A comparison of women of color and non-Hispanic White women on factors related to leaving a violent relationship

This study compares women of color and non-Hispanic White women regarding the influence of socioeconomic status, family investment, and psychological abuse on leaving a violent relationship. It was found that most women who left stayed away for less than a month. Women of color and non-Hispanic White women did not differ in their length or rate of leaving, although women of color left more frequently when they did leave. Factors associated with leaving for both groups were threat with a weapon, psychological abuse, being single, and having fewer adults in the household. Women of color with higher socioeconomic status were less likely to leave, which was not the case for non-Hispanic White women. Non-Hispanic White women were more likely to leave if they had lived with their partners less than 5 years and had children at home.     

The relationship of violent fathers, posttraumatically stressed mothers and symptomatic children in a preschool-age inner-city pediatrics clinic sample

This study aims to understand if greater severity of maternal posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), related to maternal report of interpersonal violence, mediates the effects of such violence on (a) child PTSS as well as on (b) child externalizing and internalizing symptoms. Study participants were mothers (N = 77) and children 18 to 48 months recruited from community pediatric clinics. Data were analyzed continuously via bivariate correlations and then multiple linear regression. Post hoc Sobel tests were performed to confirm mediation. Paternal violence accounted for 15% of the variance of child PTSS on the PCIP-OR (β = .39, p ≤ .001). While the child's father being violent significantly predicts child PTSS related to domestic violence, as mentioned, when maternal PTSS is included in the multiple regression model, father's being violent becomes less significant, while maternal PTSS remains strongly predictive. Sobel tests confirmed that maternal PTSS severity mediated effects of paternal violence on clinician-assessed child PTSS as well as on maternal report of child externalizing and internalizing symptoms. When presented with a preschool-aged child who is brought to consultation for behavioral difficulties, dysregulated aggression, and/or unexplained fears, clinicians should evaluate maternal psychological functioning as well as assess and treat the effects of interpersonal violence, which otherwise may be avoided during the consultation.     

Impulsivity and schemas for a hostile world: postdictors of violent behaviour

Forty male prisoners at a medium-security Canadian penitentiary completed the I Questionnaire, a measure of impulsivity, and two measures of schemas for a hostile world. Both hypervigilance for hostile words during a dichotic shadowing task and hostile attributions made about actors in social vignettes correlated greater than .30 with a criminal history of persistent violence. Impulsivity did not significantly correlate with the schema measures but correlated .30 with persistent violence. The results provide support for the Serin and Kuriychuk model of aggression that links impulsivity and hostile attributions with persistent male violence.     

Teenage childbirth and young adult criminal convictions: A quasi-experimental study of criminal outcomes for teenage mothers

Purpose

Teenage childbirth is associated with poor psychosocial outcomes for teen mothers. One example is that teen mothers have higher rates of antisocial behavior. The extant research has not been able to determine if teenage motherhood is independently associated with criminal behavior, or if the association is due to selection factors associated with both teenage childbirth and criminal behavior.

Methods

We used longitudinal data from Swedish national registers and sibling-comparisons (both full- and half-siblings) to identify the extent to which there is an independent association between teenage childbirth and mothers’ likelihood of criminal conviction between ages 20-30, or if the association is confounded by familial (including genetic or environmental) factors that make sisters similar.

Results

Women who began childbearing as teenagers were more likely to be convicted of a crime in young adulthood compared to women who delayed childbearing. When sisters were compared, the association between teenage childbirth and criminal convictions disappeared. Multivariate behavior genetic analyses suggest genetic and shared environmental account for the association.

Conclusions

The statistical association between teenage childbirth and early adulthood criminal convictions is confounded by genetic and shared environmental factors that influence both the likelihood of teenage childbirth and risk of early adulthood criminal conviction.     

Child murder committed by severely mentally III mothers: an examination of mothers found not guilty by reason of insanity. 2005 Honorable Mention/Richard Rosner Award for the best paper by a fellow in forensic psychiatry or forensic psychology

Forensic hospital records of 39 severely mentally ill mothers adjudicated Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity for filicide (child murder by parents) were analyzed to describe characteristics preceding this tragedy and to suggest prevention strategies. Almost three-quarters of the mothers (72%) had previous mental health treatment. Over two thirds (69%) of the mothers were experiencing auditory hallucinations, most frequently command hallucinations, and half (49%) were depressed at the time of the offense. Over one third (38%) of the filicides occurred during pregnancy or the postpartum period, and many had a history of postpartum psychosis. Almost three-quarters (72%) of the mothers had experienced considerable developmental stressors, such as death of their own mother or incest. Maternal motives for filicide were predominantly "altruistic" (meaning murder out of love) or "acutely psychotic" (occurring in the throes of psychosis, without rational motive). Psychiatrists should perform careful risk assessments for filicide in mothers with mental illnesses.     

