ABSTRACT In this article, I will not only seek to explain, according to the theory of violentization, why people become violent criminals of varying degrees of severity, but also, more specifically why more males than females go this route. In extending this process to cover the critical matter of why males more often become violent criminals of all degrees than females, I will draw heavily on my earlier empirical analyses of violent criminal acts that both men and women committed. The hope of my present effort will be to silence once and for all the criticism that violentization theory cannot account for the widely different rates found the world over of participation in violent crimes displayed by the different sexes in a society.

Police effectiveness constitutes a foundational element of state capacity, particularly in fragile security environments where violent crime, insurgency, and public distrust undermine governance and social order (World Bank, 2023; UNDP, 2022). In Nigeria, persistent weaknesses in policing manifested in corruption, brutality, low investigative capacity, and strained police–community relations have endured despite repeated reform initiatives, most notably following the 2020 #EndSARS protests (Amnesty International, 2021; CLEEN Foundation, 2021). This article argues that these deficiencies are not merely the result of individual misconduct or leadership failure but are rooted in structural weaknesses embedded in recruitment practices and training curricula within the Nigeria Police Force (NPF). Drawing on secondary data, policy documents, and recent empirical studies published between 2020 and 2025, the article examines how compromised entry standards, politicized recruitment processes, and outdated, militarized training frameworks undermine professional competence, operational effectiveness, and institutional legitimacy. Anchored in state capacity theory and human capital theory, the study demonstrates that Nigeria’s policing challenges reflect deeper institutional fragility rather than isolated behavioral lapses. The article concludes that sustainable police reform in fragile security settings must prioritize merit-based recruitment, curriculum modernization, and continuous professional development as core strategies for rebuilding state capacity, legitimacy, and effective security governance.

In 2022, the US Supreme Court affirmed the constitutional right of most civilians to carry concealed firearms in public for self-defense, overturning restrictive concealed carry laws in several states. Concealed carry regulations have evolved substantially through four waves of reforms, beginning with prohibitions of the practice in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries to today's permitless-carry regimes in more than half of US states. In recent decades, competing claims about whether permissive concealed carry regulations deter or exacerbate criminal violence have been studied with increasing rigor, with the weight of evidence now showing that such laws cause increases in homicide and violent crime rates. We review the limited available research examining the mechanisms by which permissive concealed carry laws increase violence and the evidence that specific law provisions may contribute to those effects. This review is intended to inform ongoing decisions and debates about concealed carry regulations and their impact on violence in America.

ABSTRACT The impact of violent crime has been shown to extend to business confidence, the timing and types of employment, and investments in human capital. The impact of violent crime on human behavior also potentially touches upon whether U.S. Representatives perform their legislative responsibilities or instead engage in shirking behavior. More specifically, the current political debate surrounding violent crime in Washington, D.C., gives rise to an interesting question: Do U.S. Representatives who reside in and represent notably dangerous Congressional districts view the nation's capital as a refuge from the violent crime that is persistent in those districts? To the extent they do, one would predict that the rates of vote‐skipping by U.S. Representatives from notably dangerous Congressional districts would be lower than those realized for all other U.S. Representatives. Using vote‐skipping (i.e., legislator shirking) data from the 118th Congress, this study undertakes such an investigation, finding that representatives from notably dangerous Congressional districts tend to skip almost 0.9%‐points fewer votes than representatives from all other Congressional districts. This impact represents almost 35% of mean percentage of votes skipped across all legislators in the U.S. House during the 118th Congress.

Abstract Domestic violence among professional athletes, specifically NFL players, has become a topic of concern for owners and the league as a whole. Professional athletes occupy a key space as role models for young athletes and kids generally. This note proposes an amendment to the current Collective Bargaining Agreement that would create a uniform procedural system of accountability for players accused of domestic violence and other violent crimes. This needed change will create a system of transparency and legitimacy, that maintains the integrity of the NFL, ensures domestic abusers are held accountable, and seeks widespread behavioral change.

Violent theft is a type of crime that still has a high incidence rate in Indonesia and causes complex social impacts. Criminal behavior in committing unlawful acts is not only influenced by economic factors, but also related to the psychological aspects of the perpetrator that affect their way of thinking, decision making, and control of behavioral impulses. This study aims to analyze the personality structure of perpetrators of violent theft based on Sigmund Freud's psychoanalytic perspective, particularly the dynamics of the id, ego, and superego. This study uses a qualitative approach with a case study method on three prisoners at the Klaten Class IIB Prison. Data collection techniques were carried out through interviews, observations, and documentation to obtain a comprehensive picture of the subjects' backgrounds and psychological dynamics. The data obtained was then analyzed inductively using source triangulation to obtain the validity of the findings. The results showed that each perpetrator had a different personality structure. Subject 1 showed a weak superego function at the time of the crime, which was followed by the emergence of a post-event superego in the form of inner conflict and guilt. Subject 2 showed a dominant ego oriented towards realistic considerations in fulfilling life needs, while subject 3 tended to show weak ego control with a dominant impulsive id drive. However, all subjects showed an imbalance in the interaction between the id, ego, and superego in the decision-making process prior to committing the crime.

