Criminal History Research Articles

Exploring Typologies of Domestic Violence Perpetrators: Insights into Male Patterns and Behaviours

Research into domestic violence has typically focused on the victims, who are usually female. However, shifting the focus to the male perpetrators creates opportunities for earlier intervention to stop the violence. By recognizing the early warning signs, police, community-based supports and governments can target interventions to prevent domestic violence before it escalates or even occurs. This policy brief examines the 10-year history of Calgary Police Service interactions with 934 Calgary men, aged 18 and above, who were eventually charged in domestic violence incidents in 2019. Based on their criminal and domestic encounters with police, the perpetrators fell into four typologies. Of the four groups, one had no history with police and the second had a criminal history but no non-criminal domestic encounters before the 2019 charge. The third group had a history of non-criminal domestic encounters, but no criminal history with police, while the fourth group had a record of both criminal charges and non-criminal domestic encounters with police. Only 27 per cent of the men in this study had no previous interactions with police. These trajectories and typologies reveal discernible increases in criminal activity and domestic encounters with police culminating in domestic violence charges. This information can help to focus legislation, policies and practices which can lead to preventing domestic violence, thus improving on the current model in which police and community organizations often respond to domestic violence only after the fact. Increased police interactions prior to a criminal conviction involving domestic violence mean there is a point at which early intervention may prevent a criminal incident of domestic violence from happening. Interventions can include providing access to counselling and supports while making online resources accessible to men at risk of becoming perpetrators and who are struggling with their behaviour in their intimate relationships. Other prevention efforts could include school-based programs and targeting male-dominated workplaces with domestic violence prevention efforts in order to avert potential first offences. The approach to domestic violence must shift. The victims’ responsibility to keep themselves safe needs to be augmented by a focus on stopping the individuals who perpetuate harm. Our ongoing research agenda is investigating the extent to which police, government and policy-makers may be able to use information about the behaviours and trajectories of offenders to intervene proactively and so prevent incidents of domestic violence from happening.

Examining Parent Criminal History as a Predictor of Recidivism From a Life-course Perspective: Testing for Age-differing Salience in Effects

Examining Parent Criminal History as a Predictor of Recidivism From a Life-course Perspective: Testing for Age-differing Salience in Effects

Factors associated with encounter-specific police procedural justice perceptions among Dutch detainees

ABSTRACT Previous research on police procedural justice shows that observed assessments of police behaviour, for example through systematic social observation, are not strongly correlated with citizen perceptions of the same police behaviour. There is a growing body of knowledge about how people form their perceptions of police behaviour and how personal and situational characteristics are associated with specific judgements about procedural justice. However, we know little about how this works for people who most frequently interact with the police and criminal justice system, such as offenders or arrestees. The present study uses data from the Prison Project to examine to what extent individual and situational characteristics relate to perceptions of encounter-specific police procedural justice among Dutch detainees. Male adults in pre-trial detention (N = 1380) were surveyed on how they perceived procedural justice during their arrest, which occurred approximately three weeks prior. In addition to individual characteristics (demographics, attitudes, psychosocial characteristics and criminal history), we measured characteristics that reflect the situation during arrest, such as location, police verbal abuse and unnecessary use of force. This allowed us to examine the relationship between situational factors and detainee perceptions, net of individual characteristics. Regression analyses show that next to pre-existing general attitudes towards the police, several situational characteristics (i.e. perceptions of use of force and verbal abuse, anger and outcome fairness) were strongly associated with encounter-specific procedural justice perceptions. Our results indicate that, beyond (pre-existing) individual characteristics, situational factors of the arrest play an important role in forming specific procedural justice perceptions of the police.

How Long is Long Enough: Using Abbreviated Criminal Histories for Pretrial Assessment Instruments?

The debate over pretrial assessment instruments focuses largely on the potential for instruments to exacerbate racial disparities. This study examines the effects of using different recall periods for the criminal history items on the New Criminal Arrest (NCA) scale from the Public Safety Assessment. Using jail admission data from a large jurisdiction in the southeast of the US, we varied the recall period from 1 to 10 years for the criminal history items on the NCA scale and examined scoring differences and the predictive validity of the tool by race. The results showed that shorter criminal history recall periods could result in reductions in the proportion of individuals scored as high risk and no loss in validity. The current study demonstrates that shorter recall periods for criminal history items on pretrial instruments could potentially provide a practical strategy to mitigate disparities across groups, while maintaining predictive validity of the assessment.

Disparities in Alcohol Treatment Use at the Intersection of Race, Ethnicity, Gender, and Insurance.

