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Showing papers in "International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology in 2009"


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Results suggest that although most individuals support Megan’s Law, they do not feel the policy reduces recidivism, and the majority of the participants also do not believe that housing restriction statutes are effective in reducing sexual recidiva.
Abstract: This study examines the public perception of sex offender policies and the perceived impact of sex offender policies on the sex offenders themselves. Specifically, this study explores how the community feels about the effectiveness of policies such as registration and community notification (Megan's Law), and housing restrictions in reducing sexual recidivism. Data are collected from 115 participants from a nationwide online community message board. Results suggest that although most individuals support Megan's Law, they do not feel the policy reduces recidivism. Furthermore, the majority of the participants also do not believe that housing restriction statutes are effective in reducing sexual recidivism. When questioned about the policy impact on sex offenders, the majority of respondents agree that as a consequence of Megan's Law, sex offenders are afraid for their safety; however, they do not believe that residence restrictions hinder sex offenders' employment opportunities. Findings from this study are discussed as they pertain to public policy and sex offender reintegration.

139 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Assessment of the type and degree of change in reintegration variables over time in ex-prisoners indicates that current health ratings and several indicators of drug use were significantly different over the three measurement phases.
Abstract: Community reintegration of ex-prisoners is an important issue in efforts to reduce recidivism. The present study examined the multiple, complex, and dynamic nature of variables influencing successful reintegration by assessing the type and degree of change in reintegration variables over time. Participants were 79 adult prisoners (54 male, 25 female) who completed a prerelease questionnaire 1 month before their release, which focused on prison-related variables, participant background, and anticipated conditions upon release. A postrelease questionnaire was administered to the same participants at 1-4 weeks and 3-4 months postrelease, focusing on the quality of life conditions experienced following release. Results indicate that current health ratings and several indicators of drug use were significantly different over the three measurement phases. Ratings of employment and housing stability, finance, and social support were unchanged over the postrelease period. Theoretical implications of the present investigation for reintegration theory are discussed, together with practical applications.

111 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Results of the study indicate that the majority of respondents experienced negative treatment because of their status as a sex offender, and formal and informal sanctions are stifling opportunities for sex offenders to be fully reintegrated into society.
Abstract: This article examines the effects of labeling though informal and formal sanctions on sex offender reintegration, using qualitative analysis from a probability sample of 153 registered sex offenders in four counties in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It also provides an overview of sex offender legislation and literature. Results of the study indicate that the majority of respondents experienced negative treatment because of their status as a sex offender. Results also indicate that formal and informal sanctions are stifling opportunities for sex offenders to be fully reintegrated into society and that treatment programs are not as effective as they could be. Implications for sex offender policy and further research are discussed.

104 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Although males and females rely on different individual protective factors to foster resiliency, the accumulation of protective factors appears to be equally important for males and Female in promoting resiliencies.
Abstract: Understanding the causes of why individuals desist from or are resilient to delinquency and drug use has become a salient social concern. Much research has centered on the effects that protective factors possess in fostering resiliency but that research has not fully explored how the effects of protective factors might vary across gender. Using a sample of 711 individuals from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, Child-Mother data set, the authors investigate how individual protective factors vary across gender on two measures of resiliency that document the lack of involvement in serious delinquency and drug use. They also examine whether the accumulation of protective factors varies across gender in fostering resiliency. The findings suggest that although males and females rely on different individual protective factors to foster resiliency, the accumulation of protective factors appears to be equally important for males and females in promoting resiliency. The authors discuss theoretical and policy implications.

81 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Using semistructured interviews with 63 inmates who had undergone a religious conversion, the authors examine the process that they engaged in to keep these new senses of self focused and inspired.
Abstract: It is not uncommon for inmates to experience religious conversions in prison. These conversions allow inmates to portray themselves in a prosocial light and help them to establish a sense of control in their current lives, regardless of their past. Despite the value of these conversions, maintaining a new outlook of one's self is remarkably difficult. Using semistructured interviews with 63 inmates who had undergone a religious conversion, the authors examine the process that they engaged in to keep these new senses of self. The narratives suggest that they relied on various social support mechanisms to keep themselves focused and inspired. Specifically, they stressed the importance of connecting with positive others in formal and informal settings, sharing their stories with those in need, and reflecting on their daily choices. It is through these strategies that inmates keep the inspiration and focus to "keep their minds right."

