Psychotic versus non-psychotic firesetters: similarities and differences in characteristics

Firesetters with psychotic disorders constitute a distinct and important offender group. However, little is known about how psychotic firesetters differ from non-psychotic firesetters. More knowledge is required in order to treat this particular population effectively. Psychotic (n?=?30) and non-psychotic (n?=?94) firesetters of both sexes referred for pre-trial forensic mental health assessment in the Netherlands were compared on socio-demographic, pathological, judicial and event-related characteristics using binary and multivariate statistical tests. Results showed that psychotic firesetters were older, single and unemployed. They had a more extensive history of mental health problems, associated drug use and impaired self-reliance. Opposed to non-psychotic offenders, physical abuse in childhood and alcohol abuse were less prevalent. They had a more extensive history of prior convictions, committed the arsons more often alone and were less often intoxicated. Treatment implications are discussed as focusing treatment on these differences may contribute to treatment efficacy and prevention of recidivism.     

Dental and Chronological Age in Children Under Oncological Treatment

The current oncology treatment has improved the survival of children with several types of cancer, and the effect of radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy treatment on dental maturation in comparison with chronological age is not widely known. The aim of this work was to evaluate and compare the impact of radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy treatment during dental maturation with chronological age in Chilean children diagnosed with cancer. Study Design was cross‐sectional study on children diagnosed with different types of cancer and treated with radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy when they were ages of 0.1 to 13 years. Demirjian tables for both girls and boys are used to determine the dental age. The association between chronological and dental age was highly significant. Nevertheless, a linear relation between chronological and dental age was not observed when the data were stratified by BMI and type of treatment. This study confirmed that dental age is an indicator of chronological age but that other variables, such as body mass index, in children with cancer could be confounder variables. Thus, further studies are necessary to investigate the influence of BMI on tooth eruption/maturation in children under oncological treatment.     

Effects of Pre-release Services on Access to Behavioral Health Treatment after Release from Prison

Using the Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Initiative data-set, substance use and mental health needs of released inmates are examined to explore whether there is a positive relationship between pre-release services and behavioral health treatment access at three months post-release. Two weighted hierarchical linear models were run testing the effects of three key pre-release services: pre-release needs assessment, pre-release linkage with inmates’ post-release case managers, and pre-release assistance with accessing post-release health insurance. Results demonstrate that pre-release needs assessment significantly increases the odds of receiving post-release substance abuse treatment, and case management linkage and assistance with accessing health insurance significantly increase the odds of mental health treatment after release. Policy implications for reentry service provision targeting behavioral health needs, and directions for future research, are discussed.     

“Hand-to-mouth” citizenship: decision time for the UK Supreme Court on the substance of Zambrano rights,EU citizenship and equal treatment

UK benefit rules strip Zambrano residence rights, for UK national children and their third country national primary carers, of equal treatment entitlement. These rules are challenged in a case pending before the UK Supreme Court. This piece argues that Zambrano creates an EU-citizenship-based right to reside which necessarily entails equal treatment. UK national children in Zambrano families fall within the scope of EU law so are not prevented by the wholly internal rule from claiming equal treatment with EU national children in Teixeira families. And they are protected by equal treatment as a general principle of EU law, which requires equal treatment with other UK national children. The justifications for automatic unequal treatment put forward before, and accepted with alacrity by, the Court of Appeal, are poorly reasoned and ill-matched with the rules in question – most notably because Zambrano families may have strong connections with the UK. A CJEU reference is likely; a Zambrano right is the right to reside in the Union – it is the right to have EU rights. The substance of EU citizenship is at stake.     

Developing a theory of dynamic risk

ABSTRACT

The Propensities Model is now the dominant applied conceptualization of dynamic risk factors for sexual offending. In this paper five important limitations of this model are identified: it asserts causality but does not explain it; it does not represent human agency; it offers no account of what is involved in the development of propensities; it does not explain stable change in risk; and its account of the operation of static factors is a theoretical leap not supported by the evidence. A more elaborate theoretical framework is developed by integrating ideas from Ward's Good Lives model, Beck's account of schema modes, and Fishbein and Ajzen's Theory of Reasoned Action. This more elaborate framework incorporates the Propensities Model in a way that mitigates its limitations. Implications for research, assessment, and rehabilitation are explored.     

