Number Of Previous Convictions Research Articles

Violent Sex Offenders Lack Male Social Support

Social networks and social support generally exert an important impact on the management of crisis and may thus influence prevention and rehabilitation strategies. The authors therefore investigated the social network and support in a group of 62 incarcerated sexual offenders. Irrespective of the underlying diagnosis, offenders were divided into a high-violent group and a low-violent group. A factor analysis resulted in five factors describing specific dimensions of social support. A significantly lower perceived social support was found in the high-violent group as compared with the low-violent offenders concerning the factors “talking about problems and feelings to someone” and “rely on someone.” This low support exclusively referred to men outside the family. Neither the number of previous convictions nor length of prior imprisonment predicted the amount of displayed violence. The authors’ results are compared with those in the pertinent literature and are discussed in light of relevant therapeutic strategies in prevention and rehabilitation.

Personal history factors associated with reconviction in personality disordered patients discharged from a Special Hospital

Abstract Sixty-two out of 112 patients who were discharged directly to the community from a Special Hospital were identified as suffering from personality disorder. This article describes general, psychiatric and criminologica) characteristics of the group. The clinical accounts of their index offences were carefully examined and dichotomized into sexual and non-sexual; in addition those index offences which featured a sexual element were identified. The first subsequent reconviction for each patient was identified and these were dichotomized as ‘serious’ or ‘minor’. A sexual index offence, prior imprisonment and absolute discharge were associated with higher rates of reconviction. A sexual index offence and a sexual element to the index offence were associated with higher rates of reconviction for serious offences. Prior substance abuse was associated with higher rates of minor offending but with lower rates of serious offending. There was a linear relationship between the number of previous convictions ...

The relationship between criminal conviction and interrogative suggestibility among delinquent boys

This study investigates the relationship between interrogative suggestibility, as measured by the Gudjonsson Suggestibility Scale (GSS), and number of previous convictions among 35 delinquent boys. The GSS measures two independent aspects of suggestibility. First, the extent to which subjects give in to suggestive questions. Second, the extent to which subjects give in to interpersonal pressure given in the form of critical feedback about test performance. The number of convictions were found to correlated negatively with the latter aspect of interrogative suggestibility, but not significantly with the former.

Criminality as a prognostic factor in opiate dependence.

SummaryThe relationship between criminality and the outcome of treatment was investigated in opiate addicts attending a drug dependence clinic. A comparison was made between the criminal records of 33 male and 7 female patients who came off drugs and a control group of 29 male and 10 female patients who remained addicted. In male patients, the extent of criminal involvement (as measured by the number of previous convictions on entering treatment) failed to discriminate between those who subsequently achieved abstinence and those who remained addicted. In the small sample of female patients the control group more often had a criminal record and had more previous convictions. These results were in keeping with a previous study of female addicts.The findings suggest that there is a sex difference in the relationship between criminality and the prognosis for addiction. In male addicts criminal involvement has no significant influence on the outcome of treatment and previous convictions are not a helpful guide to prognosis, whereas in female addicts a criminal record is of more adverse significance.