Showing papers in "International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology in 1999"
TL;DR: The authors found that child molesters were significantly lower in self-esteem, higher on emotional loneliness and personal distress, and showed deficits in victim empathy, while non-offenders were more likely to report victim-blaming attitudes and distorted thinking regarding children and sex.
Abstract: A group of 140 child molesters (59 participating in community-based sex offender treatment programs and 81 incarcerated child molesters) were compared on a range of psychological measures to a group of 81 nonoffenders. Child molesters were found to be significantly lower in self-esteem, higher on emotional loneliness and personal distress, and to show deficits in victim empathy. Further differences were found between high- and low-deviancy offenders in terms of assertiveness, perspective taking, cognitive distortions regarding children, and emotional congruence with children. General empathy did not appear to be directly related to empathy for one’s own victim and the presence of cognitive distortions was only significant in high-deviancy child molesters. Some victim-blaming attitudes and distorted thinking regarding children and sex were found in the nonoffender group.
200 citations
TL;DR: 32 guiding principles that will be of use to policy makers, program developers, and clinicians in ensuring that a useful intervention has a greater probability of being accepted are presented.
Abstract: Of all the issues critical to the development of effective correctional treatment programs, program implementation has been relatively ignored. The authors present 32 guiding principles that will be of use to policy makers, program developers, and clinicians in ensuring that a useful intervention has a greater probability of being accepted. The guidelines are organized under four general categories: general organizational factors, program factors, change agent activities, and staffing.
169 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated the perceptions and experiences of professionals and paraprofessionals working with sex offenders and found that these perceptions influence practice and the manner in which such perceptions affect the practice.
Abstract: The last 20 years have witnessed an increase in the attention paid to crimes of sexual violence. Academic research, social services, and the general public have responded to the steady rise in these crimes by subjecting them to increased scrutiny and address. Professionals and paraprofessionals responsible for the processing, supervision, and treatment of sex offenders are under increasing pressure. This study investigated the perceptions and experiences of professionals and paraprofessionals working with sex offenders. Such research is important because these perceptions influence practice. Using a semistructured interview schedule, 23 men and women were interviewed about various aspects of their work with sex offenders for between 1 and 2 hours. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic content analysis. The findings are discussed in terms of professionals’and paraprofessionals’ perceptions of sex offenders and their offences and the manner in which such perceptions affect the...
152 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors extended the definitions of four previously recognized rape-offender typologies (power-assertive, power- reassurance, anger-retaliatory, and anger-excitation) into classifications for sexually oriented killers.
Abstract: Generally, murder classifications have failed to be useful for investigators in identifying perpetrators of murders. Based on the experience of the authors, this article extends the definitions of four previously recognized rape-offender typologies (power-assertive, power- reassurance, anger-retaliatory, and anger-excitation) into classifications for sexually oriented killers. These types of murderers and their crime scenes are described through the dynamics of their behaviors, homicidal patterns, and suspect profiles. Each typology is followed by an actual case example that fits that particular type of killer. By identifying crime scene and behavioral factors of these killers, the homicide investigator will be more equipped to process murder scenes, prioritize leads, and apprehend killers. Unlike earlier efforts at crime scene classification, the present work addresses the behaviors, motivational continuum, and the effects of experiential learning by the perpetrators. The relative frequency of the four t...
149 citations
TL;DR: An evaluation of 21 sex offender prison-and non-prison-based treatment programs was undertaken using the format of the University of Maryland's 1997 report to the U.S. Congress.
Abstract: An evaluation of 21 sex offender prison-and non-prison-based treatment programs was undertaken using the format of the University of Maryland’s 1997 report to the U.S. Congress. Eight of the studies were deemed too low in scientific merit to include in assessing the effectiveness of the treatment. Of the remaining studies, approximately 50% showed statistically significant findings in favor of sex offender treatment programs. Of six studies that showed a positive treatment effect, four incorporated a cognitive-behavioral approach. Non-prison-based sex offender treatment programs were deemed to be effective in curtailing future criminal activity. Prison-based treatment programs were judged to be promising, but the evidence is not strong enough to support a conclusion that such programs are effective. Too few studies focused on particular types of sex offenders to permit any type of conclusions about the effectiveness of programs for different sex offender typologies.