81 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Results demonstrate few differences among groups in terms of changes on measures of treatment targets, involvement in institutional misconducts, and postrelease returns to custody, thus demonstrating that the Persistently Violent Offender program was superior to neither the alternate program nor program noncompletion.
Abstract: The treatment of violent offenders has evolved in recent years, shifting from interventions focused on anger management to those incorporating social information processing skills. The present study was a multimethod evaluation of one such program, the Persistently Violent Offender program. A total of 256 Canadian male violent offenders participated in the study; 70 Persistently Violent Offender program completers were compared to two control groups (n1 = 33, n2 = 105) who completed an alternate program and to 48 offenders who failed to complete either program. Results demonstrate few differences among groups in terms of changes on measures of treatment targets, involvement in institutional misconducts, and postrelease returns to custody, thus demonstrating that the Persistently Violent Offender program was superior to neither the alternate program nor program noncompletion. These results are discussed in light of the findings from two more promising recent evaluations of similar programs.

57 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Examination of art therapy addressed seriously delinquent, incarcerated boys' psychological needs via analysis of the boys' self-selected art productions found that identity issues, need for security and tranquility, and freedom, adventure, and fun were among the most frequent need themes.
Abstract: Forty-six seriously delinquent, incarcerated boys received individual and group therapy for 32 months. The study examined how art therapy addressed the boys' psychological needs via analysis of the boys' self-selected art productions. In descending order of frequency, the eight most frequent need themes were identity issues; need for security and tranquility; need for freedom, adventure, and fun; need for ideal parental relationships; need for affiliation and affection; erotic and sexual needs; expression of depression, childhood trauma, and other psychological problems; and religious or spiritual needs. The boys' perceptions of what was most helpful about art therapy in descending order were stress relief and relaxation, reduction of boredom, pride and self-confidence, positive recognition, working through frustration, enjoyment and fun, improvement of ability to concentrate, and the way they were treated. Three brief case histories and a description of the art therapy procedures are given. Possible implications for cognitive restructuring are discussed.

46 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Multilevel modeling techniques were used to analyze self-report data from more than 1,000 inmates and 30 prisons in Kentucky, Tennessee, and Ohio and revealed that demographic variables were strong predictors of physical victimization and security level had a contextual direct effect onPhysical victimization.
Abstract: The majority of the extant literature on inmate victimization considers only one level of analysis, thus ignoring the interaction effects between inmate- and prison-level variables. To extend this literature, multilevel modeling techniques were used to analyze self-report data from more than 1,000 inmates and 30 prisons in Kentucky, Tennessee, and Ohio. Results revealed that demographic variables were strong predictors of physical victimization (i.e., race and assaultive behavior). Also, security level had a contextual direct effect on physical victimization. Property victimization was best explained with an integrated model including inmate (i.e., race, assaultive behavior, prior education, prior employment, and time served), contextual (i.e., security level and proportion non-White), and micro—macro interaction variables (i.e., Race × Security Level). Policy implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.

46 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It was found that Black clients reported higher levels of religious involvement (measured by church attendance) than did White clients, and data indicated that religious behavior at 1-year follow-up was positively associated with Black clients’ recovery from substance abuse.
Abstract: This study examines variations by race in the relationship between religiosity and desistance from substance abuse. Although most studies have included race as a control variable, only a few studies compared the equivalence of associations among religiosity, delinquency, recovery from substance abuse, and other variables between Black and White samples. Using data from the intake and 12-month follow-up survey of the Drug Abuse Treatment Outcome Study, this study examines levels of religious involvement of Black and White drug treatment clients. In addition, it empirically tests whether religious involvement exerts differential effects on Black and White clients' recovery from substance abuse. It was found that Black clients reported higher levels of religious involvement (measured by church attendance) than did White clients. Data indicated that religious behavior at 1-year follow-up was positively associated with Black clients' recovery from substance abuse. In contrast, religious behavior was not a significant predictor of White clients' desistance from substance abuse. Directions for future research and policy implications are discussed.