The impact of pre-treatment responsivity and treatment participation on violent recidivism in a violent offender sample

This study assessed whether pre-treatment responsivity (psychopathy, motivation to attend treatment, denial and minimisation of offending behaviour, and feelings of guilt or shame) predicted violent recidivism and/or moderated the effectiveness of a violence intervention programme. Participants were 114 male violent offenders who were referred to a structured violent offender group treatment programme; 84 offenders commenced the programme. Results showed that treatment completion did not have a significant main effect on recidivism but that psychopathy scores moderated the effects of treatment. Offenders with high scores on the Psychopathy Checklist: Screening Version (PCL:SV) who were rated as having good engagement with treatment, or who completed treatment, had similar violent recidivism rates compared to offenders with low PCL:SV scores. In contrast, offenders with high PCL:SV scores who dropped out of treatment or were poorly engaged had significantly higher rates of violent recidivism. These findings indicate that treatment effectiveness could be enhanced, and greater reductions in recidivism achieved, if programmes find ways to engage and maintain psychopathic offenders in treatment.     

精神障碍患者约束和隔离措施的法律规制

约束和隔离是严重剥夺精神障碍患者人身自由的强制措施。约束和隔离实施中所存在的非人道性、危险性和负面效果使得该措施饱受争议,因而法律只允许在例外情况下使用约束和隔离措施,并对其实施条件和程序予以严格限制。即,在实体上明确约束和隔离措施的适用条件和情形,在程序上明确约束和隔离措施的实施步骤,从而构筑起约束、隔离的法律规制体系。     

基于“治养并重”理论，运用推拿联合易筋经治疗 神经根型颈椎病临床观察

[摘要]目的 基于国医大师李业甫“治养并重”理论,观察推拿联合易筋经治疗神经根型颈椎病（cervical spondylotic radiculopathy,CSR）的临床疗效。方法 前瞻性收集60例CSR住院患者,依据其是否愿意接受易筋经习练分别纳入治疗组和对照组,两组各30例。治疗组患者在院接受推拿联合易筋经治疗,出院后1个月继续习练易筋经;对照组在院接受推拿治疗,出院后1个月无任何干预。分别于治疗前、治疗后、出院1个月后观察两组患者颈部肌肉弥散张量成像（diffusion tensor imaging,DTI）参数、疼痛视觉模拟量表（visual analogue scale,VAS）评分、颈椎功能障碍指数（neck disability index,NDI）量表评分,并于出院1个月后评定疗效。结果 与治疗前比较,治疗后两组患者DTI参数中患侧胸锁乳突肌、头夹肌ADC值,VAS评分,NDI评分均明显降低,患侧胸锁乳突肌、头夹肌FA值均明显升高,差异均有统计学意义（P＜0.05）;治疗组胸锁乳突肌、头夹肌ADC值,头夹肌FA值,NDI评分改善程度均明显优于对照组（P＜0.05）。与治疗后比较,出院1个月后除对照组患者患侧胸锁乳突肌、头夹肌FA值差异无统计学意义（P＞0.05）外,两组患者胸锁乳突肌、头夹肌ADC值,VAS评分,NDI评分均明显改善,差异有统计学意义（P＜0.05）;且治疗组DTI参数、VAS评分、NDI评分改善程度均明显优于对照组（P＜0.05）。治疗组临床疗效优于对照组（P<0.05）。结论 “治养并重”指导下推拿联合易筋经治疗CSR可修复颈肌纤维、减轻疼痛、提高颈椎功能及临床疗效,较单纯推拿疗效更佳。     

Heterogeneous effects of adolescent violent victimization on problematic outcomes in early adulthood*

Violent victimization—particularly when it happens to young people—can inflict a wide array of negative consequences across the life course. Nevertheless, some victims are more likely to suffer these consequences than others, and we do not have a very good understanding of why that is. One promising avenue of research is to examine how individuals’ differential risks of being victimized affect the extent to which they experience negative outcomes. By using propensity score matching and data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (N = 8,323), in this study I estimate the heterogeneous effects of adolescent violent victimization on several problematic outcomes in early adulthood (violent and property offending, subsequent violent victimization, depressive symptoms, hard drug use, and low educational attainment). Individuals’ differential risks of adolescent violent victimization are estimated with a host of personal, social, and contextual factors, including prior experiences with crime and violence. The results show that the consequences of adolescent victimization in early adulthood are more pronounced for youth with the lowest risks of being victimized. These findings have important implications for theory, research, and practice, and they emphasize that the consequences of victimization cannot be understood separately from the sources of victimization.