A biosocial analysis of the sources of missing data in criminological research

Purpose

Failing to deal with missing data patterns effectively may result in biased parameter estimates and ultimately may produce inaccurate results and conclusions. The vast majority of criminological research has addressed this issue with listwise deletion (LD) and multiple imputation (MI) techniques. Identifying the specific covariates that directly contribute to patterns of missingness is highly important in deciding which technique to use. One of the more surprising omissions from the identified list of covariates is the potential role of genetic influences in the development of missingness.

Methods

The current study addresses this gap in the literature by estimating genetic (A), shared environmental (C), and the nonshared environmental (E) influences on missingness across measures of delinquency and self-control within a longitudinal sample of twin and sibling pairs.

Results

The results indicated that genetic influences explain a significant portion of the variance in missing values related to both delinquency and self-control.

Conclusions

Current methodological techniques aimed at addressing missing data should be amended to take genetic influences into account. Such modifications and the implications of the findings for future research are discussed.     

Interaction of criminological research and public policy

We examine here some of the interactions of research and policy over the past several decades. The “rehabilitation period” was effectively terminated by nulleffect evaluations of various rehabilitation techniques. The “just deserts-utilitarian period” was fed by research estimates of the deterrent and incapacitative effects of criminal justice activities. The more recent “overt politicization period” saw the earlier attempt to bring rational and theory-based perspectives to policy development replaced by much stronger emphasis on political concerns. We explore possible ways to reestablish the research-policy connections. This paper was prepared for the Plenary Session,Journal of Quantitative Criminology 10-Year Anniversary, 1995 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Criminology, Boston, MA.     

On the consequences of ignoring genetic influences in criminological research

Purpose

Many criminological scholars explore the social causes of crime while giving little consideration to the possibility that genetic factors underlie the observed associations. Indeed, the standard social science method (SSSM) assumes genetic influences do not confound the association between X and Y. Yet, a nascent stream of evidence has questioned the validity of this approach by revealing many criminological variables are at least partially affected by genetic influences. As a result, a substantial proportion of the literature may be misspecified due to uncontrolled genetic factors. No effort has been made to directly estimate the extent to which genetic confounding has biased the associations presented in criminological studies.

Methods

The present study seeks to address this issue by drawing on simulated datasets.

Results/Conclusions

Results suggest genetic confounding may account for a negligible portion of the relationship between X and Y when their correlation (r_yx) is larger than the correlation between genetic factors and Y (i.e., r_yx > r_yg). Genetic confounding appears to be much more problematic when the correlation between X and Y is in the moderate-to-small range (e.g., r_yx = .20) and the genetic effect is in the moderate-to-large range (e.g., r_yg ≥ .30).     

A note on quetelet and the development of criminological statistics

This Note clarifies several ambiguities in the claims that Salas and Surette (1984) have made about the Belgian criminologist Adolphe Quetelet. Specifically, it suggests that Quetelet (1) never articulated a concept of political relations or of the political state; (2) consistently rejected the need for ‘theoretical’ interpretation of empirical ‘data,’ (3) borrowed the notion of ‘statistique morale’ from French and German moral statisticians, and (4) vacillated between the poles of determinism and free-will philosophy.     

Disappearing act: The representation of corporate crime research in criminological literature

Following the labeling, conflict, and radical movements of the 1960s and 1970s and the attention these perspectives directed toward crimes committed by the powerful, it became commonplace for most criminologists to assume that corporate and white-collar crime received adequate attention in criminological and criminal justice literature. At the same time, corporate and white-collar crime researchers continued to assert that the behaviors they studied remain underrepresented in criminological literature, especially relative to the level of harm these behaviors cause. This article examines these two competing assumptions concerning the prevalence of corporate and white-collar crime literature during the later 1990s by: (1) analyzing the contents of several major criminological and criminal justice journals over a five-year time period; and (2) analyzing the coverage, placement, and integration of white-collar and corporate crime discussions in criminology and criminal justice textbooks. In addition, twenty-one Ph.D. granting criminology departments were polled to determine whether they offered regular and required courses on corporate and white-collar crime. Representativeness was determined through comparisons of the number of journal articles and the number of textbook pages published on white-collar and corporate crime indicators relative to the number of articles and pages published on several other criminological issues. Indicators of and the determination of representativeness are related to indicators of the seriousness (financial costs and level of violence) and impact of corporate and white-collar crime on society compared to the seriousness and impact of street crimes.     

Latent-variable models in criminological research: Applications and a generalization of Joreskog's LISREL model

This paper examines issues in LISREL models involving latent, or unobserved, variables. We discuss estimating parameters in multiple-indicator models, various approaches to assessing goodness of fit, different types of linear measurement models, using LISREL to correct for attenuation in models involving single indicators with known reliabilities, and estimating parameters in structural equation models involving latent exogenous and endogenous variables. Finally, we present a generalization of the standard LISREL model which explicitly identifies implicit constraints on parameters in the standard LISREL model. We argue that the generalization can accommodate a wider range of models and provide additional diagnostic information on some assumptions in the standard LISREL model. By example, we show how the more general model can be estimated using Joreskog's LISREL program.     