39 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The finding that a large majority of the perpetrators were mentally ill, dependent on the victim, and killed when faced with separation from the victim may suggest that increased monitoring of this group might have preventive value.
Abstract: Homicide—suicides are a rare yet very serious form of interpersonal violence that occur mainly in partnerships and families. As both perpetrator and victim die in a homicide— suicide, data sources in previous studies typically lack detailed information. This study overcomes this limitation by making use of homicides followed by a suicide attempt of the perpetrator (homicide—parasuicides). The authors examine to what extent these homicide—parasuicides can be understood as being primarily an expression of homicidal or of suicidal behavior. In total, 77 homicide—parasuicides are compared to 430 homicides and 161 parasuicides. The results show that homicide—parasuicides constitute a different category of lethal violence with regard to demographic, individual, and event-related characteristics. Subanalyses of homicide—parasuicides involving women and children reveal similar differences. The finding that a large majority of the perpetrators were mentally ill, dependent on the victim, and killed when faced with ...

38 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The relationship between human rights and the general ethical principles and standards contained in the American Psychological Association's (APA's) code of ethics as applied to the forensic domain is considered.
Abstract: Human rights create a protective zone around persons and allow them the opportunity to further their valued personal projects without interference from others. This article considers the relationship between human rights and the general ethical principles and standards contained in the American Psychological Association's (APA's) code of ethics as applied to the forensic domain. First, it analyzes the concept of human rights, their structure, and their justification. Second, it briefly describes the APA's most recent code of ethics and the principles and standards that compose it. Third, it concludes by explicitly examining the relationship between the present human rights model and the APA's code, demonstrating how it is able to provide an additional ethical resource for forensic practitioners in their clinical work and so deepen their ethical sensibilities and decision making. Finally, the article presents a case study and discusses the human rights issues confronting practitioners inherent in such situations.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: An interaction effect was found that suggests that adolescents with less consciousness of guilt got better results at the ART institutions, and case descriptions suggest that a more individualized approach to treatment, where ART is used for those adolescents who are motivated for it, would give better results.
Abstract: This article reports a study where aggression replacement training (ART), combined with token economy, was compared with relationally oriented treatment at four residential treatment units in a nonrandomized design. In all, 57 adolescents in the ages between 16 and 19 participated. Outcome was measured as weighted indices of sentences and police suspicion reports. The results show no differences between the treatment models. In a separate analysis, the hypotheses were tested that those adolescents would relapse less frequently who admitted their crimes at intake or who could talk about guilt for their criminal acts. These hypotheses were refuted as main effects, but an interaction effect was found that suggests that adolescents with less consciousness of guilt got better results at the ART institutions. Case descriptions suggest that a more individualized approach to treatment, where ART is used for those adolescents who are motivated for it, would give better results.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Support is indicated for the theory net of the impacts of strain, deterrence, differential association, social bonding, and routine activity theories: The greater the low self-control, the greater the violence.
Abstract: Self-control theory is tested in relation to violence on a sample of university students in Turkey. The primary findings indicate support for the theory net of the impacts of strain, deterrence, differential association, social bonding, and routine activity theories: The greater the low self-control, the greater the violence. No subdimensions of self-control have consistent significant impacts on violence. Most high-opportunity measures have positive impacts on violence. Interaction effects occur only among subdimensions of self-control and opportunity variables. Social class and age are significant even when low self-control measures were controlled.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The most problematic group of newly incarcerated male juvenile delinquents consisted of juveniles with multiple psychopathology, including antisocial traits, personality pathology, higher scores on the Psychopathy Checklist, as well as multiple substance abuse.
Abstract: The current study investigated the prevalence of mental disorders among incarcerated juvenile offenders in Germany and sought to identify clinically relevant subgroups. In sum, 149 newly incarcerated male juvenile delinquents (M age = 19 years) were included. Diagnostic tools included the German version of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV and the Psychopathy Checklist-Screening Version. The most prevalent diagnoses in the sample included conduct disorders (81%), Cluster B personality disorders (up to 62%), and substance-related disorders (up to 60%). Moreover, psychopathic features were found among 21% of the participants. Cluster analysis distinguished three subgroups among this group of young offenders. The most problematic consisted of juveniles with multiple psychopathology, including antisocial traits, personality pathology, higher scores on the Psychopathy Checklist, as well as multiple substance abuse. Study outcomes are discussed in light of their implications for the development of effective treatment for juvenile offenders.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The new instrument, Suicide Concerns for Offenders in Prison Environment (SCOPE), contained 28 items scoring on two subscales and showed the ability to discriminate between those at risk and those with no known history of attempted suicide and nonfatal self-harm behaviour.
Abstract: This study aimed to develop a new psychometric instrument to assess vulnerability to risk of suicide and nonfatal self-harm behaviour in young adult male and female offenders. In total three studies were conducted to assess the psychometric properties of the new instrument using both exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis in different samples. Participants in all three studies included a total of 1,166 young adult offenders across six Her Majesty's Prisons. The new instrument, Suicide Concerns for Offenders in Prison Environment (SCOPE), contained 28 items scoring on two subscales. The factorial structure of the new instrument initially obtained with exploratory factor analysis was subsequently confirmed in a new sample. The internal consistency of the two subscales were acceptable but the test-retest reliability coefficients were moderate. Concurrent validation with the Beck Hopelessness Scale was acceptable and SCOPE showed the ability to discriminate between those at risk and those with no known history of attempted suicide and nonfatal self-harm behaviour ( p < 0.01).