113 citations
TL;DR: This article examined the characteristics and experiences of two groups of offenders with an intellectual disability held in custody: one within the mainstream prison system, the other within a secure facility on the grounds of an institution.
Abstract: The most appropriate means of dealing with offenders with an intellectual disability has become a contentious issue of postdeinstitutionalisation. Proponents of normalisation argue that offenders should be held accountable and responsible for their actions in the same way as nondisabled citizens. Critics argue that such an approach fails to recognise the multiple disadvantages under which most offenders labour. Unfortunately, much of this debate is carried out at the level of rhetoric only because comparatively little is known about the experiences of offenders within the system. This study examines the characteristics and experiences of two groups of offenders with an intellectual disability held in custody: one within the mainstream prison system, the other within a secure facility on the grounds of an institution. Although not without its disadvantages, the secure facility appears better equipped to meet the multiple and complex needs of this grossly disadvantaged group of offenders.
108 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors build on the work of psychiatrist Lenore Terr, who distinguished Types I and II psychological trauma, by proposing a third category, Type III trauma, which occurs when an individual experiences multiple, pervasive, violent events beginning at an early age and continuing over a long period of time.
Abstract: Research on offenders and crime victims underscores the importance of identifying trauma-related events and treating their effects. The authors build on the work of psychiatrist Lenore Terr, who distinguished Types I and II psychological trauma, by proposing a third category, Type III trauma. Type III trauma occurs when an individual experiences multiple, pervasive, violent events beginning at an early age and continuing over a long period of time. Diagnostic criteria include alterations in memory and consciousness, frequently including dissociation; emotional numbing; major developmental deficits; poorly developed, often fragmented, sense of self; a core belief that he or she is fatally flawed and has no right to be alive; a sense of hopelessness and shame; trust issues that interfere with normal relationships; and no concept of a future. Treatment of individuals who have sustained Type III trauma is more complex and demanding relative to survivors of Types I or II trauma.
71 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors apply control theory, developed to explain crime in Western societies, to fit the unique control structures that existed in pre-reform China and find that crime increased when most people are doing better economically and have access to many more opportunities to improve their lives.
Abstract: After the Communist revolution, China had a relatively low crime rate. However, since the economic reform of the late 1970s, the crime rate has increased considerably. Why has crime increased when most people are doing better economically and have access to many more opportunities to improve their lives? Part of the reason may be found in the strong official emphasis on the radical new goal of making money, along with the unequal distribution and inadequate legal regulation of the means to economic success. Another factor is the loosening of formal and informal controls as a result of the changes in social structure that accompany economic reform. Control theory, developed to explain crime inWestern societies, is applied in new ways in this article to fit the unique control structures that existed in prereform China.
58 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a study was conducted with 42 fathers in a minimum security federal correctional institution, where 21 men completed an eight-session parenting class and all participants were post-tested.
Abstract: Incarcerated fathers have largely been ignored in parent education efforts. Yet, rehabilitation efforts aimed at improving family relationships have implications for the reduction of recidivism. This experimental study to assess positive benefits of parent education was conducted with 42 fathers incarcerated in a minimum security federal correctional institution. After pretesting of experimental and control group participants, 21 men completed an eightsession parenting class. All participants were posttested. It was shown through pairedt tests that the control group did not advance from pretest to posttest. The experimental group scored significantly higher at posttesting on a content/knowledge test and on certain subscales of the Parental Locus of Control Scale and the Cleminshaw-Guidubaldi Parent Satisfaction Scale. Research efforts in the future should include giving follow-up posttests, assessing behavioral change and recidivism, and examining the effects of parent education on children of inmates.
47 citations
TL;DR: The authors investigated the usefulness of targeting anger for the treatment of violent offenders and rapists and found that the effectiveness of these programs on reduction of recidivism was not significant and cast doubt on the usefulness.
Abstract: This study was designed to investigate the usefulness of targeting anger for the treatment of violent offenders and rapists. Four anger inventories were administered to 271 Canadian incarcerated male offenders comprised of four groups of offenders (violent vs. non- violent and rapists vs. nonrapists). These groups were compared according to their scores on the measures of anger. All comparisons were not significant. This study casts doubt on the usefulness of targeting anger for the treatment of rapists and violent offenders and on the effect of these programs on reduction of recidivism.
