Pathways to women's crime: differences among women convicted of drug, violence and fraud offenses

The current study was conducted on 60 Israeli female inmates. Our aim was to examine the differences among women convicted for drug, violence, and fraud offenses by socio-demographic variables and self-control and aggression levels. Results revealed that the drug group was characterized by measures attributed to chronic delinquency, and the fraud group was found to fit the pathway to low crime. At the same time, the violence group was not characterized by any of these patterns. The findings were discussed in relation to their theoretical contribution and applicability.     

Teaching Violence Prevention

Summary

This paper defines violence from a Public Health perspective. It offers recommendations for creating a curriculum to teach health professionals about the critical issues involved in establishing a more peaceful society. Specific learning objectives, teaching methods, and examples of group discussion activities are presented, as well as an extensive bibliography. The intention is to make available to health professionals information that promotes an understanding of the overall impact of violence in our society, and specific skills in the recognition and management of victims of violence. Because of the importance of domestic violence as the center of the web of violence in our culture, emphasis is placed on understanding the dynamics and effects of this specific form of violent behavior. Teaching violence prevention occupies a critical role for medical education.     

Innocence Lost: A Gender-Based Study of Parricide Offender,Victim, and Incident Characteristics in a National Sample, 1976–2003

ABSTRACT

The act of parricide is one of the least understood and most underresearched acts of family violence. Work to date suggests adolescent parricide is often an extreme response to intolerable abuse. Drawing on Supplementary Homicide Reports (SHR) from 1976 to 2003, this work examines a large national sample of reported parricide incidents (N?=?2,599) with an offender 21 years of age or younger. A gender-based study of offender, victim, and incident characteristics was undertaken using bivariate and multivariate techniques. Results suggest that incidents of parricide are decreasing over time. Offenses are predominantly intraracial with white male offenders peaking in late adolescence and white females peaking in mid-adolescence. White biological fathers are at greatest risk of victimization with girls significantly more likely than boys to kill a stepfather. Results both corroborate and contrast extant works, providing new baseline data and insight into this complex and dynamic crime.     

Organizational Inhibitions to Addressing Occupational Fraud: A Theory of Differential Rationalization

ABSTRACT

This article examines organizational inhibitions in relation to addressing occupational fraud. The a priori assumption would be if an organization discovers occupational fraud it would deal with it. However, this research illustrates, drawing upon 24 semi-structured interviews, two case studies and participant observation, a range of avoidant rationalizations constructed by representatives of organizational victims to justify not tackling occupational fraud. These rationalizations bear great similarity to the rationalizations constructed by offenders, and the article argues they constitute a theory of differential rationalization. The research may have wider relevance to explaining why organizations fail to deal with other negative behaviors.     

Psychological consequences of collective violence in childhood: the case of Monterrey,Mexico / Consecuencias psicológicas de la violencia colectiva en la niñez: el caso de Monterrey,México

Abstract

During the last years, different types of violence have severely damaged Mexico. In this paper we examine the consequences that violence could have in children, one of the most vulnerable segments of society. In short, we predict that exposure to any type of violence will lead to higher depression and that this could be explained through the effects of violence on childhood well-being. Our hypothesis was supported in two studies, showing that exposure to street violence (Study 1, N = 607) and exposure to collective violence (Study 2, N = 172) can increase childhood depression. Moreover, in both studies, this effect was explained by the decrease of childhood well-being caused by violence exposure. The implications of these results are discussed.     

