Considerable research documents the consequences of criminal violence for v
ictims. At the same time, a strong relationship exists between age and risk
of violent victimization; risk is greatest in childhood and adolescence. T
his article joins these two issues by examining the implications of violent
victimization for personal and social development. The discussion is divid
ed into three sections. The first section situates violent victimization in
the life course by examining age-differentiation in victimization risk. Wi
th high risk during adolescence, victimization is most likely to occur duri
ng a period of the life course in which a variety of life course trajectori
es are formed. The second section reviews research on the implications of v
ictimization for life course development with respect to psychological dist
ress and well-being, involvement in crime and deviance, and educational and
socioeconomic attainment. Finally, the third section proposes a theoretica
l framework for understanding the myriad life course consequences of victim
ization and suggests directions for future research. In examining the role
of violence in shaping individual life courses, this article links criminol
ogical and sociological inquiry to further understandings of the social fac
tors that influence individual development.