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The Static-99 risk levels were predictive for recidivism among the population and the results are discussed on the basis of the literature.
Abstract: The Static-99 is a widely used actuarial risk assessment instrument Various international validation studies have found satisfactory to good predictive validity for the Static-99, with the area under the curve (AUC) between 59% and 95% This study is the first evaluation of the predictive accuracy of the Static-99 among sex offenders in Switzerland The Static-99 scores of 69 violent/sex offenders in Switzerland were assessed using data from their psychiatric assessments Recidivism was operationalized as reconviction assessed from penal records The Static-99 risk levels were predictive for recidivism (AUC = 758) among our population The results are discussed on the basis of the literature

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A significant impact was that volunteers set a living example of the possibility of human goodness via personal encounters and demonstrated the existence of a responsive society with mutual, unconditional caring.
Abstract: Perceived altruism, an attitude that clients may attribute to those who work with them, was examined in a qualitative and quantitative study about the impact of volunteers in drop-in centers for youth at risk in Israel. Data were collected by interviews, observations, case studies, and questionnaires. The results show that the volunteers' unique contribution affected the service as a whole. The beneficiaries knew that volunteers were servicing them, perceived volunteers as true altruists, were satisfied to the degree of preferring their services over that of paid workers, and were positively affected by the encounter with volunteering. A significant impact was that volunteers set a living example of the possibility of human goodness via personal encounters and demonstrated the existence of a responsive society with mutual, unconditional caring. These results exhibit practical implications for innovative interventions with youth at risk and illustrate the significance of the psychology of goodness.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Results reveal that age, education, use of pornography, ideal frequency of intercourse, and believing that purchasing sex is a problem are all negatively correlated with rape myth acceptance.
Abstract: In an effort to characterize the attitudes and characteristics of men who solicit sex, this study investigated rape myth acceptance as assessed by a modification of Burt's Rape Myth Acceptance Scale. The participants were all men who took part in the Prostitution Offender Program of British Columbia after being arrested for attempting to solicit sex from an undercover police officer. Relationships between endorsement of rape myths, other attitudes, sexual behavior, and demographic variables were examined. Results reveal that age, education, use of pornography, ideal frequency of intercourse, and believing that purchasing sex is a problem are all negatively correlated with rape myth acceptance. Positive correlations were found between rape myth acceptance and sexual conservatism, sexual violence/coercion, and social desirability. Results are discussed in terms of the association between rape myth acceptance and the violence frequently perpetrated against those working in the sex trade.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In an outcome evaluation of recovering addicts who participated in a prison-based therapeutic community, 39 clients were interviewed about their rehabilitation and reintegration experience and participants' perceptions of how essential the continuum of treatment and supervision after release was were.
Abstract: In an outcome evaluation of recovering addicts who participated in a prison-based therapeutic community, 39 clients (a nonrandomized subsample) were interviewed about their rehabilitation and reintegration experience. The study focused on participants' perceptions of how essential the continuum of treatment and supervision after release was. Whereas many studies have shown that participating in prison-based drug treatment programs reduces likelihood of recidivism, clients in this study suggested that other factors might be equally important—in particular, the importance of the continuum of treatment after release and/or being supervised in the community. Findings are discussed in regard to inmates' expectations, confusion upon release, and formal support mechanisms; suggestions for further research are made.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The Attitudes Toward Prostitution Scale was standardized for practical use in research and clinical applications, and interpretation norms were established for a population of men who buy sex.
