Association of Health and Victimization with Discrete Group Membership in Offending Frequency: Results from a Sample of Taiwanese Male Prisoners

Health and victimization have been documented as the robust covariates for offending, but limited research examines the relationship among the three elements simultaneously. Drawing on survey data from a group of male incarcerated individuals in Taiwan (N = 472), this study utilizes multinomial logistic regression to test whether health and victimization attribute to discern the membership among chronic, intermittent, and one-time offenders. Net of controls, results reveal that worse physical and mental health is associated with persistent offending. In addition, chronic offenders are more likely to experience more property victimization than one-time offenders. Our findings imply that consideration for preventing individuals from persistent offending by treating offenders with better care for health and victimization may generate additional beneficial effects. The so-called chronic offenders should be deemed to be the chronic victims or the chronic unhealthiness. The criminal justice policymaking based on the demonization of chronic offenders is desperate for change.