Prediction of violent versus nonviolent recidivism from prior violent and nonviolent criminality.

Analyzed frequencies of prior violent and nonviolent criminal convictions among 198 adult male felony offenders (mean age 27 yrs) in relation to probation outcome defined as success, nonviolent failure, or violent failure. The probation follow-up was conducted after 32 mo. Only the results for prior nonviolent offenses were significant, and although nonviolent failures on probation were nearly 4 times more common than were violent failures, the nonviolent predictor set was equally sensitive to the 2 types of recidivism. The association between prior nonviolent offenses and probation outcome was attenuated by the influence of age. Persistent nonviolent criminality usually reflects a generalized propensity for social deviance and is therefore of some predictive value with heterogeneous groups of offenders. In contrast, because violence is often due to transitory psychological states that emerge in response to atypical circumstances, it is a relatively poor indicator of the likelihood of future similar behavior. (20 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A further attempt to differentiate violent from nonviolent offenders by means of a battery of psychological tests.

30 male Ss who had been convicted of violent offenses and 30 convicted on nonviolent offenses (mean ages 17.5 and 17.4 yrs, respectively) were administered the WAIS, Buss-Durkee Hostility Inventory (BDHI), the Hostility and Direction of Hostility Questionnaire, and the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire. Only 6 of the dependent variables differentiated between the 2 groups at or beyond the .05 level of significance. They were Information, Comprehension, Verbal IQ, Object Assembly, Full Scale IQ, and Assault. With the exception of Assault (a BDHI subscale), all the variables come from the WAIS. There were no significant differences between the 2 groups on S. B. Eysenck and H. J. Eysenck's (1975) personality dimensions of extraversion, neuroticism, and psychoticism. (French abstract) (27 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Development of personality disorder symptoms and the risk for partner violence.

In a community sample (N = 543) followed over 20 years, the authors studied associations among childhood family violence exposure, personality disorder (PD) symptoms, and adult partner violence. PD symptoms (DSM-III-R Clusters A, B, and C) in early adulthood partially mediated the effect of earlier childhood risks on the odds of perpetrating partner violence. The authors tested whether stability of PD symptoms from adolescence to the early 20s differs for individuals who later perpetrated partner violence. Cluster A ("Odd/Eccentric") symptoms declined less with age among partner violent versus nonviolent men and women. Cluster B ("Dramatic/Erratic") symptoms were more stable through late adolescence in partner violent men, compared with nonviolent men and violent women. Cluster C ("Anxious") symptoms were most stable among partner violent men. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Crime specialization, seriousness progression, and Markov chains.

Sequences of violent and nonviolent offenses by 300 male offenders (mean age 26.47 yrs) were subjected to log-linear analyses of the stabilities and magnitudes of their transition probabilities (TPs). Results show that all patterns resembled a Markov process wherein the TPs were stable. The relative magnitude of these TPs indicated that there was specialization in nonviolent offenses and little tendency toward consistently violent behavior. Seriousness progression from nonviolent to violent misconduct was infrequent; however, there was substantial retrogression from violent to nonviolent offenses. (11 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Intelligence, personality, and criminal violence: A multivariate analysis.

The L. R. Huesmann et al (1978) Validity (F)?+?Psychopathic Deviate (Pd)?+?Hypomania (Ma) MMPT index of aggression and A. B. Heilbrun's (see record 1979-25100-001) hypothesis regarding the interaction of intelligence and psychopathy in relation to violent behavior were evaluated with 390 adult male offenders, mean age 26.2 yrs. The F?+?Pd?+?Ma composite did not differentiate significantly between inmates who had been classified according to the violent or nonviolent nature of their most recent offenses, although it was positively correlated with Ss' lifetime total number of violent convictions. Nonetheless, this latter correlation was of extremely small magnitude, and the combination of scales F, Pd, and Ma performed no better than Pd alone. Low levels of intellectual functioning were associated with violent crime in all analyses; however, contrary to Heilbrun, the relationship of intelligence and psychopathy to violence was found to be linear and additive rather than interactive, regardless of whether psychopathy was defined as F?+?Pd?+?Ma or as Pd only. (16 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Presidential address. What does the Millennium have in store for the American Society of Parasitologists?