47 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a 10-year longitudinal analysis examining the recidivism of adolescent perpetrators of rape upon return to the community was conducted. But, the authors found that there appears to be no decrease in the risk of sexual recidivation even up to 10 years after release.
Abstract: This is a 10-year longitudinal analysis examining the recidivism of adolescent perpetrators of rape upon return to the community. All subjects were adolescent rapists who had completed a sex offender treatment program. The 10-year follow-up found that the majority were involved in other crimes but did not perpetrate another sexual assault. The pattern of sexual assault was similar in the years 6 to 10 as compared with the years 1 to 5. This suggests that adolescent rapists continue to commit offenses at a similar level of risk after conviction for an initial sexual assault for 6 to 10 years after release. There appears to be no decrease in the risk of sexual recidivism even up to 10 years after release. Although it may be premature to suggest that these findings are comparable to trends found in the adult populations, there is no evidence to suggest they are inconsistent.
TL;DR: In this article, a typology of mass murderers and a dynamic interpretation of the development of conscience and moral decisional capacity in adult and juvenile offenders is presented, along with preventive measures are explored along with methodological techniques that may distinguish between adults and adolescents in their propensity to commit suicide after the events.
Abstract: Mass murder—the sudden, explosive killing of a group of people—when committed by adults often is followed by the offender committing suicide. Recently in the United States, frequent cases of mass murder are reported as committed by adolescents. However, among juvenile mass murderers, there are no reported suicides (or attempts) by the offenders. This article provides a typology of mass murderers and offers a dynamic interpretation of the development of conscience and moral decisional capacity in adult and juvenile offenders. Preventive measures are explored along with methodological techniques that may distinguish between adult and juvenile mass murderers in their propensity to commit suicide after the events.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present a review of the key issues in criminology concerning the development of criminal careers, risk factors or causes of offending, and effective prevention methods.
Abstract: This article reviews key issues in criminology concerning the development of criminal careers, risk factors or causes of offending, and effective prevention methods. In order to advance knowledge about criminal careers and risk factors, prospective longitudinal surveys are needed. In order to advance knowledge about prevention methods, randomized experiments are needed. A new research agenda for the next millennium is recommended, including (a) multiple-cohort longitudinal surveys with experimental interventions, and (b) a coordinated program of cross-national comparative research.
TL;DR: Although psychopathic alcoholics committed more violent crimes and were more alcohol dependent, they used alcohol less frequently when causing serious injury (medical attention or death) to their victims.
Abstract: Alcohol abuse and psychopathy continue to be associated with violent crime. In this study, 128 incarcerated alcoholic offenders (64 men and 64 women) were categorized as psychopaths or nonpsychopaths using the Hare Psychopathy Checklist–Revised (PCL-R), and comparisons were made regarding violence, alcohol use, and alcohol use in relation to violent crime. Qualitative and quantitative results are reported. Qualitative analysis found that psychopathic alcoholics (a) react violently to less provocation, (b) display a lack of emotion for their victim, (c) report increased self-esteem following violence, (d) indicate a lack of remorse, and (e) use alcohol as an excuse for violence less often. Quantitative analysis found that although psychopathic alcoholics committed more violent crimes and were more alcohol dependent, they used alcohol less frequently when causing serious injury (medical attention or death) to their victims. Theoretical and treatment implications are discussed.
TL;DR: In this article, a survey of 2,000 randomly sampled delinquents was conducted and the authors presented some primary interpretations of the social factors of delinquency in China, and a brief description of the preventive measures used against juvenile crime in China is presented.
Abstract: Since the late 1970s, crime and delinquency in China have been increasing. The author gives a brief description of the actual situation of juvenile delinquency in China. He points out that although in recent years the increased rate of juvenile delinquency was lower than that of adult crime, public concern has been raised about crimes such as robbery, gang crime, and juvenile drug use. Based on a survey of 2,000 randomly sampled delinquents, the author presents some primary interpretations of the social factors of delinquency in China. A brief description of the preventive measures used against juvenile crime in China is presented.
