Current Offense Research Articles

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Electronic Monitoring with Probationers

ABSTRACT Despite growth in the use of electronic monitoring (EM), and Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) tracking in particular over the last 20 years, limited research has examined the effectiveness of these approaches on community supervision outcomes (e.g. likelihood of failure on community supervision). This study makes use of data from over 59,000 probation cases collected over a 40-year time span in a midwestern state. Using Propensity Score Matching (PSM), the study compares the rates of unsuccessful sentence completion among those who were supervised with and without any EM (and also GPS specifically). Results reveal that after matching cases on a variety of relevant controls (e.g. demographics, risk level, current offense type), those receiving EM while on probation were significantly more likely to fail to complete their term of supervision, with similar results for those who received GPS, specifically. Limitations of the study and implications for the use of EM/GPS with probationers as a potential alternative to prison are discussed.

Understanding the dark side of personality in sex offenders considering the level of sexual violence

This study examined the relationship between the actual level of physical violence in sexual offenses and dark triad, empathic and impulsive personality traits of their perpetrators. Sixty-four male perpetrators of sexual offenses without any serious mental illness were included. A 5-point Likert-type coding system based on Violence Profile for Current Offense was applied to assess the severity of physical violence of each sexual offense. Personality traits of dark triad (psychopathy, Machiavellianism, narcissism), trait empathy and impulsiveness were also evaluated. Multivariate analyses indicated that non-stranger victim, secondary psychopathy, narcissism and empathy could significantly predict greater involvement of physical violence in a sexual offense. In addition, empathy was negatively correlated with all dark triad traits. Sexual violence should be conceptualized in the form of a continuum, and, considering such an approach, offenders with high secondary psychopathy and narcissism may show preference for sexual assaults that are more violent in nature.

Retiring in a Prison Cell: The South African Sentenced Older Adult Male Offender

The purpose of this study was to create a profile of the sentenced older adult male offender incarcerated in South African prisons. The findings of this investigation are based on face-to-face surveys with 88 older adult male inmates. In order to develop a comprehensive profile, the study explored offenders’ backgrounds, previous and current offenses, lifestyle patterns, physical and mental health, institutional living conditions, release, reintegration, and mortality in prison. These domains are discussed in detail, and recommendations are offered for the treatment and care of this offender group. The recommendations may be applicable to other developing countries in the Global South.

Socio-demographic, clinical and offense-related characteristics of forensic psychiatric inpatients in Hunan, China: a cross-sectional survey

BackgroundThere is still a lack of comprehensive research on the profile of patients in forensic mental health hospitals in China. This study aims to investigate the socio-demographic, clinical, and offense-related characteristics of mentally ill offenders in the Hunan Provincial Forensic Psychiatric Hospital in China.MethodsThis study was conducted from November 1, 2018, to January 30, 2019. The data of socio-demographic, clinical, and offense-related characteristics of the patients were collected. The Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), the Modified Overt Aggression Scale (MOAS), and the Clinical Global Impression-Severity (CGI-S) scale were used to measure their psychiatric conditions.ResultsA total of 461 participants were enrolled in this study. Among them, 86.3% were males and 56.8% were unmarried; the average age of them was 44.7 ± 10.1 years, and the mean years of education were 7.51 ± 3.3 years. Before their current offense, a total of 345 patients (74.8%) had sought medical help for their mental illnesses. While 303 (87.8%) of these patients were prescribed antipsychotics, 254 (73.6%) failed to take them regularly. Of all the inpatients, 90.5% were diagnosed with schizophrenia; 385 (83.5%) engaged in homicidal offenses, with 54.0% of the victims being their family members. In homicide cases, the relatives were more likely to be victims of female patients. The mean length of stay in the forensic hospital was 8.02 ± 4.74 years, and over 80.0% of the patients had been hospitalized for over 5 years.ConclusionsTo our knowledge, this is the first study investigating the profile of forensic patients receiving compulsory treatments in a forensic psychiatric hospital in China. These results add to the world literature on the characteristics of forensic patients and can help identify common treatment and risk-related needs of this population.

