DOI: 10.3886/icpsr37176.v1
title: Understanding the Violent Victimization Experiences of Young Men of Color, Illinois, 2016-2018
title: Version 1

description: This study began to address the gap in the knowledge base about the violent victimization experiences, and related outcomes, of young Black males, ages 18 to 24. This study had a goal of creating and pilot testing an instrument that measured those experiences. Phase 1 included: conducting focus groups and key informant meetings, reviewing related instrumentation literature, and completing a draft of the instrument.
description: The objectives of this study were three-fold:


To develop and evaluate an instrument that captures data about the victimization experiences of urban, suburban, and rural young Black men between the ages of 18 to 24.


To better understand the victimization experiences of young Black men by taking knowledge gained from pre-existing data collections and expand upon them by adding information that is not readily available in those sources.


To obtain information that will better inform policy and practice regarding the criminal justice system's response to the violent victimization of young Black men.
description: The collection of screener data for the focus groups occurred beginning in January of 2017. Using the field and phone screeners, potential participants were asked questions about gender, date of birth, and race to determine initial eligibility. If participants did not self identify as Black (more than one race could be selected but Black was required), provide a date of birth that made them between the ages of 18 and 24, male, and reside in the study area, they were immediately determined to be ineligible. If they met those criteria, they were asked questions focused on the various types of victimization of interest to the study including: physical assault, school violence, gang violence, physical assault by the police, sexual assault, jail or prison violence, violence while engaged in military service, a hate crime or other types of violence due to race, a hate crime or other types of violence due to sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression (SOGIE), or other general violence not previously captured.


Focus group data were collected between January and June of 2017. The focus groups were co-facilitated by 2 to 4 Black men, age 25 and older, who also served as recruiters for the project. The key informant meetings were held between March and May of 2017. They were co-facilitated by two Black women and also included a Black female as notetaker. During the focus groups and key informant meetings, the questions focused predominately on obtaining feedback about the language being used to categorize victimization experiences, the existing and planned recruiting methods, as well as suggestions for changes and improvements going forward. In addition, participants were asked to respond to questions regarding their own opinions about violence and victimization.


In preparation of creating items for the planned instrument, existing instruments were reviewed. They were narrowed down to those which included items relevant to our violence categories used on the screening tool. The information was used to provide the foundation for types of items that should be created, as well as inform the strategies for formatting items (i.e. open-ended or close-ended).
description: Focus group and key informant meeting participants were a convenience sample. Both groups of potential participants were recruited using on-the-street recruiting and advertising via flyers and Craigslist. The screening of potential participants for the focus groups occurred both in person and by phone and the screening of potential participants for the key informant meetings occurred only by phone. In order to determine the eligibility of potential participants for a focus group, the brief screener focused on whether the individual had a history of victimization experiences. Eligibility of potential participants for the key informant meetings was assessed using similar questions but related to whether they had a close relationship (i.e. mother, grandmother, aunt, sister, friend, spouse, girlfriend, or significant other) with a young man who met the eligibility criteria for being a focus group participant (the young man's own participation in the study was not a requirement). Both focus group and key informant meeting participants received remuneration in the amount of 50 dollars.
description: Datasets: 
DS0: Study-Level Files
DS1: Focus Group Meeting Eligibility Screener Data
DS2: Focus Group Participant Background Information
DS3: Key Informant Meeting Eligibility Screener Data
DS4: Key Informant Meeting Roster
DS5: Key Informant Participant Background Information
DS6: Focus Group Rosters
DS7: Qualitative Interview Transcripts
description: Young Black men ages 18 to 24 who reside in urban, suburban, and rural areas throughout Illinois and have been victimized by violence.
description: face-to-face interview; on-site questionnaire; telephone interviewFor additional information users can refer to the website: SURVIVESome of the text in DS7 (Qualitative Interview Transcripts) contains language that users may find offensive.