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have reported low conviction rates for drunk drivers injured in motor vehicle crashes and transported to the hospital. The purpose of this study was to evaluate this rate during a recent period and to investigate the variables that predict alcohol-related convictions for injured drunk drivers admitted to our hospital. METHODS: A retrospective review of medical records from January 1991 through May 1997 identified 71 patients who were legally intoxicated drivers injured in motor vehicle crashes. Court records, police reports, and driving records were also obtained. RESULTS: Overall, 51% of the drunk drivers were convicted of alcohol-related offenses and 32% escaped without any conviction. Blood alcohol level and a police officer's estimation of whether the driver had been drinking were significant predictors of an alcohol-related conviction. Age, Injury Severity Score, a police officer's estimation of injury, and the number of people or cars involved in the crash were not significantly associated with legal outcome. CONCLUSION: Although this study shows an important increase in alcohol-related conviction rates, responsibility for further progress will depend on the medical community, law enforcement agencies, and the judicial system working together.     

Psychopathy in instrumental and reactive violent offenders.

Can violent offenders who commit acts of instrumental aggression for goal-oriented purposes such as robbery be distinguished from those who commit acts of reactive (or hostile) aggression in response to provocation? Because violent offenders often have a history of both instrumental and reactive aggression, this study distinguished between offenders with a history of at least 1 instrumental violent offense and offenders with a history of reactive violent offenses. Two studies tested the hypothesis that instrumental offenders would score higher than reactive offenders and nonviolent offenders on R. D. Hare's (1991) Psychopathy Checklist. The first study sample consisted of 106 violent and nonviolent offenders recruited from a medium-security correctional facility. The second study sample consisted of 50 violent offenders referred for pretrial forensic evaluation. In both samples, instrumental offenders could be reliably distinguished from reactive offenders on the basis of violent crime behavior and level of psychopathy. Group differences could not be attributed to participant age, race, length of incarceration, or extent of prior criminal record. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Lactic acid in human aqueous humour

IQs of rapists were compared to IQs of nonrapist prisoners convicted of violent crimes and nonrapist prisoners convicted of nonviolent crimes. Subjects were 136 male convicted felons in the Kentucky State Penitentiary. Determination of violent vs. nonviolent crimes other than rape was made upon consultation with a Kentucky Commonwealth Attorney. The results revealed significantly lower IQs for rapists compared to nonrapists convicted of violent crimes and compared to heterogeneous nonrapist convicts. The present research supports the findings of Karacan and co-workers, indicating a general tendency for rapists to have lower IQs than other convicted prisoners.     

Molecular biology in the modern work-up of the infertile male: the time to recognize the need for andrologists

The purpose of this study was to explore dangerousness and fire setting recidivism of mentally disordered firesetters in comparison with mentally healthy arsonists. In Germany, all trials are registered centrally by the Federal Central Register. The records of this Register for the three year period from 1983 until 1985 were used in this follow-up study of arsonists to identify three samples of subjects: (1) All persons convicted of arson who have been found not guilty by reasons of insanity (n = 186), (2) all person convicted of arson who have been found guilty of diminished responsibility (n = 97), and (3) a random selection from all persons convicted of arson who have had no psychiatric examination in their trial (n = 187). The follow-up ended in 1994, providing a period of, on average, ten years. Mentally disordered arsonists differed from non-mentally disordered arsonists in the following ways: They were more likely, first, to have a history of arson before 1983, and secondly, to be convicted of arson again (11% relapse compared to 4%). Mentally disordered arsonists had fewer registrations of common offenses, such as theft as well as traffic violations and alcohol-related offenses. Based on the present sample, mentally disordered firesetters have a higher rate of recurrence of firesetting than non-mentally disordered firesetters and commit fewer common offenses other than firesetting.     

Histological features of the contralateral ovary in patients with unilateral ovarian cancer: a case control study

It has been suggested that schizophrenia and alcoholism are associated with violent behavior. But so far there are no published studies from unselected cohorts quantifying the actual risk associated with schizophrenia both with and without comorbid alcoholism. In this study, an unselected birth cohort (n = 11,017) was prospectively followed to the age of 26, and data on psychiatric disorders and crimes were collected from national registers. The odds ratios for violent offenses and recidivism were calculated for each diagnostic group. Men who abused alcohol and were diagnosed with schizophrenia were 25.2 (95% confidence interval (CI) 6.1-97.5) times more likely to commit violent crimes than mentally healthy men. The risk for nonalcoholic patients with schizophrenia was 3.6 (95% CI 0.9-12.3) and for other psychoses, 7.7 (95% CI 2.2-23.9). None of the patients with schizophrenia who did not abuse alcohol were recidivists (> 2 offenses), but the risk for committing more crimes among alcoholic subjects with schizophrenia was 9.5-fold (95% CI 2.7-30.0). This study suggests that to prevent the crimes being committed by people with schizophrenia, it is important that clinicians watch for comorbid alcohol abuse.     

