Risky Behaviors and Violent Victimization

By Christine Army and Karim H. Vellani

In 2020, Anthony Chamberlain called a prostitute to visit him at a motel where he was a guest. The prostitute, along with her boyfriend, arrived at the motel where they robbed and killed Chamberlain in his motel room. In 2021, Miguel Gomez met his longtime drug dealer in the parking lot of an expensive, high rise apartment building. Unlike the many other times when they met at other locations, this time a dispute ensued, and the drug dealer shot and killed Gomez. In 2022, gang member Jamil Wright went to a mall to buy a suit for a friend’s funeral. The friend had been murdered by a rival gang resulting from a long-term dispute over territory. While walking in the shopping mall, Wright passed a member of the rival gang. The rival gang member went to his car, retrieved a handgun, and killed Wright in the mall’s food court. Each of the victims above were engaged in a risky behavior. Chamberlain was engaged in illicit sexual activities. Gomez was buying illegal narcotics. Wright was a self-identified gang member. From a prevention perspective, it is useful to understand the factors that increase one’s risk of violent victimization and how Handlers (discussed below) can help at-risk individuals reduce their risks. Research studies, including those summarized in the Appendix, largely focus attention on the factors associated with increased risk of victimization. These studies have consistently found that engaging in risky behaviors increases one’s chance of becoming a victim of violence. The most prominent theoretical developments in the area of victimization are the Routine Activity Theory and the Lifestyle Perspective. Both theories address how context or situation influences vulnerability to violence.

International Association of Professional Security Consultants 2023. 33p.