The current study addresses the spatial clustering of all crimes, property crimes, and violent crimes on days the Atlanta Falcons play home games versus days with no sporting events, and examines whether opening a new stadium affects the spatial clustering of crime. The study finds that spatial clusters of crime are stable for days with no sporting events across time frames. When the Falcons play home games, there is a significant spatial clustering of all crimes and property crimes near the stadium. Violent crime clusters show the most instability across game days and time frames. The study provides evidence that stadiums have a spatial and temporal effect that alters the spatial clustering of crime on game days.

Introduction Crime has long been a persistent feature of human societies and has become a growing public concern in contemporary society, with its impact on community life and well-being. The influence of social ties with family, friends, and broader society on an individual's propensity toward or away from criminal behavior is often underestimated. This study explores the sociological drivers of violent crime in Ghana by examining the perspectives of key individuals connected to incarcerated persons, including family members, peers, prison officers, and inmate leaders. Methods Guided by an interpretivist paradigm, the study employed a qualitative, phenomenological approach to understand participants' lived experiences. Using purposive sampling, 79 participants were selected across two major correctional facilities: Nsawam Medium Security Prison (40 participants) and Ankaful Maximum Security Prison (39 participants), with interviews conducted both within the prisons (for prison officers and inmate leaders) and in designated visiting areas (for family members and peers). Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analysed using thematic analysis to identify recurring patterns and themes. Results and Discussion Findings indicate that violent behavior often arises from a combination of emotional neglect, unstable family backgrounds, peer influence, economic hardship, and cultural pressures tied to masculinity and power. These experiences reflect the relevance of Strain Theory and Social Learning Theory, highlighting how structural disadvantages and learned behaviors intersect to shape violent tendencies. The study recommends strengthening family support systems, expanding youth mentorship, integrating moral and social education in schools, and improving rehabilitation programs within prisons. By centring human relationships and social contexts, the study provides actionable insights for holistic crime prevention strategies in Ghana.

Forensic genetic genealogy (FGG) requires building and interpreting complex family trees that integrate genetic, genealogical, and contextual metadata to associate unknown donors of forensic evidence with reference samples of potential relatives. Existing genealogy platforms are not optimized for forensic workflows, lack scalable infrastructure for large pedigree trees, and pose usability challenges in investigative settings. Othram Maps is a graph-powered platform for generating, ranking, and visualizing genealogical hypotheses. It was developed to support forensic investigations but also has applications in adjacent domains such as biomedical research and genetic epidemiology. Othram Maps is a graph-powered web platform designed for forensic intelligence applications. Unlike traditional tree tools, it uses a flexible graph architecture that enables dynamic visualization and exploration of family trees of any size or structure encountered in forensic genetic genealogy. A custom load-on-demand engine supports smooth navigation of trees with thousands of individuals, while global and detailed views provide scalable, real-time interactivity for collaborative casework. Othram Maps is actively used by genetic genealogists and forensic practitioners to identify human remains and investigate unsolved violent crimes. Othram Mapsis freely available athttps://maps.othram.com. The platform is fully web-based and runs on all modern desktop and mobile browsers without the need for installation. It is compatible with most current mobile devices, enabling secure, on-the-go access for field or collaborative work. Additional information on the platform's features, functionality, and algorithms is provided in the Methods, available as supplementary data at Bioinformatics online.

This study examines how income, education, unemployment, and poverty jointly predict violent crime rates in county-level across the United States through a multiple linear regression. The research question of this study guided the analysis, asking how these four socioeconomic variables collectively influenced patterns of violent crime. According to existing criminological theories, this study hypothesized that communities with lower income and educational attainment, along with the higher unemployment rate and poverty may experience higher levels of violent crime. To test this hypothesis, this study utilized county-level crime data from a national law enforcement reporting system that combined with socioeconomic indicators from a large-scale federal population survey. Particularly, violent crime rates were obtained from the FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program, and socioeconomic indicators were obtained from the American Community Survey (ACS) from the U.S. Census Bureau, with counties as the units of analysis. A multiple linear regression model was used to estimate unique contribution of each socioeconomic variable while controlling the others. The findings in this study supported the hypothesis that poverty was a strong positive correlate with violent crime, while income and education indicated protective effects. Poverty indicated the largest standardized coefficient in the regression model, while a smaller but statistically significant positive association was shown with unemployment relative to other predictors. Unemployment also contributed to higher crime rates but through a lesser degree. Taken together, the findings in this study showed that broader structural conditions rather than isolated individual behaviors shaped violent crime. Communities with stronger economic stability and access to employment and educational opportunities tended to experience safer environments. These findings emphasize the importance of applying comprehensive strategies with socioeconomic disadvantages as a part of them to promote long-term community well-being.

