Repeat Victimisation

Definition & Overview

• Repeat Victimisation (RV)
  • Occurs when the same person, household, location, or target experiences more than one criminal incident within a defined time‐span.
  • Central insight: Past victimisation is the single best predictor of future victimisation.
  • Reasons offered across the literature (implied by the final slide’s “Why?” cue):
  • Offenders learn that the target is vulnerable, lucrative, or poorly protected.
  • Victims may lack resources or knowledge to upgrade security quickly.
  • Routine Activities / Lifestyle factors remain unchanged after the first incident.
  • Underlying social or environmental conditions (e.g., neighbourhood disorder) remain constant.

Empirical Evidence: US Youth (Lauritsen & Quinet, 1995)

Repeat Theft Victimisation – National Youth Survey

• Distribution of self-reported theft incidents in the last year:
  • $0$ thefts: $50.3\%$
  • $1$ theft: $20.6\%$
  • $2$ thefts: $13.5\%$
  • $3$ thefts: $6.2\%$
  • $4$ thefts: $3.4\%$
  • $\ge 4$ thefts: $5.9\%$
• Take-away: Nearly half of all youth theft victims suffered two or more events.

Repeat Assault Victimisation – National Youth Survey

• Distribution of self-reported assaults in the last year:
  • $0$ assaults: $68.9\%$
  • $1$ assault: $12.9\%$
  • $2$ assaults: $8.2\%$
  • $3$ assaults: $2.9\%$
  • $4$ assaults: $2.0\%$
  • $\ge 4$ assaults: $5.2\%$
• Interpretation: Although most youths report no assault, a small fraction accumulate a large share of incidents.

Empirical Evidence: Australia

Household Burglary – South Australia (Holder, 1997)

• $16\%{-}20\%$ of burglary victims experience exactly two incidents within $12$ months.
• $4.7\%$ experience three or more burglaries in the same period.
• $>\frac{1}{3}$ of repeat burglaries occur within one month of the initial burglary.
• Jurisdictional comparison: South Australia = lowest RV rate; Queensland = highest.

Personal Crime & Domestic Violence (Holder, 1997)

• Probability of a second personal crime is $\approx 8$ times higher for those already victimised than for people with no prior victimisation.
• Domestic violence:
  • ≈$50\%$ of women experiencing DV report more than one incident.
  • $51.6\%$ of Australian women report >1 incident of physical or sexual violence after age $15$.

Risk Factors for Repeat Burglary Victimisation (Holder, 1997)

• Household with a single adult (i.e., single-parent or solo occupant).
• Rental status rather than ownership.
• Occupancy <$1$ year (recent movers).
• Household head age <$34$ years.
• The combination of these factors heightens exposure and decreases guardianship, making swift repeat attacks more likely.

Australian Repeat Victimisation – 1-Year Summary

• Most victims (majority) are victimised only once during a given year.
• A small minority experience multiple incidents, yet they account for a disproportionate share of total crime counts.
• Strongest predictor of future victimisation = prior victimisation.

Theoretical Explanations & Mechanisms (linking to prior criminological frameworks)

• Boost Explanation: Successful offenders “boost” confidence; they return because they already know the location’s layout, escape routes, and security deficits.
• Flag Explanation: Characteristics of the target itself (e.g., accessibility, visibility) “flag” it as attractive to many different offenders.
• Lifestyle/Routine Activity Theory: Without changes in motivated offenders, suitable targets, or capable guardians, risk remains elevated.
• Victim-offender overlap (especially for youth assaults): Individuals engaged in risky routines may both offend and be victimised repeatedly.

Practical & Policy Implications

• Time-critical prevention: Because >$33\%$ of repeat burglaries occur within one month, rapid target‐hardening (locks, alarms, community alerts) right after the first offence is essential.
• Risk mapping & resource allocation: Police can prioritise households/people with recent victimisation for extra patrols or support.
• Victim support services: Counseling, safety planning, and domestic violence interventions must acknowledge the high likelihood of recurrence.
• Housing policy: Improve security standards for rental properties; encourage landlords to invest in better locks and lighting.
• Education & outreach: Inform victims that they face elevated risk; provide concrete steps to mitigate.

Key Takeaways & Study Tips

• Memorise the percentage distributions for US youth theft & assault and SA burglary.
• Remember the risk ratio (×8) for a second personal crime in Australia.
• Be able to explain the difference between “boost” and “flag” perspectives.
• Link repeat victimisation to Routine Activity Theory: offenders, targets, guardians.
• For exams, can be useful to cite the Holder (1997) and Lauritsen & Quinet (1995) studies by name and year.
• Think critically about policy timing—interventions are most effective immediately after a first incident.