Female juvenile murderers: Biological and psychological dynamics leading to homicide

The increasing involvement of girls under 18 in violent crime has been a matter of growing concern in the United States in recent years. This article reviews the arrests of female juveniles for violent crime and then focuses specifically on their involvement in homicide. Arrests of girls for murder, unlike arrests for assault, have not risen over the last 30 years, suggesting that the dynamics that propel female juveniles to engage in lethal violence differ from those contributing to assaultive behavior by this same group. A review of the literature indicates that theories as to why female adolescents kill do not take into account recent scientific findings on brain development and the biological effects of early trauma in explaining serious violent behavior by girls. Three cases, evaluated by the authors, involving female adolescents charged with murder or attempted murder, are presented. The authors focus on the biological and psychological dynamics that help explain their violent behavior. They discuss the effects of insecure attachment and child maltreatment, and trace a critical pathway between these early experiences and future risk of violent behavior. The dynamics of child maltreatment in fostering rage and violence are discussed thereafter in terms of offender accountability. The article concludes with a discussion of treatment and recommendations for future research.     

A rare case of lethal methadone intoxication of a 3-week-old infant

The authors describe a rare case of lethal methadone intoxication of a 3-week-old infant. Born of a drug-addicted mother who was undergoing methadone substitution therapy, the newborn presented withdrawal symptoms and was immediately admitted to a paediatric ward where it was treated for 3 weeks, without administration of methadone. The infant died during bottle feeding within 24 h following discharge home.A post-mortem examination was performed as well as histopathological, toxicological and genetic tests were carried out in order to establish the cause and mode of death.The autopsy revealed obstruction of the lower air passages by stomach contents along with classical features of asphyxia. Toxicological tests revealed high concentrations of methadone and its metabolite in blood and urine as well as presence of methadone in stomach contents, and the DNA polymorphism analysis of the (sex-specific) amelogenin locus gave a negative result.On the basis of the results of the post-mortem examination, the laboratory tests and the police investigation, it was concluded that the drug was ingested with the bottle milk, and the possibility of administration of methadone at the hospital or its ingestion with the breast milk was precluded. Though both the cause and mode of death were established, the public prosecutor discontinued proceedings in the case due to inability to find the perpetrator.     

Identification and analyses of female civilian victims of the 1991 war in Croatia from the Glina and Petrinja areas

Introduction

The process of recovering and identifying human remains from individual and mass graves has proven to be the most effective method of resolving the fate of missing individuals in the former Yugoslavia. These efforts have two primary objectives: medicolegal—to identify the cause of death, and humanitarian—to bring closure to living family members, thus supporting the human rights of both the living and the deceased. From 1996 to the present, the remains of 388 individuals killed during the 1991 War in Croatia were recovered from the Glina and Petrinja areas (Sisa?ko–Moslova?ka County). The purpose of this paper is to report on the demographic and taphonomic characteristics of the recovered remains, and identify factors responsible for the discrepancy in the identification ratios.

Methods

To identify factors potentially responsible for the noted discrepancy, data were collected on the taphonomic characteristics of the recovered remains, the types of burials, as well as the factors responsible for positive identification. These factors included: forensic DNA testing, dental criteria, special signs (healed fractures, etc.), clothing and personal artifacts.

Results

The age distributions between males and females in the sample are significantly different. The mean age-at-death for males is 51.6 years, for females 67.0 years. In both sexes the majority of identifications (62.9% in females and 45.9% in males) were established through a combination of biological and non-biological features. In terms of the types of graves from which the bodies were recovered, positive identification in both sexes was lowest in mass graves (61.2% for males, and 84.2% for females). Females from mass graves were, however, better preserved than males—36.6% of males recovered from mass graves were completely skeletonized, while the same was true for only 19.3% of females (χ² = 7.06, P < 0.029). Completely skeletonized remains were identified in only 65.1% of cases, while partially skeletonized and saponified bodies were identified in 80.1% of cases.

Conclusion

Since positive identification in both sexes is strongly correlated with preservation of the bodies, the reason why female identification frequencies in the Glina and Petrinja regions are higher than male frequencies lies in the fact that females recovered from mass graves were better preserved than males recovered from mass graves. Identification of the factors responsible for this is a challenge that needs to be resolved in future studies.     

Youth and parental attitudes toward fighting

Certain parenting behaviors have been linked with youth aggression and violence, but less is known about whether parents' attitudes toward fighting are a risk factor for children's aggressive behavior problems and future injury risk. Social cognitive theory suggests that parents' beliefs about fighting and retaliation may influence their children's attitudes toward fighting and aggression. The authors examined the associations among parental and youth attitudes toward fighting, parent-child relationships, and youth aggressive behavior in adolescents at great risk for future interpersonal violence. Data came from 72 parents and their adolescents (aged 12 to 17 years, 89% African American), who presented to an emergency department for youth's assault-related injuries. Analyses revealed an association between parents' and youth's attitudes toward fighting. Youth's and parents' attitudes were positively correlated with aggressive behavior, fighting, and school suspension. Parents' attitudes predicted youth's aggressive behavior, even after controlling for youth's attitudes. The findings suggest that interventions for high-risk youth should target the fighting-related attitudes of both parents and youth.     