Risk marker analysis of the cessation and persistence of wife assault.

This study evaluated the utility of specific risk markers of wife assault in understanding the cessation and persistence of violence against women over a 3-year period. Longitudinal data were used to identify violent men who ceased the violence for 2 years and violent men who persisted in using violence. A group of nonviolent men was used for comparison. Factor analysis indicated that marital conflict, socioeconomic status (SES), and witnessing violence in the family of origin were the most powerful discriminators of these groups. Moreover, it was found that high levels of marital conflict and low SES were associated not only with the occurrence of violence but also with the continuity of wife assaults over time. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Major depression in the transition to adulthood: Risks and impairments.

An ongoing longitudinal community study (N?=?375) examined childhood risks and later adult impairments associated with 1-year Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (3rd ed., rev.; American Psychiatric Association, 1987) diagnoses of major depression during the transition to adulthood. Risks from birth to age 9 were reported by mothers, participants, and teachers. Teacher-reported hostility at age 6 predicted later depression. At age 9, self-perceptions of anxiety/depression, unpopularity, familial rejection, and abuse were potent risks. For men, neonatal and childhood health problems predicted later depression. For women, risks included family constellation, parental death, and poor academic achievement at age 9. Men and women who were depressed at age 18, age 21, or both demonstrated extensive psychosocial impairments in early adulthood, including poor overall functioning, interpersonal and behavioral problems, low self-esteem, and suicidality. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Demand and withdraw communication among couples experiencing husband violence.

Two studies compared marital communication behaviors of violent and nonviolent couples. In Study 1, violent distressed (VD) men reported more husband demand-wife withdraw than did nonviolent men. Distressed men reported less mutual constructive communication and more mutual blame and avoidance than did nondistressed men. Interactions of VD, violent nondistressed (VND), nonviolent distressed (NVD), and nonviolent nondistressed couples were coded in Study 2. VD spouses tended to engage in the most demand and withdraw and the least positive behavior; violent couples had the highest levels of contempt. On some codes, VND couples resembled NVD couples, suggesting that violence without distress may correlate differently with marital communication than violence in combination with distress and that severity of violence is important to consider. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Predicting relapse: A meta-analysis of sexual offender recidivism studies.

Evidence from 61 follow-up studies was examined to identify the factors most strongly related to recidivism among sexual offenders. On average, the sexual offense recidivism rate was low (13.4%; n?=?23,393). There were, however, subgroups of offenders who recidivated at high rates. Sexual offense recidivism was best predicted by measures of sexual deviancy (e.g., deviant sexual preferences, prior sexual offenses) and, to a lesser extent, by general criminological factors (e.g., age, total prior offenses). Those offenders who failed to complete treatment were at higher risk for reoffending than those who completed treatment. The predictors of nonsexual violent recidivism and general (any) recidivism were similar to those predictors found among nonsexual criminals (e.g., prior violent offenses, age, juvenile delinquency). Our results suggest that applied risk assessments of sexual offenders should consider separately the offender's risk for sexual and nonsexual recidivism. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Homicidal sex offenders: psychological, phallometric, and diagnostic features