Treatment for alcohol use disorder (AUD) has the potential to improve health and quality of life. Little is known about disparities in AUD treatment utilization at the intersection of race and gender. We examined disparities in AUD treatment utilization among those diagnosed with AUD in a community sample, by race, ethnicity, and gender, and whether disparities varied by insurance. We also examined whether criminal legal history and socioeconomic status moderated disparities in treatment. We used data from the nationally representative 2017 to 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, the most recent 3-year period available. The analytic sample included noninstitutionalized adults aged 18 to 64 who met criteria for past year AUD and identified as White, Black, or Latinx (n = 7782). We examined disparities in AUD treatment utilization by race, ethnicity, and gender subgroup and by insurance status, estimating weighted logistic regressions, and adjusting for indicators of clinical need in concordance with the Institute of Medicine definition of healthcare disparity. Only 5.4% of adults with AUD in the United States utilized AUD treatment in the past year. AUD treatment utilization did not significantly differ between White males and other racial, ethnic, and gender groups; however, we did identify disparities among Medicaid enrollees and those who were uninsured. Among Medicaid enrollees, Latinx females (3.2%) had lower treatment utilization than White males (9.3%, P < .05). Among uninsured individuals, Latinx males (1.8%) had lower treatment utilization than White males (6.2%, P < .05). AUD treatment utilization was extremely low among adults in the United States aged 18 to 64 who met criteria for AUD. Ethnic and gender disparities in treatment utilization were revealed when examining differences in AUD treatment utilization by insurance status. Strategies for improving access to AUD treatment that address structural barriers to care are needed and should consider targeted approaches for Medicaid enrollees and those uninsured.

Foreign bodies in the rectum: clinical experience

Background: Foreign bodies in the rectum are among the rarest conditions encountered in emergency surgery and can have various etiologies.Aim: To examine the patterns of injury, diagnostic methods, surgical options, and outcomes associated with foreign bodies of the rectum.Materials and methods. A retrospective analysis was conducted on the treatment outcomes of 47 patients with rectal foreign bodies who received care at various surgical hospitals in the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug — Ugra from 2019 to 2023. The study examined factors such as sex and age distribution, etiology, duration of the treatment period, diagnostic features, and types of medical interventions. The results of treatment and length of hospital stay were also assessed. A criminal history was noted in only one patient (2.1 %). The insertion of a foreign body into the rectum for sexual pleasure was reported by 42 patients (89.4 %). Non-sexual causes were responsible for the condition in 4 patients (8.5 %).Results. In the analysed group there were 29 (61.7 %) young people, 9 (19.1 %) middle-aged people, 8 (17.0 %) elderly people, and one (2.2 %) in the senior age group. The average age of the patients was 42 ± 13 years. There were 33 men (70.2 %) and 14 women (29.8 %). In the first 3 hours, 10 (21.3 %) people sought medical treatment, after 1—3 days — 34 (72.3 %) patients, and after 4 days — 3 (6.4 %) patients. In most cases, in 42 (89.3 %) patients, the foreign body was removed transanally. If transanal removal was impossible, laparotomy was performed in 5 (10.6 %) patients.Conclusion. Sexual gratification was the most common reason for the insertion of a foreign body into the rectum. To prevent perforation and improve the prognosis of this pathological condition, timely diagnosis and treatment are necessary

Criminal Histories, Risk Profiles, and Predictors of Recidivism Among Men Who Sexually Offend Over the Age of 60 Years

Research has consistently found sexual recidivism risk drops as men convicted of sexual offenses age, but little research exists on those few men who do sexually offend when older. The current study examined the criminal histories, risk profiles, and predictors of sexual recidivism in a large sample of men who sexually offended over the age of 60 years. Analyses showed low levels of sexual offending under the age of 60 years prior to the commission of a sexual offense over the age of 60 years, with only 27% of the sample having sexually offended under 60 years. Examination of the risk profiles of the sample evidenced high levels of possible deviant sexual attraction and sexual cognitive distortions, which restricted the range on these variables, and limited their ability to predict sexual recidivism. Instead, nonsexual risk factors and protective factors appeared better predictors of sexual recidivism for men who have sexually offended over the age of 60 years.

Rental housing and the continuum of carcerality

Existing research on housing and the carceral state demonstrates a divergence in the carceral state's orientation toward property owners and the unhoused. We focus on the liminal arena of rental housing and draw on three cases—landlords’ use of criminal history to screen rental applicants, citizen participation in policing neighborhoods, and crime initiatives that weaponize building code enforcement—to posit a continuum of housing carcerality. We argue that the carceral regulation of rental housing emerges from sources in civil law and policy, illustrating the enduring relevance of what Beckett and Murakawa call the shadow carceral state. Yet, in the rental context, the carceral state tends to have a more covert, decentralized character which does not consistently align with the economic interests of rental property owners and other housing market elites in comparison to its manifestation at the ends of the continuum.