The Consequences of Counting Juvenile Adjudications in Adult Sentencing

The two primary legal factors affecting most sentencing decisions in guidelines jurisdictions are the seriousness of the current conviction offense and the defendant’s prior involvement with the criminal justice system. While districts vary in the factors considered in prior record scores, the inclusion of juvenile adjudications in these assessments is common. Nevertheless, the impact that prior adjudications have on sentencing recommendations likely varies based on the types of juvenile adjudications included, the relative weight those prior actions are given relative to prior convictions as adults, and whether the guidelines impose upper limits on the extent to which juvenile adjudications can affect adult sentencing recommendations. In this study, we estimate the impact of juvenile adjudications on recommended sentencing outcomes using data from Pennsylvania from 2015-2019 and demonstrate a method to evaluate whether the current policy contributes to disparate sentencing recommendations. Further, we examine the extent to which alternative policy structures, that are in place in other jurisdictions, produce greater, lesser, or similar impacts on recommended sentences and potential disparity. We conclude with a discussion of research on juvenile cognitive development and its implications as related to our findings.

Federal sex offender registration and notification act (SORNA) offenders: sexual versatility, criminal careers and supervision outcomes

Purpose Sex offender registration and notification act (SORNA) offenders are a source of scholarly study across the social, behavioral, forensic and legal sciences with the bulk of literature focusing on the legal standing and deterrent value of sexual offender registries. Less research focuses on the offending careers of current SORNA offenders relative to other types of sexual offenders whose current offense is not SORNA. The purpose of the current study is to examine this issue empirically. Design/methodology/approach Using cross-sectional data from a census of male federal offenders who ever perpetrated a sexual offense from the central USA between 2016 and 2020, the current study used t-tests, logistic regression and negative binomial regression to compare current SORNA offenders to other federal correctional clients in terms of their lifetime offending history, sexual violence and compliance on federal supervision. Findings Current SORNA offenders are significantly more severe and versatile in their sexual offending, have more extensive criminal careers and criminal justice system involvement, and exhibit significantly increased odds of revocation on supervised release despite controls for age, race and ethnicity. However, sensitivity models that specified the federal Post-Conviction Risk Assessment reduced the effects of SORNA status to non-significance in all models. Originality/value SORNA offenders are potentially a significant offender group with evidence of both and given their versatile and specialized lifetime offending and noncompliance on federal supervision. However, current SORNA status is rendered spurious once a risk assessment is controlled suggesting more research is needed to evaluate whether sex offender registries posit greater crime control benefit.

Adaptation of the Turkish version of the Violence Profile for Current Offense for the evaluation of violence severity of index offense

Because different definitions of violence adopted in previous studies have led to diverging results, there occurred a requisite of standardization for rating and evaluating violent behavior through reliable methods. We aimed to introduce to Turkish researchers an instrument that encompasses all types of offending behavior and allows them to evaluate the violence profile of each offense. A total number of 142 criminal offenses were evaluated with the Violence Profile for Current Offense (VPCO), which was developed by Taylor for the rating of the seriousness of the index offense. After establishing semantic and content equivalence, inter-rater reliability and internal consistency of the Turkish VPCO were examined. According to our preliminary results, we encourage the application of the Turkish version of the VPCO in the severity assessment of violence of any type of offense in forensic settings. Furthermore, we believe that proper assessment of the severity of violent behavior related to mental disorders could aid in improving clinically feasible prediction models and tools in both clinical and forensic settings.

Toward a Tailored Model of Youth Justice: A Qualitative Analysis of the Factors Associated with Successful Placement in a Community-Integrated Facility

Community-integrated facilities provide security and care for justice-involved youth, minimizing risks, while allowing youth to build on protective factors within their community. Literature on the specific factors that determine appropriate placement in a community-integrated facility, versus a more restrictive high-security setting, is scarce. Current screening and assessment tools for youth are mostly applied after placement and mainly focus on the reoffending risk. The current paper explored which youth, who would previously have been placed in a high-security setting, could be successfully placed in a less secure community-integrated facility. Through qualitative analysis, based on the perspectives of professionals, youth and parents, the current paper identified six distinct domains to guide appropriate screening and outlines guidelines for policy and practice. These domains include: motivation to comply, short and long-term perspective, current offense context, crime history, safety and support from youth’s network, and mental health and intellectual abilities.