Patterns of violent specialization: Predictors of recidivism for a cohort of parolees

Historically, there has been interest in the unfolding of criminal careers, especially in the persistence, specialization, and prediction of violent recidivism. Specialization in violent crime is particularly important as both the public and politicians have called for longer sentences, incapacitation, and prison expansion for violent offenders. However, research on the specialization of violent crime has been largely overlooked in spite of its importance to criminal justice practitioners and public interest. To examine the specialization in crime, this research uses data collected in Ohio in 1989 on a cohort of 3,353 parolees released from prison. Specialization is defined as the exclusive admission to prison for a violent crime with a subsequent violent recidivism offense. Logistic regression is used to delineate predictors of violent specialization. Race, county of commitment, age at release, time served, number of prior felony convictions, and number of prior parole revocations are found to be related to violent specialization.     

Time for a change: applying the good lives model of rehabilitation to a high-risk violent offender

In this article we operationalise the theoretical concepts of the Good Lives Model (GLM) of offender rehabilitation by providing a step-by-step framework for assessment, formulation, treatment planning, and monitoring with a high-risk violent offender residing in the community. The case study illustrates how the GLM can be applied to complement and enhance traditional Risk-Management interventions and shows how the GLM's clinical relevance extends from sex offending to broader offending typologies.     

Drunk and dangerous: a randomised controlled trial of alcohol brief intervention for violent offenders

To assess the effectiveness of an alcohol brief intervention administered to violent offenders in a judicial (Magistrates’ court) setting, a randomised controlled trial was conducted. Participants (n = 269) were men aged 16–35 years, who resided within a 30-mile radius of Cardiff, UK, and who had been sentenced for a violent offence committed whilst intoxicated with alcohol. Recruitment occurred on-site. Participants were randomly allocated to receive an alcohol brief intervention (n = 135) or to a control group (n = 134). Objective measures comprised re-offending and injury rates. Self-reported outcome measures comprised Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT); number of drinking days in the past 3 months; total weekly standard units of alcohol; and stage of change with respect to alcohol consumption (as measured by the Readiness to Change Questionnaire). Participants were followed up 3 months (n = 234; 87%) and 12 months (n = 202; 75.1%) after sentence. No significant between-group differences were observed in any of the alcohol measures or in re-offending. Injury was significantly less likely in offenders who had received the intervention (27.4%) than those who had not [39.6%; 95% confidence interval (CI) = −0.23, −0.009]. At 3-month follow-up, significantly more participants in the intervention group (31%; n = 37) than control group (16%; n = 18) demonstrated an increase in their readiness to change drinking behaviour (χ² = 8.56; df = 2; P = 0.014), but this did not persist at 12-month follow-up.

Postmortem changes mistaken for traumatic lesions: a highly prevalent reason for coroner's autopsy request

Postmortem changes are well known for their possible misinterpretation as traumatic lesions which can mislead to suspicion of violent death and therefore to a forensic autopsy request. As far as we know, a systematic review of the prevalence of such a reason for coroner's autopsy request has not been done yet. A retrospective study of 230 forensic autopsies requested by the Coroner's office from 2002 to 2004 in the province of Quebec, Canada, was conducted by the authors. Of the 230 reviewed cases, postmortem artifacts mistaken for traumatic lesions were found in 18 cases. These misinterpretation were based on 5 categories of portmortem changes: purge fluid drainage in 12 cases (66.7%), bluish discoloration by lividity in 5 cases (27.8%), parchment-like drying of the skin in 4 cases (22.2%), bloating from gas formation in 4 cases (22.2%), and skin slippage in 1 case (5.56%). Therefore, postmortem artifacts misinterpretation occurred in 7.83% (95% confidence interval 0.05-0.12) of all requested forensic autopsies and in 35.29% (95% confidence interval 0.23-0.50) of decomposed autopsy cases. This study clearly establishes the high prevalence of postmortem artifacts as main reason for forensic autopsy request. Hence, in a context of forensic pathologist shortage, the improvement of coroner continuous training may reduce the workload.     

依靠法治满足人民对美好生活的要求研究

美好生活是人民对于高品质生活的理想追求,而法治则在满足人民美好生活方面发挥着至关重要的作用.要通过法治的平等原则确保人人拥有平等的人格、规定人人相同的地位以及赋予人人同样的法律机会,为人的尊严感的达致奠定基础.人民福祉是法治的根本目标,要通过法律制度来缩小收入分配差距、确保不同群体之间资源的公平分配以及地域发展上的互补...     