Psychological assessment of violent behaviors in schizophrenic patients followed up in My EL Hassan health center of Kenitra, Morocco

BackgroundDisorders of the aggressive behavior frequently mark the entry in schizophrenia. They are not specific and very varied. The objective of this study was to assess the different risk factors associated with the manifestation of violent and aggressive behavior of schizophrenic patients who follow consultations in service of psychiatry at Kenitra, Morocco. One-hundred twenty-seven patients with schizophrenia were included, and the Modified Overt Aggression Scale (MOAS) and Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) were used respectively to assess the state of aggressiveness and to identify the type of psychotic symptomatology of schizophrenic patients. Clinical and sociodemographic data were obtained from all patients.ResultsThe study shows that criminal history, drug addiction, motives for aggressiveness, and the moment of aggressiveness are all potential factors for aggression, and the profile of the patient likely to take the act is that of young schizophrenics under 39 years old, predominantly male, and the majority are single. Judicial history, habits toxic, and the positive psychotic symptoms are reported as the most frequently risk factors. The index of Cronbach (0.64) showed a strong connection between the four items of aggression and strong relation between MOAS and PANSS categories has been shown by independent test (p < 0.001).ConclusionAggressive behavior is a frequent symptom of schizophrenia in studied population and poses many clinical challenges. It requires collaboration with the patient for handling difficult situations.

Impulsivity, trauma history, and interoceptive awareness contribute to completion of a criminal diversion substance use treatment program for women.

In the US, women are one of the fastest-growing segments of the prison population and more than a quarter of women in state prison are incarcerated for drug offenses. Substance use criminal diversion programs can be effective. It may be beneficial to identify individuals who are most likely to complete the program versus terminate early as this can provide information regarding who may need additional or unique programming to improve the likelihood of successful program completion. Prior research investigating prediction of success in these programs has primarily focused on demographic factors in male samples. The current study used machine learning (ML) to examine other non-demographic factors related to the likelihood of completing a substance use criminal diversion program for women. A total of 179 women who were enrolled in a criminal diversion program consented and completed neuropsychological, self-report symptom measures, criminal history and demographic surveys at baseline. Model one entered 145 variables into a machine learning (ML) ensemble model, using repeated, nested cross-validation, predicting subsequent graduation versus termination from the program. An identical ML analysis was conducted for model two, in which 34 variables were entered, including the Women's Risk/Needs Assessment (WRNA). ML models were unable to predict graduation at an individual level better than chance (AUC = 0.59 [SE = 0.08] and 0.54 [SE = 0.13]). Post-hoc analyses indicated measures of impulsivity, trauma history, interoceptive awareness, employment/financial risk, housing safety, antisocial friends, anger/hostility, and WRNA total score and risk scores exhibited medium to large effect sizes in predicting treatment completion (p < 0.05; ds = 0.29 to 0.81). Results point towards the complexity involved in attempting to predict treatment completion at the individual level but also provide potential targets to inform future research aiming to reduce recidivism.

Individual, firearm, and purchasing characteristics associated with risk of firearm-related violent crime arrest: a nested case-control study

BackgroundFirearm purchasing records offer a potentially important administrative data source to identify individuals at elevated risk of perpetrating firearm violence. In this study, we describe individual, firearm, and transaction characteristics of purchasers in California who were arrested for a firearm-related violent crime (FRV) as compared to the general population of registered purchasers in the state.MethodsRelying on a dataset of all individuals with transaction records in California (1996–2021), linked to criminal records (1980–2021), we enrolled a cohort of individuals for whom we could capture the legal firearm purchase history. We identified those arrested for FRV post purchase, and using incidence density sampling, gender-matched cases to ten purchasers (controls) who remained “at risk” at the time the case was arrested. We focused on the purchase closest in time prior to the arrest (“index” purchase). We implemented conditional logistic regression and included models with controls for individual- and community-level demographics, as well as interactions between firearm and purchasing characteristics and criminal history.ResultsThe cohort included 1,212,144 individuals, of whom 6153 were arrested for FRV (0.5%). Cases were matched to 61,530 controls to form the study sample. The largest risk factor was a prior criminal history: purchasers had 5.84 times the risk of FRV if they had a prior arrest within three years of the index purchase (CI 5.44–6.27). Several transaction and firearm characteristics were also associated with FRV. For example, risk increased if the firearm was redeemed at a pawn shop (aIRR: 1.37, CI 1.05–1.77) and decreased if the transaction was a registered private party transfer (vs. retail purchase) (aIRR: 0.83, CI 0.76–0.90) or the firearm was a bolt action firearm (vs. semi-automatic) (aIRR: 0.64, CI 0.51–0.79). In the interaction models, most of the purchase and firearm features only remained significant among those with no criminal history.ConclusionsGiven limited data on firearm transactions, there has been little research on whether the type of firearm an individual purchases or the nature of the purchase might serve as indicators of risk for FRV. We found several transaction and firearm features were associated with risk of FRV. Notably, these features provided little evidence of additional risk for those with a prior criminal record.