Implications of sex offender classification on reporting demographic characteristics, health, and criminal careers: results from an Australian jurisdiction

BackgroundCross-sectional and retrospective offence data are often used to classify sex offenders in epidemiological and survey research, but little empirical evidence exists regarding the practical implications of this for applied research. This study describes the classification of sex offenders from a cohort of prisoners recruited as part of an Australian inmate health survey and the implications for reporting results.MethodsData-linkage was used to join the New South Wales (NSW) Inmate Health Surveys to the states re-offending database to identify men with histories of sexual offending. Sex offenders were classified into men who sexually offended against children only (ChildSOs), against adults only (AdultSOs), and men who sexually offended against both children and adults (Age-PolySOs).ResultsUsing historical offending data rather than the current offence information only, an additional 35.4% of men with histories of sexual offences were identified. Differences were found between the three sex offender subgroups in terms of demographic characteristics, health, and criminal careers. Age-PolySOs reported higher educational attainment, were less likely to report being self-employed, single marital status, and having children. Half the ChildSOs self-reported a mental health issue and half of the ChildSOs and Age-PolySOs reported four or more chronic health conditions. Age-PolySOs were older than the other sex offender groups when committing their first non-sexual, non-violent crime (M = 43.2 years, SD = 13.8); violent crime (M = 39.5 years, SD = 11.1); and sexual crime (M = 47.8 years, SD = 11.2). Age-PolySOs also committed more sexual offences (M = 5.91, SD = 11.2) compared to those who only offended against one victim age group.ConclusionThese findings suggested that historical offending records should be used to more accurately identify sex offender subgroups and that differences in demographic, health, and criminal careers exist for the different sex offender subgroups.

Alcohol use disorder among prisoners in Debre Berhan prison, Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundSeveral studies reported that history of alcohol use among prisoners is higher than the prevalence in the general population. Criminality is found to be associated with alcohol use disorder (AUD) in previous studies. In Ethiopia, there is limited information on the prevalence and associated factors of AUD among prisoners. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the prevalence and associated factors of AUD among prisoners of Debre Berhan Prison.MethodsA cross-sectional survey was conducted to assess history of AUD among prisoners at Debre Berhan Prison, before imprisonment. We selected 347 prisoners with a systematic sampling technique and interviewed using Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT) to screen for AUD in May 2017. Data entry was done using Epi-Data version 3.1 software, and bivariate and multivariate analyses were done using Stata version 13 software. Crude and adjusted odds ratios, with 95% confidence intervals and p-values are reported.ResultsAbout six out of ten prisoners (59.1%) had AUD before imprisonment. Factors associated with increased odds of AUD were perception that the current offence is related to using substances (AOR = 4.2; 95% CI = 2.3, 7.8), and family history of substance use (AOR = 8.7; 95% CI = 1.7, 44.9). Being married had lower odds of AUD compared to the unmarried (AOR = 0.5; 95% CI = 0.2, 0.9).ConclusionWe found that the prevalence of AUD 1 year before imprisonment in this population is high. AUD is found to be associated with a family history of substance use and perception that the current offence is related to using a substance. We recommend community-based study with different kind of study designs to see the relationship between AUD and crime for planning interventions.

Estimating Lifetime and Residual Risk for Individuals Who Remain Sexual Offense Free in the Community: Practical Applications

Although individuals with a history of sexual crime are often viewed as a lifelong risk, recent research has drawn attention to consistent declines in recidivism risk for those who remain offense free in the community. Because these declines are predictable, this article demonstrates how evaluators can use the amount of time individuals have remained offense free to (a) extrapolate to lifetime recidivism rates from rates observed for shorter time periods, (b) estimate the risk of sexual recidivism for individuals whose current offense is nonsexual but who have a history of sexual offending, and (c) calculate yearly reductions in risk for individuals who remain offense free in the community. In addition to their practical utility for case-specific decision making, these estimates also provide researchers an objective, empirical method of quantifying the extent to which individuals have desisted from sexual crime.

Craving for Gambling Predicts Income-Generating Offenses: A Pathways Model of a Japanese Prison Population.

The links between gambling and criminal offenses have been frequently reported, but the pathways from gambling to a particular offense have not. Our study applied a pathways model to predict participants' income-generating, drug-related, and violent offenses stemming from their craving for gambling. The participants were 332 male inmates in a Japanese local prison. They answered questionnaires on gambling behavior, alcohol addiction, Internet addiction, impulsivity, and psychopathy. Their official records with information on their current offense, sentence length, number of imprisonments, and length of education were also analyzed. The results show that 38.55% (n = 128) of the participants had a probable gambling disorder, a rate of problem gambling at least four times higher than that among the general Japanese population. Furthermore, their craving for gambling predicted their income-generating offenses, but not their drug-related and violent offenses. Their craving for gambling can thus be linked to their financial issues, rather than their emotional and impulsive issues. The pathways model explained the path not only from addiction/psychopathy to gambling, but also from gambling to committing an income-generating offense.