Guest referees for 17(4)

Background and objectives: Although intimate partner violence (IPV) has demonstrated strong associations with anxiety and posttraumatic stress, these constructs have rarely been examined simultaneously in IPV research. Gaps in knowledge remain as to their differential associations to substance use problems among IPV-victimized women. Design: A sample of 143 community women self-reported on their current IPV victimization, mental health and substance use problems. Method: Hierarchical entry multiple regressions were used to test for the direct and indirect effects of psychological, physical, and sexual IPV to alcohol and drug problems through anxiety and posttraumatic stress. Results: Higher anxiety symptom severity and higher physical IPV severity were associated with greater alcohol and drug problems. Higher posttraumatic stress symptom severity was associated with greater alcohol and drug problems. Mediation analyses indicated (i) significant indirect pathways of IPV types to alcohol problems through posttraumatic stress symptom severity controlling for anxiety symptom severity and (ii) significant indirect pathways of IPV types to drug problems through anxiety symptom severity controlling for posttraumatic stress symptom severity. Conclusions: In examining the indirect pathways of psychological, physical, and sexual IPV to substance use problems this study highlights that anxiety and posttraumatic stress symptom severity have unique effects on alcohol and drug problems among IPV-victimized women.     

Addressing Family Violence Within Juvenile Courts

Summary

Whether as overt or underlying issues, family violence is prevalent within juvenile court caseloads, yet often is not identified within intake and disposition. Focusing on juvenile victimization of parents, and to a lesser extent teen dating partners, this article discusses model programs emerging in juvenile courts specifically addressing these issues. A comparative analysis of the drug court trend is explored in the context of its applicability for specialized family violence applications in the Juvenile Court. An overview of the King County (Washington) Juvenile Court's Step-Up Program and the Santa Clara County (California) Juvenile Court's Family Violence program is offered, followed by the process by which the Travis County (Texas) Juvenile Court has implemented a program similar to these models. Effective interventions with violent families must be informed by the domestic violence community's treatment expertise, building on the paradigm of youth resilience.     

Characteristics of Male Batterers in Treatment

Abstract

This article presents information on the characteristics of a clinical population of male perpetrators of intimate partner violence (IPV) court-ordered for batterers' treatment, and how these characteristics co-varied with treatment attrition. The average demographic profile of male batterers in a midwestern treatment program that met present-day treatment guidelines was similar to that found in other studies. In addition, relationship length and status, alcohol/drug use, self-reports of past treatment and mental health issues, and self-report of witnessing or experiencing violence within the home during childhood was also similar. Batterers' self-reports of their own violent behavior were found to vary by data collection technique, with face-to-face interviews eliciting greater admission of violent behavior than paper-and-pencil questionnaires. However, the only predictors of successful treatment outcome were living arrangement at the time of treatment and racial category. Implications of these findings are discussed, and “local effects” program evaluation approaches are suggested.     

Social capital and violence in poor urban areas of Honduras

Honduras has the highest murder rate in the world: the high level of violence threatens the economic and social development of the country as it erodes human and social capital and limits trust among people in poor urban areas. However, neither a detailed consideration of the complex manner in which distinct dimensions of social capital interrelate with violence, nor the potential for double causality has received much attention.ObjectivesThe study examines the influence of structural social capital (social organization characteristics) and cognitive social capital (social trust and cohesion characteristics) on risk of violence in poor urban areas of Honduras.MethodsThe study was carried out in two urban communities of Tegucigalpa experiencing high levels of violence and insecurity. For the quantitative analysis, 1000 individuals older than 18 answered a structured questionnaire. Violence exposure was evaluated based on respondents' self-reporting. Social capital was defined based on the use of the short version of the Adapted Social Capital Assessment Tool.ResultsOur results support previous evidence from Guatemala showing that cognitive and structural social capital were inversely related to risk of violence: people with high cognitive social capital had a lower risk of violence (OR 0.46 CI 95: 0.28–0.76) compared to people with low cognitive social capital, whereas people with high structural social capital had a higher risk of violence (OR 1.68 CI 95: 1.04–2.71) compared to people with low structural social capital.ConclusionsSocial trust and social activism exhibit significant associations with risk of violence, however, these dimensions are consequences as well as causes of violence.Implications for practiceIn an intervention perspective it is important to recognize the difference between social organization and cooperative action for creating change, as these concepts represent very dissimilar levels of collective action toward violence. It is thus important to link the items of social capital, primarily within the structural dimension, to the specific objectives of a given intervention.     