精神分裂症患者的犯罪学特征与刑事责任能力的关系

目的探讨精神分裂症患者的犯罪学特征与刑事责任能力的关系。方法采用自行编制的司法精神病学鉴定案例登记量表,对133例精神分裂症涉嫌犯罪者的资料进行收集、整理、归纳。然后对其犯罪学特征与责任能力的关系做相关分析。结果精神分裂症患者涉嫌犯罪案件类型中,以暴力案件为主,依次为凶杀68例(51.1%)、伤害38例(28.6%)、纵火9例(6.8%)、抢劫4例(3.0%)、性犯罪3例(2.3%)。不同责任能力与犯罪相关因素的统计分析发现:诱发事件(χ2=91.779,P=0.000)、双方关系(χ2=76.449,P=0.000)、作案动机(χ2=11.9,P=0.001)、作案前准备(χ2=110.623,P=0.000)、自称遗忘(χ2=34.274,P=0.000)、作案后反应(χ2=110.923,P=0.000)、案件类型(χ2=38.638,P=0.000)有显著性差异。结论无责任能力的分裂症患者作案具有动机不明、无预谋、不分对象、不分场合、突发性、盲目性、残忍性等特点。无责任能力组和部分责任能力组的犯罪学因素中诱发事件、双方关系、作案动机、作案前准备、自称遗忘、作案后反应、案件类型有显著性差异,可作为责任能力评定的参考因素。     

In search of criminological tradition: the development of criminology in Taiwan

There has been a growing interest in the historical development of criminology(ies) throughout the world. This paper examines the development of criminology in Taiwan (Republic of China) using both questionnaire and interview data. Textbooks, institutional development, and research activity are taken as proxy measures of a criminological tradition. Beginning with criminology in Republican China (1929–1949), the article explores the key features of change in criminology against the background of Taiwan's own particular adoption of social, political and economic ‘modernisation’. Foreign influence and the contemporary meaning of ‘indigenous’ are considered. The article ends with a research agenda for a grounded historical sociology of criminology on Taiwan; key identified research questions relate to sponsorship, research priorities and the production of criminological knowledge; the reception of research by policy communities and practitioners; the relationship between criminological knowledge and politics; and the processes of selective appropriation.     

Trafficking in women and children for purposes of sexual exploitation: The criminological aspect

Trafficking in women and children for purposes of sexual exploitation increases annually, generating an estimated 7 billion to 12 billion dollars a year. Although Ukraine supports international initiatives opposing trafficking and imposes criminal penalties for those responsible, only a few non-governmental organizations have been successful in searching for and rehabilitating victims. Government instability, poor public health, and high unemployment rates in Ukraine distract government resources that could be directed at the trafficking problem and reducing the hopelessness of many Ukrainian women who turn to the sex industry for work. The goal of this study was to examine legislation and law enforcement practices in Ukraine that have been unsuccessful thus far, and suggests meaningful prevention possibilities and intervention opportunities.     

Substance abuse treatment for juvenile offenders: A review of quasi-experimental and experimental research

Purpose

The purpose of this systematic literature review is to assess the effectiveness of substance abuse treatment on alcohol and marijuana use for juvenile offenders based on existing quasi-experimental and experimental research. Additionally, a secondary aim is to compare the effects of individual-based interventions to family-based interventions.

Methods

A systematic search of literature and electronic databases through 2010 generated five experimental or quasi-experimental studies that assessed alcohol outcomes for juvenile offenders and five experimental or quasi-experimental studies that assessed marijuana outcomes for juvenile offenders.

Results

Overall, substance abuse treatment appears to have a small to moderate effect on alcohol and marijuana reduction for juvenile offenders. Interventions that showed the most promise were Multisystemic Therapy, Multidimensional Treatment Foster Care, Teaching Family, and Life Skills Training. Individual-based interventions and family-based interventions had similar small to moderate effects on alcohol and marijuana use.

Conclusion

This review highlights several promising interventions for this high-risk population; however, further rigorous study is desperately needed to provide a better understanding of what works best in reducing substance use among juvenile offenders.     

