Comparing Male and Female Prison Releasees across Risk Factors and Postprison Recidivism

This study, using data from a large sample of prison releasees, examined the similarities and differences in men's and women's risk factors for recidivism involving rearrest for any crime and rearrest for a violent crime during an average 3.4-year follow-up period. Logistic regressions revealed several gender differences. Prior incarceration, time served, and specific types of prior arrest histories had differential associations with women's and men's overall and violent recidivism. Age, race, and conviction offense were gender-specific risk factors for overall recidivism, and education level and marital status were gender-specific risk factors for violent recidivism. Implications for risk assessment are discussed.     

Demographic and abuse characteristics in adolescent male sexual offenders with “special needs”

Adolescent sexual offenders with “special needs” are thought to pose different challenges for therapists working clinically. However, this population has received little attention in the literature, with the research in this area very limited. This study looked at the demographic and abuse characteristics of 24 adolescent sexual offenders with “special needs” who were compared with a group of 155 male adolescent sexual offenders with no special needs. Significant differences were found between the two groups. Those with special needs had higher levels of all forms of abuse, and differences were also found on some sub-scales of the Child Behaviour Checklist. Implications for research and clinical practice are discussed.     

Personal construct psychotherapy: Fixed-role therapy with forensic clients

Abstract

Fixed-role therapy, a dramaturgical approach to psychotherapy developed by Kelly in 1955, has been used in a variety of situations over the years with various client groups, including criminal offenders. Some of the benefits and limitations of fixed-role therapy with sexual abusers will be discussed. It is suggested that the strengths of some offenders, such as the social skills necessary to succeed at confidence games, be recognized and directed in fixed-role sessions. Illustrations of a number of issues will be drawn from two clinical case examples.     

Prevalence and blood concentrations of benzodiazepines and opioids in opioid-positive death investigations in Ontario,Canada, from 2017 to 2021

The aim of this study was to investigate the incidence of benzodiazepines in opioid-positive death investigations, including trends in frequency and combination of drugs, as well as demographic data and blood concentrations, where available. Additionally, naloxone concentrations in polysubstance compared to opioid-only cases were analyzed. This was a retrospective study that consisted of all post-mortem toxicology cases in Ontario, Canada, from January 01, 2017, to December 31, 2021, with an opioid finding in any analyzed autopsy specimen. There were 11,033 death investigations identified. The overall rate of benzodiazepine co-involvement was 54.5%. Males accounted for the majority of cases (71%), and the most affected age group was 30- to 39-year-olds. The most frequently detected opioid was fentanyl and the most frequently detected benzodiazepine was etizolam, which was also the most frequently observed opioid/benzodiazepine combination. Findings related to differences in concentrations of opioids when naloxone was also present were mostly non-significant, except for methadone. The rate of benzodiazepine detection with opioids grew faster than opioid detections overall, potentially due to the increasingly toxic drug supply. Detection of novel psychoactive drugs fluctuated more unpredictably than opioids and benzodiazepines associated with clinical use. These findings can help inform policy decisions by public health agencies in exploring harm reduction efforts, for example, education and drug-checking services.     

Standing for the client: on the interactional becoming of the criminal defence attorney1

In this essay, I explore the meaning of the legal profession (the defence attorney). I carry out my investigation in the interactional register. I suggest that we examine the profession of defence attorney as a professional identity in becoming. I localize the event of becoming in the first attorney-client interview. I propose that it is during the first encounter that the attorney comes to stand for the client as a legal counsel. I further propose that the analogy of ‘standing for’ be accessed empirically through an analysis of a recorded episode from the first attorney-client conference. For my methods I use a combination of frame analysis and conversation analysis. The two analyses show how the attorney becomes to stand for the client as a legal figure moulded in a series of interactional moves. By reformulating and reframing the ordinary talk that is introduced as an entry mode into an institutional relationship, the attorney and the client alter their discursive positions until the attorney assumes his professional identity, that is, becomes to stand for the client in legal action.     

Soziale Herkunft, politische Sozialisation und Wählen im Lebensverlauf

In this paper the influence of social origin as well as both the political communication and the religious education in the family on the voting behaviour in the life course have been investigated. Furthermore, we investigate the intergenerational transmission of parental party identification and the duration of its impact on the children’s voting patterns. For the empirical analyses, retrospective longitudinal data are employed. The empirical results confirm the significant impact of the social origin, the religious education, and the parental party identification on voting. However, their impact decreases in the later stages of the life cycle. Furthermore, the intergenerational reproduction of parental party identification has decreased significantly over consecutive generations.