Objectives. To investigate the association between vacant lot redevelopment and violent crime and firearm violent crime. Methods. We used a quasi-experimental study with a difference-in-difference (DID) design. The study population was 254 vacant lots located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The exposure was redevelopment, defined as repurposing the vacant lot into a permanent structure (e.g., housing) between 2007 and 2023. The outcome was violent crime subtypes and firearm violent crime subtypes reported to the police. Our primary analysis used a staggered DID estimator. Results. We found a negative association between redevelopment and aggravated assault (DID = -56.55 crimes per square mile per year; 95% confidence interval [CI] = -97.86, -15.24), firearm aggravated assault (DID = -35.11 crimes per square mile per year; 95% CI = -55.41, -14.82), and overall firearm violent crime (DID = -27.26 crimes per square mile per year; 95% CI = -52.97, -1.54). We did not find significant associations for the other outcomes tested. Conclusions. Our results support the hypothesis that vacant lot redevelopment may prevent or displace violent crime. Public Health Implications. Built environment investments may prevent or displace violence. (Am J Public Health. 2026;116(1):95-102. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2025.308269).

The effect of place-based nature interventions on human health: A systematic review.

This article aims to analyze the adequacy of cyberstalking regulation within Indonesian criminal law and to examine it from the perspective of Islamic criminal law. The study focuses on the absence of a specific cyberstalking offense in Indonesian criminal legislation and on how Islamic law positions such conduct within the framework of jarimah ta‘zīr. The research employs a normative juridical method using statutory, conceptual, and comparative approaches. The findings indicate that Indonesian criminal law still relies on the provisions of the Criminal Code (KUHP), the Electronic Information and Transactions Law (UU ITE), and the Sexual Violence Crime Law (UU TPKS), all of which do not fully capture the digital, repetitive, and multidimensional nature of cyberstalking. From the perspective of Islamic criminal law, cyberstalking is classified as a jarimah ta‘zīr because it violates the principles of ḥifẓ al-nafs and ḥifẓ al-ʿird, thereby leaving the determination of sanctions to judicial ijtihād based on public interest. This study underscores the urgency of regulatory reform to formulate a clearer and more integrative cyberstalking offense that aligns with victim protection principles in accordance with maqāṣid al-sharīʿah.

SummaryIntegrating local community knowledge can enhance understanding of conservation crimes when existing knowledge relies primarily on expert elicitation. We adapted place network investigations (PNI) to structure community and expert knowledge gathering about wildlife poaching around Pù Mát National Park, Vietnam. Using participatory mapping, we identified the distribution of PNI’s four crime-associated place types: corruption spots, comfort spaces, convergence settings, and crime sites. We compared knowledge between conservation experts and local villagers, then explored spatial patterns of these locations. Analyses revealed previously neglected places extending beyond park boundaries. Communities contributed more extensive knowledge than experts, particularly regarding convergence settings and corruption spots. Three crime-associated place types showed positive spatial autocorrelation, with identified clusters indicating intervention priorities. This participatory approach facilitated stakeholder knowledge exchange and broadened understanding of poaching-associated spaces. Findings suggest theoretical advancements concerning spatial commonalities and distinctions between conservation and violent crime, offering a replicable model for conservation crime prevention.

In light of recent violent crimes involving college students in overseas job-seeking contexts, this study empirically examines how economic strains faced by the youth generation influence their intentions to participate in illegal cyber gambling operations. Drawing on Robert K. Merton’s Strain Theory as the primary theoretical framework, a survey using a vignette design with hypothetical crime scenarios was conducted among 283 college students in the Gyeongsangbuk-do region.The results demonstrate that a strong desire for monetary success and a significant discrepancy between desired and expected income (aspiration-expectation gap) significantly increase criminal intentions, thereby supporting the empirical validity of Strain Theory. Furthermore, subjective relative deprivation was identified as a potent predictor of criminal intent. Conversely, the perceived certainty of being caught (Deterrence Theory), strong legal beliefs, and past academic achievement (Commitment in Social Bonding Theory) were found to significantly inhibit the intention to commit a crime. These findings suggest that the employment crisis and economic inequality prevalent among the youth may create structural strains that render them vulnerable to the allure of cybercrime. The study concludes by discussing the necessity of multifaceted social safety nets and crime prevention strategies to mitigate these risks.