Future Directions in Intimate Partner Violence Prevention Research

ABSTRACT

During the past 20 years, research on dynamics of intimate partner violence, risk factors, and treatment of intimate partner violence has flourished. However, research on the prevention of intimate partner violence is in its infancy. The current volume was developed in order to examine the state of the art in preventing intimate partner violence. To that end, this article offers a synthesis of recommendations for future research made by the authors in this volume and participants in the symposium on the prevention of intimate partner violence sponsored by the Department of Defense. A goal in compiling these recommendations is to foster more and better research into preventing intimate partner violence.     

Domestic Abuse Across the Lifespan

ABSTRACT

Domestic abuse has reached epidemic proportions in the United States. Occupational therapists working in many different settings will encounter children, adults, elders and individuals with disabilities who have experienced intimate violence and abuse. This article presents common definitions and illustrative examples of each type of violence. Issues related to the difficulty inherent in identifying victims of abuse are discussed with an elaboration of indicators that are likely to be seen by an occupational therapist in the clinical setting. Risk factors for becoming a victim or an abuser for each population group and the effects of violence on victims are presented. A brief discussion of the legal and ethical implications of identifying and treating abuse victims concludes the article.     

Mothers and Children Together

Summary

Treatment groups for both mothers and children together who have experienced mother assault is a unique therapeutic milieu which has been underutilized in the treatment field. This article presents a 10-week feminist-informed family systems group model as part of a treatment approach for children exposed to family violence and can be used with families of children from pre-school to adolescence. This model provides a context in which the experience of family violence can be debriefed, and issues related to trauma, safety, secrecy, and post-abuse family restructuring can be addressed by family members together. In addition, play and art therapy based interventions are presented and are tailored for the beginning, middle, and end of the group process.     

Analysis of early representations and personality among victims of domestic violence

IntroductionThis exploratory study analyses the individual elements of the victims of domestic violence through life events, early dysfunctional representations and personality.ObjectivesThis research aims, firstly, to show the existence of early traumatic experiences for the victims of domestic violence. Secondly, it aims to measure the prevalence of early maladaptive schema and identify personality traits in these subjects. Finally, our aim is to highlight that depending on the violence carried out within the couple (reciprocal/unilateral), activated schemas and personality traits are different.MethodOur sample consists of 80 female subjects, non-abused women (n = 40) and victims of domestic violence (n = 40), of which 22 victims of unilateral violence and 18 victims of reciprocal violence. Participants filled out an initial questionnaire as well as the scales and self-report questionnaires as follows: Life events (Amiel-Lebigre, 1984); TCI (Cloninger et al., 1993); YSQ-S3 (Young et al., 2005). The data were subject to statistical analysis and were processed using the software SPSS 22.ResultsThe results show that the victims have experienced more early traumas than non-victims, that schemas (emotional deprivation, mistrust and abuse, subjugation, self-sacrifice) are more active. We note also different personality traits according to the different groups (victims/non-victims) and subgroups (reciprocal violence/unilateral violence).ConclusionOur study sheds light on the role of the individual elements of the victims on the perception of the relationship and on the process of engagement and disengagement of women in abusive relationships. Limits and expectations of the study are discussed.     

Patterns of drug use and criminal activities among latino arrestees in California: Treatment and policy implications

This study examined the patterns of drug use and criminal activities among Latino arrestees. The findings indicate that while the prevalence of drug use at time of arrest, and in the prior 12 months were significantly lower for Latinos compared to Whites and Blacks, drug use still is of concern for this ethnic group. Almost 50% of Latinos reported drug use in the last year, and more importantly, they were more likely to report using dangerous drugs such as cocaine, heroin, and PCP than any other ethnic group. These findings are even more alarming considering that, for the most part, Latino drug users were treatment-naive, and that less than half perceived a need for drug treatment. Regarding criminal activities, Latinos were less likely to have a history of prior arrests and to have been arrested in the year prior to the interview than any other ethnic group. Interestingly, those immigrants who have resided in the U.S. for less than 1 year were significantly more likely to have been charged with drug-related crimes. U.S. born Latinos were more likely to have been arrested for property crimes, while Central American immigrants were more likely than any other Latino group to have been arrested for violent and domestic violence crimes. Treatment and policy implications of these findings are discussed.     

