Citation

Rivara FP, Shepherd JP, Farrington DP, Richmond PW, Cannon P. Ann. Emerg. Med. 1995; 26(5): 609-614.

Affiliation

Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center, University of Washington, Seattle, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1995, American College of Emergency Physicians, Publisher Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

7486371

Abstract

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To determine how often adolescent and young adult victims of assaultive injury are offenders in assaults and other crimes. DESIGN: Comparison of 10- to 24-year-old males treated in the accident and emergency department for assault-related injuries to similar-aged males treated in the same department for unintentional injuries. Police records were searched on both groups for warnings or convictions. SETTING: Accident and emergency department of the Cardiff Royal Infirmary. RESULTS: Assault patients were significantly more likely to be formally warned or convicted, and they had a higher mean number of warnings or convictions per 100 person-years of exposure, than other injury patients. These differences were most pronounced for the younger patients and for the year following the injury. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that many young male assault patients either have a history of criminal activity or develop criminal behavior subsequent to their assault and may benefit from appropriate intervention aimed at interrupting the cycle of crime and violence.