涉嫌暴力犯罪精神障碍患者的犯罪学特征分析

目的 探讨法医精神病学鉴定中精神障碍患者涉嫌暴力犯罪的犯罪学和人口学特征.方法 采用自编法医精神病学鉴定案例登记表,对符合标准的206例被鉴定者进行犯罪学特征和人口学资料的收集.根据鉴定诊断分为精神障碍组（167例,81%）、无精神病组（39例,19%）,对两组的犯罪学特征和一般人口学资料进行对比分析.结果 精神障碍暴力犯罪者男性为154例（92.2%）,女性13例（7.8%）,40岁以下者133例（79.6%）,小学文化水平以下者93例（57.7%）,农民和无业者133例（79.6%）,未婚者和婚姻家庭不健全者104例（62.3%）,并且与无精神病组相比在人口学资料上的差别无统计学意义.精神障碍组与无精神病组比较分析发现作案预谋（χ^2=40.22,p＜0.01）、目标确定（χ^2=32.843,p＜0.01）、作案后表现（χ^2=36.979,p＜0.01）、作案动机（χ^2=82.333,p＜0.01）、与被害人的关系（χ^2=23.138,p＜0.01）、自称遗忘（χ^2=36.229,p＜0.01）方面差异有统计学意义.结论 精神障碍患者的暴力犯罪多为突发性,常无预谋,目标多为临时确定,多无动机或动机不明确,缺乏自我保护意识,作案后多无反侦查表现.无论有无精神障碍,暴力犯罪者多为40岁以下未婚青壮年男性,且文化水平大多较低,农民和无业人员居多.     

涉嫌暴力犯罪精神障碍患者的犯罪学特征分析

目的探讨法医精神病学鉴定中精神障碍患者涉嫌暴力犯罪的犯罪学和人口学特征。方法采用自编法医精神病学鉴定案例登记表,对符合标准的206例被鉴定者进行犯罪学特征和人口学资料的收集。根据鉴定诊断分为精神障碍组(167例,81%)、无精神病组(39例,19%),对两组的犯罪学特征和一般人口学资料进行对比分析。结果精神障碍暴力犯罪者男性为154例(92.2%),女性13例(7.8%),40岁以下者133例(79.6%),小学文化水平以下者93例(57.7%),农民和无业者133例(79.6%),未婚者和婚姻家庭不健全者104例(62.3%),并且与无精神病组相比在人口学资料上的差别无统计学意义。精神障碍组与无精神病组比较分析发现作案预谋(2χ=40.22,p<0.01)、目标确定(2χ=32.843,p<0.01)、作案后表现(2χ=36.979,p<0.01)、作案动机(2χ=82.333,p<0.01)、与被害人的关系(2χ=23.138,p<0.01)、自称遗忘(2χ=36.229,p<0.01)方面差异有统计学意义。结论精神障碍患者的暴力犯罪多为突发性,常无预谋,目标多为临时确定,多无动机或动机不明确,缺乏自我保护意识,作案后多无反侦查表现。无论有无精神障碍,暴力犯罪者多为40岁以下未婚青壮年男性,且文化水平大多较低,农民和无业人员居多。     

A review of the literature on the aging adult skull and face: Implications for forensic science research and applications

This paper is a summary of findings of adult age-related craniofacial morphological changes. Our aims are two-fold: (1) through a review of the literature we address the factors influencing craniofacial aging, and (2) the general ways in which a head and face age in adulthood. We present findings on environmental and innate influences on face aging, facial soft tissue age changes, and bony changes in the craniofacial and dentoalveolar skeleton. We then briefly address the relevance of this information to forensic science research and applications, such as the development of computer facial age-progression and face recognition technologies, and contributions to forensic sketch artistry.     

Homicide with postmortem opening of the thoracic and abdominal cavity--morphological, criminological and forensic-psychiatric aspects

During a walk a man found the partially unclothed body of a 16-year-old girl in a field near a village in South Baden. The body showed numerous injuries caused by sharp force. Several stab wounds were discernible on the neck, the chest, the genital region, the back and the right thigh. Postmortem, the anterior wall of the trunk had been severed with one long cut reaching from the mons pubis to the jugular fossa. The injuries and the scene suggested homicide with a sexual motive. Already on the next day a male suspect was ascertained. Blood traces of the victim could be demonstrated on his car. The man confessed the homicide, but did not describe the course of events in detail. He denied a sexual motive for the homicide. The psychiatric examination did not furnish any clues to internal, neurological or psychiatric disorders. The perpetrator did not claim intoxication for the time of the offence, which might have been relevant for the question of criminal responsibility. Psychodiagnostically, it was found that he had a narcissistic personality structure with a pronounced lack of self-esteem, deficits in affect processing and control as well as anxiety and aggression problems. The man was sentenced to life imprisonment for murder.     

Contemporary piracy research in criminology: a review essay with directions for future research

The realm of the ocean is scarcely studied by criminologist despite it being a component of the space of society. With the growth of maritime piracy in the past decade, this void has become increasingly palpable. The aim of this article is to catalyze more research in the field by providing an introduction and overview of the topic. The article starts by clarifying what piracy is, reviewing and evaluating some of its definitions and typologies. Furthermore, using the new Contemporary Maritime Piracy Database, the article charts the location of contemporary piracy. The article outlines factors that have been suggested as precursors of piracy before suggesting some key areas for future research.