TL;DR: In this paper, Holism, nonlinear dynamics, sensitive dependence on initial conditions, and selforganization are examined in an effort to determine whether these concepts have applicability to research and theory on crime, criminals, and the criminal justice system.
Abstract: Holism, nonlinear dynamics, sensitive dependence on initial conditions, and selforganization are examined in an effort to determine whether these concepts have applicability to research and theory on crime, criminals, and the criminal justice system. It is concluded that these concepts, all part of a growing science of chaos, show promise of clarifying conflicting empirical findings and resolving important theoretical issues within the general field of criminology. The topics covered in this article include empiricism and the problem of prediction, the reconciliation of polar opposites, reaffirming choice, and learning and socialization. A case example is used to illustrate how a chaotic interpretation of individual criminal behavior and change differs from the traditional positivist, classical, and rehabilitative perspectives.
TL;DR: In this article, a qualitative interview with five young male ex-offenders about their experience of residential treatment programs in the probation homes and the detention center in Hong Kong was conducted.
Abstract: Research evaluation of rehabilitation programs has used minimal contribution or participation from the ex-offenders who are the subjects or objects of study, and little attention has been paid to those who receive these services. This article looks at what young ex-offenders said about their experience of residential treatment programs in the probation homes and the detention center in Hong Kong. Based on in-depth, qualitative interviews with five young male ex-offenders, this small-scale study may shed light on how they perceive the advantages and disadvantages of treatment programs for them. Although loss of freedom, pains of detention, and doing time are a result of being locked up, some report their residential experiences as a fruitful way to enable them to grow out of crime and to cause them to reevaluate relationships with their families. Finally, an outline of what further research or policy evaluation could and should be done is given.
TL;DR: There is a need for international legislative mechanisms that would establish a set of explicit rules of behavior, thus diminishing the possibility of ethical dilemmas, in the next century.
Abstract: The authors, after having defined the concepts of ethics, morality, and legality, debate the main ethical problems that forensic medicine will face in the next century. The authors foresee that the technological advancement will present imposing challenges, including those concerning genetic manipulation and the keeping of confidentiality regarding electronic files. On the other hand, old problems will recur, the most important being the vital question of research with prisoners and the use of torture by agents of the state. The authors also discuss the role of the forensic physician in these contexts and conclude that there is a need for international legislative mechanisms that would establish a set of explicit rules of behavior, thus diminishing the possibility of ethical dilemmas.
TL;DR: In this paper, a total of 98 women newly employed by a company in Tokyo were interviewed and asked to recall the frequency of abuse they experienced as children If the abuse is defined as an act occurring at least several times a month, the rates of the fathers' emotional neglect, threat, shaming the children, slapping, punching with a fist, kicking, hitting with an object, and burning were 5%, 3, 1, 4, 3, 0, 0%, 0, and 0%, respectively, whereas the corresponding rates of mothers' acts were 9%, 5, 5, 2,
Abstract: A total of 98 women newly employed by a company in Tokyo were interviewed and asked to recall the frequency of abuse they experiences as children If the abuse is defined as an act occurring at least several times a month, the rates of the fathers’emotional neglect, threat, shaming the children, slapping, punching with a fist, kicking, hitting with an object, and burning were 5%, 3%, 1%, 4%, 3%, 0%, 0%, and 0%, respectively, whereas the corresponding rates of the mothers’ acts were 9%, 5%, 2%, 0%, 1%, 0%, 1%, and 0%, respectively None of the children who had been abused at least several times a month reported having sought other people’s help This study suggests that child abuse in Japan is no less prevalent than in the Western countries and that most abuse cases are unidentified and therefore go unrelieved by intervention
TL;DR: Encouraging guidelines for the prevention of prison suicides integrated on three levels: environmental, diagnostic, and therapeutic are suggested.
