Author abstract modified)