In the past, dating violence was considered a lover's quarrel between lovers. However, recently, dating violence has expanded beyond simple assault to include violent crimes like rape and murder, raising concerns about it as a serious social issue. In order to eradicate dating violence, revisions to related laws and police response measures are being discussed. Various studies are also being conducted in academia to identify the fundamental cause of social violence. As a result of the analysis of previous studies, social violence is explained as the cause of domestic violence. Therefore, this study attempted to investigate the relationship between domestic violence and social violence. In addition, this study tried to empirically analyze how relationship addiction affects the relationship between domestic violence and dating violence among the main explanatory factors of dating violence. As a result of a survey of 398 college students, it was found that domestic violence affects dating violence. In other words, the higher the experience of domestic violence, the higher the likelihood of experiencing social violence. Furthermore, relationship addiction was found to be statistically significant in the relationship between domestic violence and relationship violence. In other words, higher levels of relationship addiction were associated with a higher likelihood of experiencing relationship violence. Therefore, consistent with numerous previous studies, domestic violence was identified as an explanatory factor for relationship violence, and domestic violence was found to influence both relationship violence and relationship addiction.

ABSTRACT This research investigates the news production processes and decision-making of Pakistani journalists when covering traumatic events, such as violent incidents, crimes, and terrorism. It employs a qualitative approach, conducting in-depth interviews with 50 journalists, including Directors, Reporters, Editors, NLEs, Cameramen, and Photographers from print, broadcast, and online media outlets across Pakistan. Participants were selected through purposive and snowball sampling techniques. The data were analyzed through the lens of the Hierarchy of Influences Model (HOI), an extension of Gatekeeping Theory, to examine how routine-level factors influence journalistic decision-making during the coverage of traumatic events. The findings show that newsroom culture, including the influence of news editors, the pressure of “breaking news,” deadlines, and the dynamics of peer interaction, significantly shapes journalists’ choices regarding news selection and presentation. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of the challenges and pressures journalists face when covering traumatic events in Pakistan.

ABSTRACT Crime can deteriorate economic and social contexts, reducing opportunities for those most at risk. We investigated whether crime could affect the level of inactivity of young people, contributing to the epidemic NEET (not in education, employment or training) issue. We analyse the effect of crimes against property (theft) and against people (homicides) on men’s and women’s NEET status in Italy (in light of the gender gap in fear of crime), controlling for the prevalent causes of the phenomenon. We employ micro and provincial data in a probit model and find that violent crime increases the risk of being NEET, and the effect is greater for females. Property crimes may also play a role when controlling for endogeneity. Such a result suggests the potential effects of widespread fear in society. We also found that women are more likely to become NEET due to family and social commitments; however, they benefit more from education to remain fully active.

Understanding the relationship between temperature, crime, and quality of life is crucial for addressing urban challenges and fostering sustainable development. While community safety is a key focus of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the link between temperature, property crime, and quality of life remains underexplored. Most studies emphasize violent crimes, neglecting property crimes and their nuanced interactions with environmental factors. Additionally, the indirect effects of temperature and crime on quality of life lack sufficient investigation. This study addresses these gaps by analysing the relationship between temperature, property crime, and quality of life using machine learning techniques, including, Generalized Linear Model, Support Vector Machine, Gradient Boosted Tree, Decision Tree and Random Forest algorithms. Data were collected from 317 face-to-face surveys in Taman Dato’ Senu, Sentul, Kuala Lumpur, alongside official crime statistics from the Royal Malaysia Police. Results indicate that property crime significantly influences quality of life, whereas temperature shows minimal direct impact. These findings highlight the complex dynamics between climate and social behaviour and demonstrate the potential of machine learning for precise, data-driven insights to support urban planning and policy decisions in tropical cities.

The rise in cases of sexual violence, especially those experienced by women and children in Indonesia, is increasingly worrying. This research will discuss LAW ENFORCEMENT AGAINST CRIMINAL ACTS OF SEXUAL VIOLENCE POST LAW NUMBER 12 OF 2022. This research is a legal research, using normative (juridical) legal research methods. This legal research uses a statutory approach and a comparative approach. This research was carried out using primary legal materials, namely in the form of statutory regulations and secondary legal materials in the form of law books and legal journals related to the problem under study. This research uses library and internet studies in collecting legal materials. The crime of sexual violence is a crime that concerns human dignity and is a form of discrimination that must be eradicated and eliminated. Law enforcement against criminal acts of sexual violence in Law Number 12 of 2022 contains several reforms related to the procedural law for handling criminal acts of sexual violence. The aim of this different procedural law is to adapt it to the interests of victims of sexual violence, in the sense that the procedural law is made more victim-oriented