Trato procesal y uso de la detención preventiva en una muestra de audiencias de control de garantías en Bogotá y Cali

Este artículo examina los factores que condicionan el trato y la disposición preliminar de casos penales. Para esto estimamos modelos multivariados basados en la observación aleatoria de audiencias en Bogotá y Cali (N = 330), lo que incluyó la recolección de datos sobre el comportamiento de los jueces, sus decisiones y las características de las personas detenidas. Se demuestra que factores "extralegales", como, por ejemplo, el tipo de defensa o el origen étnico o racial de los procesados, están asociados con la variación en el trato e imposición de la detención preventiva, además de criterios "legales" relacionados con la gravedad de los delitos y las condenas previas.

Algorithms, Correcting Biases

A great deal of theoretical work explores the possibility that algorithms may be biased in one or another respect. But for purposes of law and policy, some of the most important empirical research finds exactly the opposite. In the context of bail decisions, an algorithm designed to predict flight risk does much better than human judges, in large part because the latter place an excessive emphasis on the current offense. Current Offense Bias, as we might call it, is best seen as a cousin of “availability bias,” a well-known source of mistaken probability judgments. The broader lesson is that well-designed algorithms should be able to avoid cognitive biases of many kinds. Existing research on bail decisions also casts a new light on how to think about the risk that algorithms will discriminate on the basis of race (or other factors). Algorithms can easily be designed so as to avoid taking account of race (or other factors). They can also be constrained so as to produce whatever kind of racial balance is sought, and thus to reveal tradeoffs among various social values.

Approved and Off-Label Use of Prescribed Psychotropic Medications among Federal Canadian Inmates.

To examine psychotropic medication prescription practices in federal Canadian penitentiaries. 468 files were drawn from a purposive sample of thirteen Canadian federal institutions representing the five regions, different security levels, and male and female designated facilities. Information on the names of all psychotropic medications prescribed, indications for use, dosage, frequency, and route of administration was retrieved. Designation of approved or off-label use of medications was determined by consulting: (1) the Health Canada (2016) Drug Product Database, (2) the Canadian Compendium of Pharmaceuticals and Specialties 2016, and (3) the American Hospital Formulary Service Drug Information 2016. Prescription rates were examined by gender, Indigenous ancestry, drug class, institutional infractions, and current offence. 36.2% of prescriptions for psychotropic medication were coded as 'off-label'. Anxiolytic/hypnotics drugs were the psychotropic drugs most commonly used for off-label purposes. There were no differences in the prevalence of approved versus off-label prescriptions based on Indigenous ancestry or gender, and no pattern of elevated off-label prescription practices for offenders involved in institutional misconducts or those sentenced for the most serious crimes. The rates of prescribing 'off-label' psychotropic medication are not elevated relative to other correctional settings or to rates cited in Canadian surveys conducted in the community.

Racial/ethnic differences of justice-involved youth in substance-related problems and services received.

This study examined differences in substance-related problems and receipt of substance-specific counseling in 7 different racial/ethnic groups of justice-involved youth. Data came from a nationally representative sample of 7,073 youth in residential placement across 36 states representing 5 program types. Descriptive analyses and regression modeling techniques were used to examine the relationship between race/ethnicity, substance problems, and substance services. Results show that more than 2/3 report a history of at least 1 substance-related problem. Yet, over 12% of youth in residential placement are in programs that do not offer any substance-related services. This has the greatest implications for African American and Hispanic youth, who are most likely to be the programs without these services. Moreover, there are substantive differences in the prevalence of substance problems by race and ethnicity. American Indian/Alaska Natives and multiracial youth were significantly more likely to have substance problems, to be under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol at the time of the current offense, to have a history of substance problems and above average mental health need, and to have a history of substance problems and a lifetime suicide attempt compared to African Americans. Asian youth were similar to African Americans and had lower rates of substance problems. Asian youth were also the least likely to be under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol at the time of the current offense. This study provides important preliminary findings about Asian, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, and multiracial justice-involved youth and adds to the knowledge about American Indian/Alaska Native populations. (PsycINFO Database Record