Abstract: The Attitudes Toward Prostitution Scale (ATPS) assesses the beliefs of men who purchase sex from prostitutes. Items for the ATPS were administered to a U.S. multisite sample of 1,001 men who had been arrested for soliciting an undercover police officer and subsequently referred to a psychoeducational program. Principal axis factor analysis was conducted, and it yielded three valid factors: Social/Legal Support of Prostitution, Beliefs About Prostitutes, and Family Values Related to Prostitution. Scale-item reliability was assessed with Cronbach's alpha on a second independent sample of 74 men, which offered data to support ATPS internal consistency and reliability. Based on these results, scale scores were standardized for practical use in research and clinical applications, and interpretation norms were established for a population of men who buy sex. A brief case example illustrates the practical use of the ATPS for assessment and intervention planning for customers of sex workers.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The General Criminal Thinking (GCT) score of the Psychological Inventory of Criminal Thinking Styles (PICTS) was correlated with recidivism data obtained on 284 released male federal prisoners, and although the GCT score successfully predicted release outcome in the shorter test-release interval group, it failed to predict release outcomes in the longer test- release interval group.
Abstract: The General Criminal Thinking (GCT) score of the Psychological Inventory of Criminal Thinking Styles (PICTS) was correlated with recidivism data obtained on 284 released male federal prisoners. The sample was divided into those inmates who had been released within 24 months of having completed the PICTS (shorter test-release interval; n = 138) and those inmates who had been released more than 24 months after having completed the PICTS (longer test-release interval; n = 146), and recidivism was measured by subsequent arrests and convictions accrued during a 6- to 78-month follow-up. Although the GCT score successfully predicted release outcome in the shorter test-release interval group, it failed to predict release outcome in the longer test-release interval group. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors extend the debate over personality disorders as dimensional or taxonic phenomena to the study of psychopathy and relate this issue to questions surrounding whether behaviors or personality traits best represent psychopathy.
Abstract: This article extends the debate over personality disorders as dimensional or taxonic phenomena to the study of psychopathy and relates this issue to questions surrounding whether behaviors or personality traits best represent psychopathy. Proponents of dimensional measurements of psychopathy consider personality traits to be important constructs of psychopathy, whereas proponents of taxometric measurements consider behaviors to be important characteristics of psychopathy. After a brief introduction to the measurement of psychopathy, taxometric and dimensional measurement techniques are explained, their assumptions addressed, and their strengths and weaknesses discussed. Empirical evidence for each technique is then critiqued, and methodological problems are described. It is argued that methodological problems of existing studies largely preclude conclusions regarding whether psychopathy is dimensional or taxonic. Suggestions for future research are provided to address some of these methodological limitations. This review informs readers about each measurement approach and identifies problems regarding the dimensional or taxonic measurement of psychopathy.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Coding the six questionnaires revealed that nonsexual offense-specific implicit theories are underrepresented on existing measures and that many questionnaire items could not be classified as tapping any implicit theories.
Abstract: Are current questionnaire methods fit for the task of assessing offense-related schemas? Six published and unpublished questionnaire measures that assess child molesters' offense-related beliefs are evaluated and examined for evidence of the five implicit schemas proposed by Ward: children as sexual beings, nature of harm, uncontrollability, entitlement, and dangerous world. Current treatment approaches assume that child molesters hold some, if not all, of these implicit schemas—an assumption demonstrated through the use of appropriately modified schema-based treatment techniques. Coding the six questionnaires revealed that nonsexual offense-specific implicit theories are underrepresented on existing measures (i.e., uncontrollability, entitlement, and dangerous world) and that many questionnaire items could not be classified as tapping any implicit theories. Suggestions are made for the future design and revision of questionnaire assessments .