ANOTHER LOOK AT THE DEVELOPMENTAL RESEARCH

Kelly and Lamb (2000) recently provided a summary of the attachment literature and a set of guidelines for visitation and custody for young children in divorced and separated families. Here, Solomon and Biringen review the same literature with an eye to critically evaluating these guidelines, especially the suggestion that more, rather than fewer, transitions between parents are appropriate for very young children. Three types of empirical findings raise questions regarding the appropriateness of Kelly and Lamb's guidelines. These include differences in the development of infant-mother and infant-father attachments, young children's sensitivity to overnight separations from the primary caregiver, and the possibility of infant preferences for primary versus secondary caregivers in times of stress. The authors argue that considerably more rigorous research is required before submitting Kelly and Lamb's suggestion to social policy.     

The chemical interconversion of GHB and GBL: forensic issues and implications.

In this work, the interconversion of GHB and GBL in a variety of aqueous media was studied. The effects of solution pH and time were determined by spiking GHB or GBL into pure water and buffered aqueous solutions, and determining the GHB and GBL contents at various time intervals. The degree of GBL hydrolysis to GHB was determined for several commercial aqueous-based GBL products, and further studied as a function of time. The effects of temperature and time were also determined for five commercial beverages spiked with GHB or GBL. GHB and GBL contents were determined using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). GHB and/or GBL confirmations were made using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and/or infrared spectroscopy (IR). Solution pH, time, and storage temperature were determined to be important factors affecting the rate and extent of GBL hydrolysis to GHB. Under strongly alkaline conditions (pH 12.0), GBL was completely converted to GHB within minutes. In pure water, GBL reacted to form an equilibrium mixture comprising ca. 2:1 GBL:GHB over a period of months. This same equilibrium mixture was established from either GHB or GBL in strongly acidic solution (pH 2.0) within days. A substantial portion of GBL (ca. 1/3) was hydrolyzed to GHB in aqueous-based GBL products, and in spiked commercial beverages, after ambient storage for a period ranging from several weeks to several months. Heat increased and refrigeration decreased the rate of GBL hydrolysis relative to ambient conditions. These studies show that hydrolysis of GBL to GHB does occur in aqueous-based solutions, with samples and time frames that are relevant to forensic testing. Implications for forensic testing and recommendations are discussed.     

Eyewitness Accuracy Rates in Sequential and Simultaneous Lineup Presentations: A Meta-Analytic Comparison

Most police lineups use a simultaneous presentation technique in which eyewitnesses view all lineup members at the same time. Lindsay and Wells (R. C. L. Lindsay & G. L. Wells, 1985) devised an alternative procedure, the sequential lineup, in which witnesses view one lineup member at a time and decide whether or not that person is the perpetrator prior to viewing the next lineup member. The present work uses the technique of meta-analysis to compare the accuracy rates of these presentation styles. Twenty-three papers were located (9 published and 14 unpublished), providing 30 tests of the hypothesis and including 4,145 participants. Results showed that identification of perpetrators from target-present lineups occurs at a higher rate from simultaneous than from sequential lineups. However, this difference largely disappears when moderator variables approximating real world conditions are considered. Also, correct rejection rates were significantly higher for sequential than simultaneous lineups and this difference is maintained or increased by greater approximation to real world conditions. Implications of these findings are discussed.     

Failure to detect antihuman-immunoglobulinallotype-active antibodies in diagnostic sera directed against some enterobacteria

Diagnostic sera to determine antigenic properties of bacteria were tested to clarify the question whether these sera also contain antibodies being active against human immunoglobulin allotypes. Sera directed against various strains of Escherichia coli, Salmonella, and Shigella were found to be negative for anti-Ig-allotype activity.     

Musci preferences as data in assessing and treating offenders and victims

Contemporary music has been criticized for promoting violence, hatred, misogyny, sexual excess, drug and alcohol abuse, suicide, narcissism, and self-pity. The authors, a criminologist licensed as a mental health counselor and a clinical psychologist, have found that exploring individuals' music preferences can often provide invaluable assistance in understanding how offenders and victims fulfill existential needs common to both of them. These insights can be useful in setting appropriate therapeutic goals, assessing violence potential toward self and others, and making recommendations regarding the need for placement in a secure facility. Notes Paper delivered at the 1998 Annual Meeting of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, Albuquerque, New Mexico, March.     

The Special Case of Pesticides: Science and Regulation

Pesticide regulation is a data-intensive activity that is strongly controlled at the federal level. The pesticide law FIFRA controls pesticide sale, use, and disposal. Normal use of pesticides is excluded under RCRA and CERCLA. There are approximately 1,000 pesticide active ingredients with highly diverse functions ranging from insecticides to disinfectants and pheromones (insect sex attractants). There is a relatively large database on many pesticides, which helps reduce uncertainty in risk assessments. Witnesses subject to Daubert should be familiar with the data as well as the computer models designed for pesticides. “Inert” ingredients that are formulated with the pesticide active ingredients can become issues in torts cases. Federal courts have ruled both in favor and against FIFRA preemption, i.e., the ability of a plaintiff to seek relief in a torts case may be blocked by FIFRA. Golf course permitting provides a special land use whereby fundamental pesticide risk and regulatory issues are debated at the level of local planning and zoning commissions.