Victim–Offender Overlap in Juvenile Systems

Abstract

The victim–offender overlap refers to the phenomenon wherein individuals who experience victimization are statistically more likely to engage in offending behavior, especially during adolescence. In juvenile systems, this overlap is driven by developmental vulnerabilities, environmental exposure to violence, trauma, peer dynamics, and structural inequalities. This paper synthesizes literature across criminology, developmental psychology, and juvenile justice to explain how victimization contributes to later offending, not through moral failure but through behavioral adaptation, stress responses, and social learning. A new model—the Trauma-Exposure–Behavior Cycle (TEBC)—is proposed to conceptualize the transition from victimization to delinquency. Policy implications include trauma-informed juvenile justice practices, integrated victim–offender services, and early intervention programs.