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Results indicate that abused and nonabused women incarcerated for criminal homicide against their partners have less experience of psychological and physical abuse by their partners and that they are less educated, underemployed, and more supportive of traditional patriarchal norms than are the women who utilize domestic violence shelters.
Abstract: This study compares two groups of women in South Korea: one group incarcerated for the deaths of their male partners and the other staying in a shelter for battered women. The analysis serves to answer two questions: First, are the findings regarding women who kill their intimate partners in Western societies generally applicable to their counterparts in South Korea? Second, how are abused South Korean women who resort to lethal violence against their abusers different from those who do not? Regarding both abused and nonabused women incarcerated for criminal homicide against their partners, results indicate that they have less experience of psychological and physical abuse by their partners and that they are less educated, underemployed, and more supportive of traditional patriarchal norms than are the women who utilize domestic violence shelters. This research explores implications for intervention strategies to encourage abused women to seek help from legal and extralegal sources.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: There might be benefits in combining the insights of both perspectives by generating an integrated theory that would properly explain both the rational and the seemingly irrational components of street violence.
Abstract: Studies on the motivation for violent street crime, such as robbery and assault, have tended to draw on either the rational choice or the subcultural perspective. This study explores the extent to which violence on the street can be explained by rational factors associated with the successful commission of the offence or social factors related to street culture. The study is based on qualitative interviews with 55 violent street offenders who were serving sentences for street robbery and assault in six prisons in the United Kingdom. The findings, based on accounts of 101 incidents of street violence, identified four main explanations for street violence: (a) successful offence enactment, (b) buzz and excitement, (c) status and honor, and (d) informal justice. The article concludes that there might be benefits in combining the insights of both perspectives by generating an integrated theory that would properly explain both the rational and the seemingly irrational components of street violence.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Female victims of a completed sexual assault were significantly more likely to continue being sexually active with their assailants than were female victims who managed to block the assault, while no such difference was found for male victims.
Abstract: Among a sample of college students, roughly 30% of the women and 12% of the men reported having been the victim of a sexual assault sometime in their lives. Of the assault victims, approximately 23% of both sexes stated that they had sexual intercourse with their assaulters on at least one subsequent occasion. Female victims of a completed sexual assault were significantly more likely to continue being sexually active with their assailants than were female victims who managed to block the assault, while no such difference was found for male victims. This would imply that some men are using assaultive tactics to secure sex partners beyond a single sexual episode, thereby enhancing their potential reproductive success in evolutionary terms. Also, men who committed sexual assault reported having had more lifetime sex partners than did sexually experienced men with no sexual assault history. Overall, the idea that sexual assault is part of an evolved reproductive strategy is consistent with findings from this study.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is shown that while in the community, prisoners tend to spend their time constructively and comply with the rules and regulations of temporary release; both home leave and work release schemes can be effective in reducing recidivism rates, and work releases in particular may also enhance postrelease employment prospects.
Abstract: This article offers a long overdue comprehensive review of the literature on the effectiveness of temporary release programs for prisoners. Following an account of how the public and criminal justice workers view temporary release, and against the “nothing works” proposition, it is shown that while in the community, prisoners tend to spend their time constructively and comply with the rules and regulations of temporary release; both home leave and work release schemes can be effective in reducing recidivism rates, and work release in particular may also enhance postrelease employment prospects.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A case report of a delinquent adolescent's presenting an obsessive-compulsive disorder discusses possible underlying common features of externalizing and internalizing disorders, mainly in terms of fear and anxiety regulation.
Abstract: Juvenile delinquency is rarely associated with success in psychotherapeutic treatment. Up until now, few data have been recorded regarding possible overlaps or common features of conduct disorders with anxiety disorders. This case report of a delinquent adolescent's presenting an obsessive-compulsive disorder discusses possible underlying common features of externalizing and internalizing disorders, mainly in terms of fear and anxiety regulation. The successful psychotherapy is discussed with regard to efficient psychological assessment and treatment of delinquent adolescents, and it underlies the importance of detailed analysis of psychopathology in cases of juvenile delinquency.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Inmates who had covered up their childhood and adolescent animal cruelty were more likely to have been convicted of repeated acts of interpersonal violence, demonstrating that the role of empathy and individuals present during acts of animal Cruelty were less important than concealing those acts.
Abstract: The link between early animal abuse and later violence toward humans may depend on how acts of animal cruelty are experienced by those whose behavior demonstrates this graduation. Unfortunately, the research investigating the social and emotional context for the youthful commission of animal cruelty as it escalates to adult interpersonal violence is relatively nonexistent. Using 112 cases from a larger sample of 261 inmates surveyed at both medium and maximum security prisons in a southern state, the present study examined the effects of age of onset and frequency of animal cruelty, the covertness of animal cruelty, the commission of animal cruelty within a group or in isolation, and empathy for the abused animals. Inmates who had covered up their childhood and adolescent animal cruelty were more likely to have been convicted of repeated acts of interpersonal violence, demonstrating that the role of empathy and individuals present during acts of animal cruelty were less important than concealing those acts.