Abstract: This study analyses the suicides in Italian prisons in 1996 and 1997, formulates hypotheses regarding possible risk factors for such suicides, and suggests possible preventive measures. The data come from the anonymous records on prison suicides provided by the Italian Prison Administration Department. Data were collected and elaborated according to statistical-epidemiological criteria using the World Health Organization Epi 6 programme. In 1996, there were 45 suicides in Italian prisons among a prison population of 48,528 (93/100,000 inmates/year). In 1997, there were 55 suicides among 49,306 inmates (112/100,000 inmates/year). Some of the suicide risk factors found were: mental disorders, drug addiction, previous incarceration, and the lack of objective assessment of the suicide risk. On the basis of possible risk factors identified in this study and the results of the reported international studies, the authors suggest guidelines for the prevention of prison suicides integrated on three levels: environ...
TL;DR: Factors that affected length of stay (LOS) in NCR patients who had been approved for transfer to a less restrictive environment were examined to determine what, if any, variables should be targeted for services during hospitalization.
Abstract: Forensic hospitals are responsible for both the custody and treatment of patients, including treatment that will minimize the risk of future violence to the community. This study examined factors that affected length of stay (LOS) in Maryland’s only maximum-security forensic hospital for mentally ill patients who were adjudicated not criminally responsible (NCR) for serious violent crimes. The current study focused on the combined effects of demo-graphic, legal, and clinical variables on LOS in NCR patients who had been approved for transfer to a less restrictive environment to determine what, if any, variables should be targeted for services during hospitalization. The results of the study indicated that, in addition to gender, history of employment prior to the offense was the strongest predictor of LOS. Three other variables contributed less significantly to the prediction model. These findings have pro-grammatic implications for forensic psychiatric facilities treating the seriously mentally ill.
TL;DR: A report of the etiology and remission in a former forensic psychiatric patient who was found guilty for 13 crimes, including traffic offenses, fraud, thefts, rape, and assaults was presented in this paper.
Abstract: The author presents a report of the etiology and remission in a former forensic psychiatric patient who was found guilty for 13 crimes, including traffic offenses, fraud, thefts, rape, and assaults. He committed these crimes over a period of 11 years (from age 15 to 26). The patient was cured by therapeutic and psychosocial influences and by life events that made a strong impression on him. At present, he has been living for more than 20 years in freedom, leads a normal life, is happily married, and has never reoffended.
TL;DR: This paper examined the relationship between selected sociodemographic and criminal history characteristics and ex-inmates' perceptions of race relations in prison, including a significant number of Hispanic ex-incriminators.
Abstract: Race relations is an issue of great concern to correctional administrators. Prior correctional research has examined only tangentially the impact of race and other sociodemographic variables on inmate perceptions of the institutional experience. Virtually no research has been conducted on Hispanic inmates, one of the fastest growing inmate populations. This research builds on prior research on the impact of race on inmate adjustment patterns, and adds to the literature by including other significant sociodemographic and criminal history variables as well as including a significant number of Hispanic subjects. The authors surveyed 775 recently released Texas inmates, or exmates. Exmates were asked their perceptions of race relations in prison. The relationship between selected sociodemographic and criminal history characteristics and exmate perceptions of race relations is examined.
TL;DR: This paper examined the relationship between bonds to one's work unit (danwei) in China and official criminal status, as reflected in placement in a correctional facility, and found that workers who have strong bonds to their work unit are at significantly lower risk of becoming official criminals (inmates) than are their counterparts with weaker bonds.
Abstract: This research examines the relationship between bonds to one’s work unit (danwei) in China and official criminal status, as reflected in placement in a correctional facility. The authors describe the distinctive features of the Chinese work unit and hypothesize that the strength of the worker’s bonds to his or her work unit is negatively related to the likelihood of being officially identified as a criminal. The results of multivariate logistic regression analysis for a sample of young workers from Tianjin support the hypothesis. Workers who have strong bonds to their work unit are at significantly lower risk of becoming official criminals (inmates) than are their counterparts with weaker bonds.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined the nature of support for the reintroduction of the death penalty, abolished in 1989, in Romania and found that persons who perceive their neighborhoods as unsafe are more likely to support the return of executions.