Adolescent Male Sports Participation and Violence in Emerging Adulthood: Examining Variation by Gender-Typed Behavior

ABSTRACT

Research on the association between sports participation and violence is mixed. Moreover, most studies that recognize some sport subcultures equate masculinity with violence have not included indicators of adherence to gender-typed behaviors. The current study used the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health to investigate the association between male adolescent sports participation and violence in young adulthood, as well as the degree to which this relationship varied by adherence to gender-typed behaviors. Analyses revealed that male adolescent sports participation was positively associated with violence during emerging adulthood, particularly for those who displayed gender-atypical (i.e., more feminine) behaviors.     

Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy with People in Abusive Relationships

Summary

Psychoanalytic perspectives on violence between partners is describedand forms a foundation for an approach to group and individual psychotherapy of men and women in relationships in which there is physical violence between partners. The empirical results of a study of the outcome of psychoanalytically oriented psychotherapy are described. Nineteen men and 16 women completed research measures before beginning psychotherapy and after completing 16 sessions of group psychotherapy. Twelve people who completed group psychotherapy continued in individual psychotherapy and completed measures again after 16 sessions of individual psychotherapy, and nine people completed measures again after the 16 sessions of group and 32 sessions of individual psychotherapy. Statistical analyses addressed outcomes in terms of verbal and physical aggression and dysphoric affects and anger. Both research and clinical outcomes are discussed.     

Voices from the Group

Summary

This article presents experiential reactions of male and female domestic violence perpetrators one year after completing a 52-week court-mandated intervention program. Data were derived from in-depth interviews as part of a larger research study looking at recidivism and other outcomes in a probation department with a domestic violence courtand a coordinated legal, programmatic and community response. Overall, elements that were most helpful in domestic violence intervention were primarily relational ones, such as group support and therapist/facilitator alliances, and secondarily, specific strategies of handling anger and other emotions, and interpersonal communication. The discussion focuses on the implications of these findings for therapists and facilitators involved in providing services for this population.     

Impact of Television News Exposure on Children's Perceptions of Violence in Northern Ireland

Abstract

The present study assessed the impact of television news exposure on Irish children's perceptions of the level of violence in their neighborhoods. Estimates from children (N = 570) of the local levels of violence in three areas (high-, low-, and no-violence) were subjected to a four-way analysis of variance (Area x Sex x Age x News Exposure) that showed a main effect for area and sex with respect to the high-violence area and boys. Two two-way interactions also reached statistical significance. The first suggested that the perception of lower levels of violence by girls was confined to the high- and low-violence areas. The second concerned the level of actual violence and the amount of reported news exposure. Only in the high-violence area were these two variables related: Accurate estimates of actual violence levels were associated with more frequent news exposure.     

Pathways in the offending process of sex offenders who target marginalised victims

Prior literature shows that although marginalised populations are at a high risk of severe violence and homicide, research has focused on their offenders as if they constituted a homogeneous group. On the basis of a sample of 213 sex offenders who targeted marginalised individuals (i.e., sex trade worker, homeless individual, and severe drug user), we investigate the different pathways that these offenders take both prior to and during the commission of their crimes. Results of 2‐step cluster analysis regarding the offender's development, criminal history, crime context, and modus operandi revealed 3 distinct pathways of the offending process. The coercive pathway was characterised by the amount of violence used against the victim. The explosive pathway was defined by offenders who were in a state of rage at the time of the offence. Finally, offenders in the situational pathway committed their crimes out of opportunity and used very little violence. Differences between pathways were investigated with regard to characteristics of the index offence.