Young Male Offenders Research Articles

Industrious, truthful, upright and manly: Reforming poor young men in the borstal schools of India in the 1920s and 1930s

AbstractThis article analyses the expansion of the borstal system for young male offenders in late colonial India. Based on legislative debates and prison administration reports, it considers the ways in which young adults were defined and treated within the context of these penal institutions. It reveals how institutionalised care for young men was used to reinforce the power of middle class coercive networks; to define and produce particular forms of masculinity among the poor youth of India and to contribute to wider, emerging discourses about the distinctive position of adolescents in Indian society.

Participation in a Prison-Based Training Programme Is Beneficial for Rescue Dogs.

Dogs are often relinquished because of behavioural issues which may be exacerbated in rehoming centres. Prison-based dog training programmes (DTPs) may enhance outcomes for rescue dogs by providing socialisation and training opportunities to improve behaviour, welfare and likelihood of rehoming. We assessed whether dogs benefitted from participation, 1-3 times per week, in a prison-based DTP in which male young offenders learn how to train and care for dogs waiting to be rehomed. Within DTP sessions, there was significant improvement on a range of training tasks (n = 42 dogs). Analyses of videos (n = 17 dogs) in the kennels and a training barn pre- and post-DTP participation showed improvement in some positive behaviours, but no significant change in other behaviours. Subjective ratings by staff of the dogs' behaviour were made (n = 20 dogs). Desirable behaviours (e.g., playful/friendly) increased, and most undesirable behaviours (e.g., frustrated and noisy) decreased. Participation in the DTP did not mitigate all negative behaviours. However, improvements are consistent with enhanced welfare and likelihood of successful rehoming. Prison-based DTPs can be effective in supporting the work of animal rescue organisations to improve outcomes for dogs, while offering people in custody an opportunity to engage in purposeful activity and provide a community service.

Enuresis in young offenders - a study on prevalence and mental health comorbidity.

Enuresis is a common disorder in the school-age period, and is often associated with a variety of behavioral, psychological, and social problems. While early studies suggested an association between enuresis and delinquent behavior, there has been no recent research assessing the prevalence of enuresis and its comorbid psychopathology in young offenders. The aim of this study was to therefore assess the prevalence of enuresis and its associated psychiatric comorbidity in incarcerated young offenders. The prevalence of past and current enuresis and comorbid psychopathology was assessed using a semi-structured psychiatric interview and self-reports from 366 incarcerated male young offenders [age 14 to 19 years (mean age = 16.4)] from Northern Russia. Seventy-three (20.0%) adolescents reported a previous history of enuresis, and in addition almost 10% of the youth reported current enuresis symptoms. Delinquent youth with enuresis did not significantly differ from other youth in the prevalence of comorbid psychiatric diagnoses when assessed by a clinical diagnostic interview, but had significantly higher levels of self-reported mental health problems, and suicidal ideation and attempts. Problems with enuresis are common among delinquent youth and may be associated with increased mental health problems. Given the potentially increased risk for suicidal thoughts and behavior in young offenders with enuresis, comprehensive mental health screening of those who are detected with this condition should be considered in the juvenile justice system.

Well-being in institutionalised adolescents.

For adolescents who have criminal convictions, achieving a positive progress including desistance from offending may depend on a sense of well-being. Factors associated with growth in well-being are not widely researched, but there is some work that suggests that qualities in other internal states as well as in the environment may foster well-being. To examine the well-being of young male incarcerated offenders, and its relationship with frequency of contacts with the family, perceptions of socio-educational environment, feelings about the future and self-efficacy. Participants were recruited from three secure education institutions in the Federal District of Brasília, Brazil, under the management of the Secretariat of Justice. They were invited to complete anonymous self-report questionnaires, which included the Psychological Well-Being Scale, the Perception of the Socio-Educational Environment Scale, the Feelings about the Future Scale and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Self-Efficacy, and to provide limited sociodemographic data. 195 young male offenders participated and their mean age was 16.8years (SD=1.58, range 14-20). There was a positive correlation between well-being and perceptions of the socio-educational environment, positive feelings about the future and self-efficacy self-ratings. Multiple linear regression analyses confirmed that the frequency of family contacts, positive perceptions of the socio-educational environment, positive feelings about the future, and self-efficacy in leisure and social activities independently contributed to the well-being of young offenders. Although well-being has been associated with desistance from committing crimes, the factors that may predispose to well-being have been researched less and never before examined among inmates in Brazil. While longitudinal work is needed to be certain of the direction of the relationship, the fact that the results are broadly consistent with a similar study carried out on the other side of the world is encouraging in terms of indicating ways forward in rehabilitation. It is necessary to develop interventions that support family relationships and promote personal relationships and personal development, not only of useful skills but also of personal confidence in those skills.