Accessing the right to vote among system-impacted people

Recent efforts to dismantle felon disenfranchisement regimes have the potential to substantially expand electoral eligibility among people with criminal records; however, even among those with criminal legal histories who are eligible to vote, voting rates are often extremely low. Analyzing interview, focus group, and text message conversations among a multi-state sample around the November 2022 election, we identify and describe how administrative barriers to voting—including a lack of understanding about the voting process, confusion about legal eligibility, and perceived risks of rearrest of voting while ineligible—pose an access to justice issue among system-impacted people. These barriers are amplified by government mistrust, specifically the perception that barriers are intentionally constructed to suppress voting, and they are potentially mitigated by outreach by community organizations that are viewed as credible. The findings emphasize that legislative reforms repealing disenfranchisement laws must be accompanied by on-the-ground efforts to address administrative burdens to broaden access to the franchise.

An integrated model of prosecutor decision-making

AbstractSociolegal scholarship has long noted the many ways in which the law is interpreted and selectively applied by human decision-makers. Yet, the processes underlying one of the most significant discretionary waypoints in the criminal legal process – prosecutorial charging decisions – remain opaque. Using data from interviews and focus groups with prosecutors in three midsized jurisdictions, we propose a model of charging that integrates legal considerations, social identity, and organizational constraints. We find that felony prosecutors weave together legal and extralegal factors, often relying heavily on criminal history, to evaluate defendants’ moral character. Based on their evaluation of a defendant’s character, prosecutors charge strategically to secure a final disposition and sentence they view as appropriate for the defendant. Prosecutors’ identities and experiences act as lenses through which they interpret case facts in their evaluation of defendants’ character. However, the level of discretion provided by their chief prosecutor and the culture of the court community in which they work condition the process by which prosecutors achieve their desired outcomes for cases.

Machine learning analysis of a national sample of U.S. case law involving mental health evidence

PurposeSentencing practices in cases involving defendants with mental disorders are often opaque, as data on case facts and sentencing decisions are not easily accessible. MethodsThis paper reports findings from a national U.S. sample of appellate court cases across 46 states (n = 710) that involved mental health evidence. We collected detailed data on judge and defendant characteristics, type and severity of mental disorders, state sociopolitical ideologies, and legal factors such as offense and plea type and criminal history. We used a mixed quantitative approach, including machine learning, to examine how these intricate factors influence sentencing outcomes. ResultsA combination of linear regressions and supervised learning techniques reveals important differences in sentencing outcomes based on the type of mental disorder as well as the majority political ideology of states. We additionally show that, as compared to arguing no mental health evidence, having a mental disorder generally did not yield significant differences in sentencing. ConclusionsBoth a potential lack of scientific comprehension and the influence of sociopolitical ideology may help explain why certain mental disorders are aggravating in punishment contexts. We also discuss the advantages and limitations of supervised learning and classification trees for studying judicial decisions.

Immigration Enforcement and the Criminal Record: Using the Secure Communities Program to Understand the Role of Criminal History in ICE Enforcement

Immigration Enforcement and the Criminal Record: Using the Secure Communities Program to Understand the Role of Criminal History in ICE Enforcement

Convergent and Divergent Validity of the Child Pornography Offender Risk Tool (CPORT) in a Clinical Sample From California.

The Child Pornography Offender Risk Tool (CPORT) is a seven-item actuarial risk assessment tool that is used to estimate the potential for sexual recidivism among men convicted of child sexual exploitation material (CSEM; legally referred to as child pornography) offenses. In the current study, we examined the convergent and divergent validity of the CPORT in a clinical sample of 224 men on federal probation in the United States who were convicted of at least one type of CSEM offense. CPORT scores were significantly, moderately, and positively correlated with scores on another sexual offense risk assessment tool, the Risk Matrix 2000 (RM2000/S), showing broad evidence of convergent validity, and was nonsignificantly associated with scores on a general offense risk assessment tool, the Level of Service/Case Management Inventory (LS/CMI), showing evidence of divergent validity. There was also evidence of specific convergent validity; for example, the CPORT item reflecting prior criminal history was most strongly related to the Criminal History domain of the LS/CMI, and CPORT items reflecting sexual interest in children were significantly and strongly associated with self-reported sexual interest in children from the clinical evaluation. We also examined the impact of including clinical information in the scoring of the CPORT. Including this information reduced the amount of missing scores, but the impact on predictive accuracy is not yet known. Implications for clinical practices are discussed.