Homicidal sex offenders represent an understudied population in the forensic literature. Forty-eight homicidal sex offenders assessed between 1982 and 1992 were studied in relation to a comparison group of incest offenders. Historical features, commonly used psychological inventories, criminal histories, phallometric assessments, and DSM diagnoses were collected on each group. The homicidal sex offenders, compared with the incest offenders, self-reported that they had more frequently been removed from their homes during childhood and had more violence and forensic psychiatric contact in their histories. On the self-report psychological inventories, the homicidal sex offenders portrayed themselves as functioning significantly better in the areas of sexuality (Derogatis Sexual Functioning Inventory) and aggression/hostility (Buss-Durkee Hostility Inventory). However, on the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R), researchers rated the homiciders significantly more psychopathic than the incest offenders on Factor 1 (personality traits) and Factor 2 (antisocial history). Police records revealed the homicidal subjects also had been charged or convicted of more violent and nonviolent nonsexual offenses. The phallometric assessments indicated that the homicidal sex offenders demonstrated higher levels of response to pedophilic stimuli and were significantly more aroused to stimuli depicting assaultive acts to children, relative to the incest offenders. Despite the homiciders' self-reports of fairly good psychological functioning, DSM-III diagnoses reliably discriminated between the groups. A large number of homicidal sex offenders were diagnosed as suffering from psychosis, antisocial personality disorder, paraphilias, sexual sadism, sexual sadism with pedophilia, and substance abuse. Seventy-five percent of the homicidal sex offenders had three or more diagnoses compared with six percent of the incest offenders. The article addresses the role of "hard" versus "soft" measures in the assessment and treatment of violent sex offenders. In addition, the usefulness of phallometric assessments and the PCL-R and its subscales are considered.     

Correlates of intimate partner violence among male alcoholic patients.

Male-to-female partner violence was investigated in heterosexual couples with an alcoholic male partner. Partner violent (PV) alcoholic patients (n?=?183), when compared with nonviolent (NV) alcoholic patients (n?=?120), had more antisocial personality characteristics, greater alcohol problem severity, greater use of other drugs, higher relationship distress, and stronger beliefs in the link between alcohol consumption and relationship problems. Demographic factors did not account for these PV–NV differences. Relationship distress and alcohol problem severity had independent associations with partner violence. Relationship adjustment and drug use remained significantly associated with partner violence, whereas alcohol problem severity did not, after controlling for patient antisocial traits. Beliefs in the link between drinking and relationship problems were associated with partner violence independent of other clinical factors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Ovarian aging and hormone replacement therapy. Hormonal levels, symptoms, and attitudes of African-American and white women

The purpose of the study was to identify psychiatric symptoms, neurological impairments, and situational factors associated with the emergence of violence and with its persistence. Psychiatric symptoms were assessed in newly admitted physically assaultive psychiatric patients and nonviolent controls. Patients were than evaluated for 4 weeks to determine the persistence or resolution of these physical assaults. Patients who showed marked resolution of assaults were classified as transiently violent (n = 41), and those who remained assaultive throughout were categorized as persistently violent (n = 34). At the end of 4 weeks, all patients received a comprehensive psychiatric and neurological assessment. Physical assaults were associated initially with prominent positive psychotic symptoms. Both transiently and persistently violent patients were more psychotic than the nonviolent controls; however transiently violent patients showed better resolution of these symptoms over the 4 weeks. They also evidenced less frontal lobe impairment on the neurological examination than the persistently violent patients. The two violent groups differed in their susceptibility to environmental influences: the surrounding ward agitation fostered physical assaults in transiently but not in persistently violent patients. This differentiation between transiently and persistently violent patients has major implications for the comprehensive treatment of violent behavior.     

Testing a typology of batterers.

A. Holtzworth-Munroe and G. L. Stuart (1994) proposed a tripartite typology of men who batter their female partners based on the severity of violence, extent of violence, and personality disorder characteristics. The current study attempts to empirically validate this typology using data from 75 domestically violent (DV) men and their partners, and 32 maritally distressed, nonviolent (DNV) comparison couples. Mixture analysis results generally supported the model, although 2 types were not distinguishable on personality disorder characteristics as predicted. Generally violent batterers were significantly more violent within and outside the relationship. The pathological group was moderately violent within and outside the relationship and endorsed numerous psychological symptoms. Family-only batterers endorsed fewer symptoms and were less violent. Violence in the family of origin, attachment, and communication skills also differentiated the 3 types and DNV men. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Risk Factors for Partner Violence Among a National Sample of Combat Veterans.

In this study, the authors identified potential risk factors for partner violence perpetration among a subsample (n=109) of men who participated in a national study of Vietnam veterans. Partner violent (PV) men with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were compared with PV men without PTSD and nonviolent men with PTSD on family-of-origin variables, psychiatric problems, relationship problems, and war-zone factors. PV men with PTSD were the highest of the 3 groups on every risk factor other than childhood abuse. Group contrasts and a classification tree analysis suggest some potential markers and mechanisms for the association between PTSD and partner violence among military veterans and highlight the need for theory development in this area of inquiry. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)