Abstract: Data from a probability sample of 400 households in Bucuresti are used to examine the nature of support for the reintroduction of the death penalty, abolished in 1989, in Romania. Results show that workers are more likely to support the reintroduction of the death penalty. Persons who see crime as increasing wish to reinstate the death penalty. Also, persons who perceive their neighborhoods as unsafe are more likely to support the return of executions. Two significant interaction effects were found. One was between worker status and perceptions of neighborhood safety. Neighborhood safety has the strongest negative effect on support for the reintroduction of capital punishment among workers. The second interaction effect was between perceptions that crime is increasing and perceptions of neighborhood safety. Among respondents who see crime as increasing, the variable of neighborhood safety has a positive effect on support for the reintroduction of capital punishment in Romania.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors proposed a typology of homicidal aggressors based on an analysis of their criminal behavior, their psychological structure, the dysfunction of the self-control mechanism, and their differing personality characteristics.
Abstract: The results of a Russian study of the psychological aspects of criminal homicidal aggression are presented. The authors propose a typology of homicidal aggressors based on an analysis of their criminal behavior, their psychological structure, the dysfunction of the self-control mechanism, and their differing personality characteristics. They identify the following types of aggression: functional-utilitarian; habitual noncontrolled; situational- defensive, motivated by an affective goal; and catastrophic aggression. They present the differential criteria as useful to criminal experts in their analysis of offenders, particularly in cases involving the determination of criminal responsibility.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined the influence of incarceration on perceived sources of loneliness and found that incarcerated offenders would perceive the causes of their loneliness differently than would the general population sample, and also found that the duration of loneliness (i.e., chronic vs. episodic) and its presence at the time of testing affect the perception of its causes.
Abstract: The present study examined the influence of incarceration on perceived sources of loneliness. It was hypothesized that incarcerated offenders would perceive the causes of their loneliness differently than would the general population sample. On an 82-item, yes-or-no questionnaire, 162 men from the general population and 199 male offenders, all of which were recruited on a voluntary basis, reported the sources of their loneliness. Results indicated a significant difference in the perceived sources of loneliness among the two populations. It also was found that the duration of loneliness (i.e., chronic vs. episodic) and its presence at the time of testing affect the perception of its causes.
TL;DR: Where a blood stain 2 centimeters across was once required, now an individual can be identified from the DNA recovered from a postage stamp or a cigarette butt.
Abstract: During the past 14 years, DNA technology has undergone a remarkably rapid evolution from an exotic, slow, and expensive forensic method to a routine practice. Where a blood stain 2 centimeters across was once required, now an individual can be identified from the DNA recovered from a postage stamp or a cigarette butt. Given the remarkable progress of DNA profiling technology, what can we expect in the 21st century? Several new technologies are on the horizon. These include capillary array electrophoresis, microchip capillary electrophoresis, and mass spectrometry. These new methods will increase the speed and genetic differentiation while dramatically lowering the cost of DNA profiling. Speed and lower cost will facilitate the compilation of DNA databases that are currently under way in the United States and Europe as well as other industrialized countries. As these DNA databases grow, society must balance the needs for law enforcement with privacy concerns.
TL;DR: In this article, an index based on Hirschi's theory designed to measure social control in kibbutz society was applied to a random sample of 440 high school students.
Abstract: An index based on Hirschi’s theory designed to measure social control in kibbutz society was applied to a random sample of 440 high school students in the kibbutzim of Northern Israel. The delinquency variable was measured by self-report on the frequency of two illegal behaviors condemned by adult kibbutz society but not excessively stigmatized by the youth: driving without a license and stealing from the kibbutz mini-market. Victimization was measured by self-report on incidents during the past year involving person or property. Seventy percent of the participants in the study reported having committed at least one offense. Approximately 80% reported at least one victimization. At the bivariate level, the social control index generated weak but statistically significant negative correlations with both delinquency and victimization.
TL;DR: This article examines family education programs for strengthening family ties between prison inmates and their families and suggests a classification based on three criteria: the program purpose, the program content, and the level of interaction between professional and participant.
Abstract: This article examines family education programs for strengthening family ties between prison inmates and their families. To advance the development of a conceptual basis for family education in prisons, we suggest a classification based on three criteria: the program purpose, the program content, and the level of interaction between professional and participant. We give an example of a family education program at an optimal level of involvement and provide evaluation data about the program. These data provide more information about the internal workings of the family system to provide guidelines for more appropriate, useful content and interaction in family programming.