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Factors Associated With a History of Firearm Injuries in Juvenile Drug Traffickers and Violent Juvenile Offenders

NCJ Number
171731
Journal
Free Inquiry in Creative Sociology Volume: 24 Issue: 2 Dated: November 1996 Pages: 157-165
Author(s)
C R McLaughlin; S M Reiner; B W Smith; D E Waite; P N Reams; T F Joost; A S Gervin
Date Published
1996
Length
9 pages
Annotation
Data from 217 incarcerated juvenile drug traffickers and 239 incarcerated violent juvenile offenders were used to develop a model of individual and community factors associated with the prevalence of gun injuries in these youths.
Abstract
The youths had all been committed to Virginia juvenile correctional centers for drug trafficking or violence during fiscal years 1993 and 1994. The study also included a comparison group of 373 juvenile offenders who matched the drug traffickers on gender, race, age, and committing court location. Results revealed that the pattern of offending, drug selling, or violence was important in determining the particular factors associated with firearm injuries in juvenile offenders. Results were consistent with the hypothesis that juvenile drug traffickers may have been injured as a result of a general inability to function effectively within the drug trafficking arena or adequately to judge dangerous situations, including situations where they were at increased risk for robbery or other violent victimization. The profile that emerged for the injured violent offenders suggested that they may have precipitated a violent attack through an aggressive interaction style or through the predatory nature of their offending. In addition, a preliminary review of community variables indicated that the firearm injury prevalence for the two different offender groups varied across locality; these findings also suggested that community or context factors may interact with offending in defining the overall risk for injury. Tables and 34 references (Author abstract modified)