Hidden mistreatment predicts criminal intentions even when victims do not recognize it
Feb 22nd 2026
A study of 385 offenders in Australian restorative justice meetings found that impartial observers could identify negative treatment that raised offenders' reported likelihood to reoffend, even when offenders did not report anger or perceive the mistreatment.
- Observed negative treatment by impartial staff predicted higher projected offending among participants.
- Offenders who personally perceived negative treatment reported more anger, and that anger increased projected offending.
- Observed strain did not predict self-reported anger, suggesting effects can operate below conscious awareness.
- Data came from restorative justice meetings where trained observers rated respect, forgiveness, and hostility toward offenders.
- The study measured projected offending intentions at one time point rather than tracking actual reoffending over time.
- Limitations include cross-sectional design, reliance on self-reported intentions, a focus on anger, and a narrow set of strain measures.
- Authors recommend longitudinal studies, physiological measures, and in-depth interviews to better capture hidden hardship.
- Study details: titled "Is Ignorance Bliss: Examining the Association Between Observed and Perceived Strain, Anger, and Projected Offending" by Shelley Keith and Heather L. Scheuerman, published in Deviant Behavior.