Storylines of Physical and Sexual Assault in Urban Nightlife: the Impact of Individual Disposition and Social Context
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The author(s) shown below used Federal funds provided by the U.S. Department of Justice and prepared the following final report: Document Title: Storylines of Physical and Sexual Assault in Urban Nightlife: The Impact of Individual Disposition and Social Context Author: Philip R. Kavanaugh Document No.: 230408 Date Received: April 2010 Award Number: 2008-IJ-CX-0004 This report has not been published by the U.S. Department of Justice. To provide better customer service, NCJRS has made this Federally- funded grant final report available electronically in addition to traditional paper copies. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice. This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. STORYLINES OF PHYSICAL AND SEXUAL ASSAULT IN URBAN NIGHTLIFE: THE IMPACT OF INDIVIDUAL DISPOSITION AND SOCIAL CONTEXT by: Philip R. Kavanaugh A dissertation submitted to the faculty of the University of Delaware in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Sociology Winter 2010 Copyright 2010 Philip R. Kavanaugh All Rights Reserved i This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice. This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. STORYLINES OF PHYSICAL AND SEXUAL ASSAULT IN URBAN NIGHTLIFE: THE IMPACT OF INDIVIDUAL DISPOSITION AND SOCIAL CONTEXT by: Philip R. Kavanaugh Approved: __________________________________________________________________ Ronet Bachman, Ph.D. Chair of the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice Approved: __________________________________________________________________ George H. Watson, Ph.D. Interim Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Approved: __________________________________________________________________ Debra Hess Norris, M.S. Vice Provost for Graduate and Professional Education ii This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice. This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. I certify that I have read this dissertation and that in my opinion it meets the academic and professional standard required by the University as a dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Signed:_________________________________________________________________ Tammy L. Anderson, Ph.D. Professor in charge of dissertation I certify that I have read this dissertation and that in my opinion it meets the academic and professional standard required by the University as a dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Signed: _________________________________________________________________ Joel Best, Ph.D. Member of dissertation committee I certify that I have read this dissertation and that in my opinion it meets the academic and professional standard required by the University as a dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Signed: _________________________________________________________________ Karen F. Parker, Ph.D. Member of dissertation committee I certify that I have read this dissertation and that in my opinion it meets the academic and professional standard required by the University as a dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Signed: _________________________________________________________________ Graham C. Ousey, Ph.D. Member of dissertation committee iii This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice. This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Like any labor of love, the completion of this one owes thanks to many people. This project was supported by a dissertation research fellowship from the National Institute of Justice (NIJ). I would first like to extend thanks to my program officer Christine Crossland at NIJ for her assistance throughout the entire process, from the initial application, to the progress updates, to the delivery of the final report. Special thanks to Carole Blett at the University of Delaware Research Office for coordinating the submission of the grant application and Judith Watson of the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice for administrative assistance. It goes without saying that my committee is owed much gratitude for their patience and guidance throughout this process. Graham Ousey provided important feedback early on, and ensured that I was approaching things sensibly. Given that Graham is participating from a long distance, he is owed a well-deserved thanks. Karen Parker agreed to serve on my committee shortly after joining the faculty here. Her willingness to serve on the dissertation committee of a student she hardly knew at that time is a testament to her openness, and her feedback and encouragement were always appreciated. Joel Best has served as a thorough and constructive critic of my work since my arrival at the University of Delaware, always encouraging me to write better (and more clearly). His organizational suggestions and substantive criticisms have always been tremendously valuable. iv This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice. This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. Finally my dissertation chair, Tammy Anderson, stands as the driving force behind this project. Not only did Tammy graciously allow me to use the data from her initial NIJ grant for my dissertation research, she encouraged me to apply for my own grant, and helped me to clearly envision the conceptual and substantive contributions of the proposed work. Her generosity and guidance not only made this project possible, but also greatly improved its theoretical and methodological bases. She also provided valuable suggestions, insights, and criticisms at every stage of the writing and analysis, and without her tireless assistance this document would be far worse for the wear. She has always been a very generous and patient mentor. Thanks, Tammy. Additional thanks to Jamie Longazel and Ray Maratea for helping to maintain my sanity by dragging me away from work on various occasions to watch Giants football, grab a drink, watch a bad movie, vent cathartically, or all of the above. A special shout out to Ray, with whom I toiled away for countless hours at Deer Park Tavern, snacking on excellent popcorn (and curiously terrible cuisine) during the dark days of comprehensive exam preparations. I can’t imagine having gone through this hell without him. A special thank you is reserved for several of my oldest and closest friends. In particular Rob Kane, Tom McPoyle, Dan Danneker, Keegan Hoppes, and even Zach, Tyler, Justin, all provided much needed support through several personal struggles I experienced during graduate school. Their friendship and company was invaluable in helping me weather some tough times, whether they know it or not. Finally, a well- deserved thank you is owed to my parents, Phil and Kathy Kavanaugh. Their support was essential in the completion of this degree. v This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice. This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES………………………………………………………………………...x LIST OF FIGURES……………………………………………………………………....xi ABSTRACT…………………………………………………………………………xii-xiii Chapters 1 INTRODUCTION AND LITERATURE REVIEW……………………...1 1.1 Review of Relevant Research……………………………………..4 1.2 Gender, Crime, and Victimization………………………………...7 1.2 Social Context……………………………………………………..9 1.3 Individual Disposition……………………………………………12 1.4 Reconciling Diverse Theoretical Perspectives………………...…23 1.5 Analytical Framework………………………………………..….24 1.6 Organization of the Dissertation…………………………………29 2 RESEARCH METHODS AND DESIGN……………………………….31 2.1 The Research Site………………………………………………..32 2.2 Recruitment and Interviews…………………………………...…34 2.3 Direct Observation……………………………………………….38 2.4 Unit of Analysis…………………………………………….……41 2.5 Dependent Variables……………………………………………..42 vi This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice. This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. 2.6 Analysis…………………………………………………………..43 2.7 Limitations of the Current Research……………………………..47 3 PATTERNS OF OFFENDING, VICTIMIZATION, AND DRUG USE……………………………………………………..…50 3.1 Physical Assault………………………………………………….52 3.2 Sexual Assault……………………………………………………54 3.3 Drug Selling…………………………………………………..….58