Risk factors for violent offending in autism spectrum disorder: a national study of hospitalized individuals

Little is known about risk factors for violence among individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study uses data from Swedish longitudinal registers for all 422 individuals hospitalized with autistic disorder or Asperger syndrome during 1988-2000 and compares those committing violent or sexual offenses with those who did not. Thirty-one individuals with ASD (7%) were convicted of violent nonsexual crimes and two of sexual offenses. Violent individuals with ASD are more often male and diagnosed with Asperger syndrome rather than autistic disorder. Furthermore, comorbid psychotic and substance use disorders are associated with violent offending. We conclude that violent offending in ASD is related to similar co-occurring psychopathology as previously found among violent individuals without ASD. Although this study does not answer whether ASDs are associated with increased risk of violent offending compared with the general population, careful risk assessment and management may be indicated for some individuals with Asperger syndrome.     

Interindividual morphologic variability as reason for misinterpretations in forensic osteology exemplified by a rib

Bone finds make great demands on the examiner. The first priority is to establish the remains as human, because then further analyses have to be performed for identification. Especially for bone fragments it may be extremely difficult to determine whether they are of human or animal origin. In the reported case a bone fragment similar to a human rib was found in a medieval town together with more than 300 non-human bones. As it turned out, a medieval cesspit had been opened during excavation works. Even an mtDNA analysis could not answer the question whether the rib was of human origin. A direct comparison with numerous ribs of humans and mammals showed the great interindividual variability, but in the end it was possible to rule out a human origin and to identify the fragment as the third left rib of a pig.     

Cross-validation of the self-appraisal questionnaire: a tool for assessing violent and nonviolent recidivism with female offenders

The Self-Appraisal Questionnaire (SAQ) is a 72-item self-report measure designed to predict violent and nonviolent recidivism among adult male criminal offenders. It was administered to 91 female offenders incarcerated in Pennsylvania and 183 incarcerated in Singapore correctional systems. Results indicated that the SAQ has sound psychometric properties, with acceptable reliability and concurrent and predictive validity for assessing violent and nonviolent recidivism. There were no significant differences between the scores of African American and Asian offenders and the responses of the White offenders. Similar to the findings from male offenders, the present results provide some support for the validity of the SAQ in the prediction of violent and nonviolent recidivism risk among White, African American, and Asian female offenders.     

Outpatient civil commitment in Texas for management and treatment of sexually violent predators: a preliminary report

Texas established in 1999 outpatient civil commitment for sexually violent predators discharged from prison with or without parole. These individuals suffer from a behavioral abnormality, have been convicted of two or more sexually violent crimes and are deemed likely to reoffend. Civilly committed individuals are managed by a team composed of case manager (supervision), treatment provider, public safety officer (global positioning satellite monitoring), and other professionals. Treatment consists of individual and group therapy using a standard workbook. Out of 21 committed individuals, 7 are in the treatment, 1 died, 10 are in custody after breaking conditions of commitment that constitute a felony, and 3 await release from prison. Cost of outpatient civil commitment is less than $20,000/person/year compared with more than $100,000 for inpatient commitment in other states. Texas has found outpatient civil commitment to be an effective and relatively low-cost way to protect the public and treat the offender.     

Parole release decisions revisited: An analysis of parole release decisions for violent inmates in a southeastern state

In an attempt to discover the major predictors of parole decision-making in one southeastern state, this study examined the cases of 762 inmates under the supervision of the Alabama Department of Corrections who were eligible for parole from June 1, 1993 through May 31, 1994. Of the 762 eligible inmates, only 138 (18 percent) were granted parole. Using parole disposition (granted or denied) as the dependent variable, this study investigated the offense, offender, and general parole variables and their impact on parole decisions. Logistic regression findings indicated that the strongest predictors of parole release decisions were the length of the original sentence assessed for the offense, the total number of felonies for which the inmate was serving time, and the warden and senior officers' recommendations. These variables, which were also significant at the bivariate level of analysis, explained approximately 47 percent of the variation in the dependent variable. A major concern of the study was the generalizability of the findings.     

How appropriate are volunteers as 'appropriate adults' for young suspects? The 'appropriate adult' system and human rights

This article discusses the use of volunteers as 'appropriate adults', who are intended to safeguard the rights of young people during the police investigation process. It maps the historical origins of using volunteers to fulfil the role. It then highlights the shortfalls of parents and social workers as appropriate adults and evaluates the suitability of volunteers for the role. Whilst the shortcoming of parents and social workers are not disputed, nor the benefits accrued by using volunteers in the name of administrative and financial efficiency, it is argued that the effectiveness of volunteers in protecting the vulnerable suspect could be impeded by poor selection and preparation. Consequently, this article argues that the effectiveness of volunteers in this role is dependent on prompt and effective regulation and guidance. It warns the Government that if it continues with its current line of inaction, it could result in breaching its obligations under international law. Current appropriate adult practice generally may breach human rights guaranteed under international and domestic law.This article concludes that the lure of resource savings should not come at the expense of less protection for the young suspect in police custody.