Dark and bright personality dimensions as predictors of criminal behavior and recidivism

A growing body of research highlights the continuum between dark and bright personality traits impacting individual prosocial or antisocial tendencies. However, the interplay between personality dimensions and actual criminal behavior and its reoccurrence is not fully elucidated. We aimed to explore the cumulative predictive value of the bright and dark core of personality for criminal history in differentiating a general community sample (N = 282) from a large sample of inmates (N = 296), with (n = 129) or without (n = 167) criminal history while controlling for age, sex and impression management. Predictors of first-time offending were higher levels of Neuroticism, Openness, Dark Factor, Sadism, and Deceitfulness. Criminal recidivism was predicted by high Neuroticism and Deceitfulness. Finally, higher levels of Extraversion were negatively related to criminal behavior and history, highlighting a potential protective effect of displaying assertive and sociable tendencies. The findings highlight the relevance of considering the dark personality core complementary to the typical personality dimensions in the risk assessment, prediction, and reduction of criminal behavior.

2024 NCSA Presidential Address: Back to the Future: The Past and Potential Future Impacts of Natural Disasters

ABSTRACT The 2024 NCSA Presidential Address discusses the past and potential future impacts of natural disasters, including COVID-19, on the American people. This NCSA conference talk is based on two edited volumes previously published by Lexington Books in 2021 and 2023. Relevant theories, such as critical demography and historical categorical inequality, are introduced as starting points in the narrative. Next, descriptions of contributions to the volumes are provided, which covered topics such as criminal justice, demographics, economics, history, political science, and sociology to show how effects of natural disasters vary by economic and social class in the United States. Contributors also discussed specific dynamics related to COVID-19, including media responses to COVID-19, differential impacts on the poor, specific impacts on college students through technology, and how the intersection of race, class, and gender matter for natural disaster research. This talk examines social and political mechanisms in disaster response and relief, and then offers potential solutions to the accelerating inequality in America.

Tidligere kriminalitet og psykisk helsehjelp hos personer med soningserfaring som blir dømt til tvungent psykisk helsevern

In the period 2002-2020, a total of 431 people were sentenced to coercive mental health care. Many of these had served time in prison, either previously or in connection with the criminal acts that led to the current sentences. This study examines the background, criminal history and mental health status of individuals before they committed the offences that led to their imprisonment. Data from the Norwegian Correctional Service's Register of Imprisonments, the Register of Convictions, the Norwegian Patient Registry and Statistics Norway were used to study former prisoners who were sentenced to coercive mental health care in the period 2002-2020, who had served prison terms. Among 286 former prisoners who were sentenced to coercive mental health care, 246 (86.0%) had previous convictions, and 140 (49.0%) had previously had criminal charges dropped due to doubt as to criminal culpability. Previous psychiatric illness in the last two years was studied in 186 individuals. Of these, 151 (81.2%) had undergone treatment in the mental health service, with psychotic disorders (106/186 (57.0%)) and substance use disorders (109/186 (58.6%)) being the most common diagnoses. Former prisoners who are sentenced to coercive mental health care tend to have an extensive criminal and mental health care history prior to committing criminal acts that lead to coercive mental health care.

Validation of the Revised Screening Scale for Pedophilic Interests (SSPI-2) in Portugal.

The accurate assessment of pedophilic sexual interests is crucial for the treatment and management of individuals who have sexually offended children. This study aimed to validate the Revised Screening Scale for Pedophilic Interests (SSPI-2) in a Portuguese sample of 170 men convicted of sexual offenses against children, 104 serving sentences in the community, and 66 in prison. The findings indicated that SSPI-2 demonstrated good convergent validity, as evidenced by its significant and positive associations with the "sexual deviance" item of SVR-20, the number of previous convictions for sexual crimes against children, and having 3 or more child victims, which is associated with high sensitivity and specificity in distinguishing men who show greater sexual arousal to children than to adults. Furthermore, the SSPI-2 exhibited good divergent validity, with no significant correlations observed with a self-report measure of psychopathy or with a nonsexual criminal history.