A Study on the Current Theories of the Philosophy and Principles of Self-Defense

The self-defense entity is a legal phenomenon which is included in most countries' constitution in order to protect the people right when exposed to a current or potential danger or offense. The philosophy of acceptance of the self-defense is based on the theories of natural rights, social contract, the two-right conflict, and spiritual obligation. The self-defense has been justified based on several principles such as less harmful results, the possibility of blaming the offender, offending and attacking the defender's right to live, the offender's responsibility, the defender's right for removal and denial of threat. The legal systems each complying with the social and cultural conditions and status, beliefs, the traditions, and etc. try to develop the conditions of realization of self-defense in their constitution, however there are common areas and differences between the legal systems and determination of them plays an important role in justifying this entity. This criminal entity is among the justifiable factors of crime that in case of inclusion of its conditions, the defender will bear no criminal and civil responsibility.

Forensic psychiatric expertise of patients with anti-social personality

IntroductionEpidemiological studies in the general population confirm the indisputable link between criminological dangerousness and mental disorders especially anti-social personality, which increase clearly the prevalence of violent behavior.AimTo dress socio-demographic, clinical and medico-legal profile of offenders, with anti-social personality, in forensic psychiatric examination.MethodsIt was a retrospective study of a series of 195 patients with antisocial personality (DSM-IV). They were examined, during the period, from 2009 to 2013, on the occasion of a penal expertise in the department of psychiatry C in the Hedi Chaker university hospital, Sfax, Tunisia.ResultsThe mean age of patients at the offense moment, was 29.58 years, with a sex ratio of 26.85. Among them, 66.2% were single, 49.2% had a primary school level and 41% had no profession. Between the patients, 58.5% lived in urban area and 38.5% in a high crime area. Addictive behaviors were reported in 80% of cases. Self-injury behaviors were noted in 33.8% of offenders. Psychiatric histories were reported in 66.2%, and 25.6% of patients have been already hospitalized in psychiatry department. 64.1% had already committed forensic acts, and 36% had been imprisoned at least once. The current offense was: homicide 16.9%; sexual offense 9.2%; violence 18.5%; theft 30.2%. The offense was related to impulsivity (40%) or utilitarian purpose (39%).ConclusionA young single man with no profession, a limited educational attainment and a history of impulsive behaviors, such is the profile most frequently encountered among offenders with anti-social personality. Interventions for reducing forensic behavior should focus on those social and clinical characteristics.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Les internés en Défense Sociale sous Article 21 : des niveaux plus élevés de risque de violence

In Belgium, the Article 21 of the Social Defense Law allows to transfer a sentenced to confinement when he presents a severe mental disturbance during his incarceration. We compared the scores of risk of violence of 44 internees under Article 21 to 351 others internees. The main findings revealed higher levels of violence risk on several dimensions among internees under Article 21 compared to other internees. The internees under Article 21 are younger at the time of the offense, present longer criminal career, with past and current offence being more violent, which contribute to higher static instrument scores. Concerning structured clinical risk instruments, the Article 21 presents more management problems in particular at the supervision and the treatment levels.

The effect of imprisonment on recommitment: an analysis using exact, coarsened exact, and radius matching with the propensity score

This study examines the effect of prison versus community sanctions on recommitment to prison and compares two levels of community supervision, community control (house arrest) and probation, evaluating whether the findings are contingent on the type of matching methods used in the analysis. Logistic regression was conducted on unmatched and matched samples. Exact, coarsened exact, and radius-matching procedures were used to create a selection on observables design. Matching variables included current offense, demographics, criminal history, supervision violations, and a rich set of Florida Sentencing Guidelines information culled from an official scoring sheet. Florida judges use this instrument to sentence offenders within the framework of the state determinate sentencing system. The results show that with exact matching, there is no effect of imprisonment on recommitment, while the other procedures suggest a specific deterrent effect of imprisonment. All four analysis methods showed that offenders under community control are more likely to reoffend than those under normal probation. Analyses between the matched and unmatched prison observations demonstrate that the matched set of prisoners is composed of offenders who have less extensive criminal records and less serious conviction offenses than unmatched offenders regardless of the matching algorithm. Contrary to a prior analysis of these data, which found a criminogenic effect of prison, a null effect was found using exact matching. Comparing the matching procedures, the more precise the match the less likely there was an effect of prison. However, community control was criminogenic regardless of the matching procedure.