Nearly 37 percent of women sitting in state prisons said they had been sexually or physically abused before they turned 18, compared to 12 to 17 percent of women overall, the study said.
Male offenders are also more likely to be child victims of violence.
Fourteen percent of men in state prisons reported sexual or physical abuse before they turned 18, while only 5 to 8 percent of men in the general population admit such abuse, according to the survey. Abuse linked to drugs Prisoners reported higher levels of abuse if they grew up in a foster home, with a parent who abused drugs or alcohol or had been incarcerated. But people who deal with abused children say abuse early in life can lead to a life of crime. There is ample evidence now that a child who is neglected is more likely to have a brain that developed slowly and with less capacity than a child in a nurtured environment. Besides mental impairments, sexual abuse among girls has been linked with higher rates of drug abuse later on.