Criminal and positive identity development of young male offenders: pre and post rehabilitation

PurposeThe rates of offending and re-offending for young males are higher than any other population. Whilst the UK Ministry of Justice (2020) states that rehabilitation programmes should aim to build a positive identity, little is known about the subjective experiences of how this occurs. Various theories and models suggest that the development of a positive identity assists rehabilitation for young men with convictions (i.e. Johns et al., 2017). Therefore, the current study aimed to gather personal narratives from male, young offenders with the intention of understanding identity development.Design/methodology/approachTwelve interviews were conducted with young men with convictions aged between 18 and 25 years who had almost completed a rehabilitation process within the community. Narrative analysis was used to analyse the data. All were engaging with the rehabilitation service as a result of conviction for low to medium level offences, including burglary, harm of another person and drug related offences.FindingsThree plots were identified which explain identity when committing offences: “The Powerless”, “The Feared” and “The Disconnected”. One plot was evident within the narratives which explained positive identity when rehabilitated: “The Connected”. The findings illustrate the importance of an approach which considers various aspects of a young offender’s life.Originality/valueThe current study further adds to knowledge base of young offender rehabilitation by providing a systemic understanding of how men with convictions’ identity develop pre- and post-rehabilitation. New implications for trauma informed practice are discussed.

Resilience for Juvenile Recidivists Versus One‑Time Offenders in Argentina

IntroductionResilient potential of 100 young male offenders (aged 16-17), in Buenos Aires was assessed using a translated and revised version of the Resilience Scale (RS) of 14 items (Wagnild, 2009). Data on family criminality, school achievement and socioeconomic status was also obtained for both groups. The greater the resilient potential the greater the opportunity of not to reoffend irrespective of being controlled by key risk factors.Objectives1-Do repeat offenders have lower resilient potential than one-time offenders? 2. If a relationship between resilience and repeat offending does exist, is this explained by family criminality, low school achievement or low socioeconomic status?MethodsPsychosocial interviews with each participant were conducted by the named author, under strict judicial conditions considering privacy in all cases, based on informed consent, with the condition of maintaining the concealed identity of the participants. In all cases it was clarified that youth participation was voluntary.Results Table 1.M (SD) M (SD) t d pAge 16.20 (0.41) 16.45 (0.50) 2.70 0.66 0.008Resilience M (SD) M (SD) t d pFactor I 29.92 (7.25) 63.45 (4.92) 27.16 5.41 <0.001Factor II 7.37 (1.95) 16.59 (1.87) 24.13 11.33 <0.001Total Resilience 37.29 (8.67) 80.09 (6.49) 27.82 5.59 <0.001Risk Factors % % chi d pFamily Criminality 44.9 3.9 20.81 1.03 <0.001Low School Achievement 98.0 11.8 71.31 3.15 <0.001Low Socioeconomic Status 42.9 11.8 10.73 0.69 0.001 Table 2. Independent Predictors of Repeat OffendingVariables β pCriminality in the family 2.994 <0.001Low school achievement 5.886 <0.001Low socioeconomic status (SES) -1.727 <0.001Note. All comparisons p<.001.ConclusionsTaking into account the lack of studies on resilience in juvenile offenders in both national and international research the findings of the present study provide an important contribution in the field of juvenile offending, particularly in the view of further interventions aimed at the prevention and rehabilitation in the near and long term of juvenile offenders in Argentina.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared

Anabolic-androgenic steroids: Considerations for forensic psychiatry, sports psychiatry, and the law

Anabolic-androgenic steroids: Considerations for forensic psychiatry, sports psychiatry, and the law

Gestalt is a Way of Caring for Human Rights

I grew up in Cologne, a big city in Germany. During my time in high school, there were big eruptions in the social field. Willy Brand became the first social-democratic chancellor. And the war in Vietnam was a broad issue that was discussed among the younger generation. When I started to study psychology, I had personal treatment by a psychoanalytic therapist, and during my studies I had a one-year course in behavioral therapy. I was not impressed by these modalities, so I started to look for alternatives and, by chance, I found somebody who had learned the Gestalt approach. I was fascinated and did a professional training for years. At that time, I was active in different social fields, especially in the peace movement against new nuclear weapons.In 1991, I moved to Switzerland and worked in a therapeutic institution for young male offenders. I became a member of the EAGT, which had a committee for Human Rights founded as a reaction to the situation after 9/11. A main task was to raise more awareness for the international political field we live in.One important project from our committee was the work in Ukraine. In the spring of 2014, the Ukrainian Umbrella Organization for Psychotherapy asked different therapeutic organizations for help working with the many people traumatized from the shootings on Maydan Square and the beginning of the civil war in the East of the Ukraine. Ivana Vidakovic from Serbia and I went to Kyiv and offered a three-day workshop on trauma. We both had never been to Ukraine and we were working together for the first time, not knowing what they were expecting and if the situation would be safe.We started with a workshop with 28 participants, all women. That was very typical. In the former Soviet Union medicine and psychology had been mainly female professions. Most of them did voluntary work for many months after normal work of eight to nine hours, and they struggled with overwhelming feelings and burnout symptoms. After more than two hours of heartbreaking stories, we learned that this would not be a place to give lectures. All were happy to have somebody from outside who cared about them. The symptoms were all about actual shock and some sparks of panic. So, we skipped the idea to give a lot of information (my coleader had done a lot of work with war trauma during and after the Yugoslavian war), and we started to get the participants into the here and now. We functioned in small groups, sharing experiences in the war zone, and did some work around breathing and imaginations of a safe place.After a few months, we returned to Kyiv to meet again with some of the workshop participants. For them, the main result was to take better care of themselves and to have some private time. We did another three-day workshop and realized this work around trauma could not be done through other European countries, given that dozens of people were being killed every day. The demand was huge; they wanted us to do workshops in many cities all over the country. The European Association of Gestalt Therapy organized a “Train the Trainer” program for the local Gestalt therapists to take over. This was successfully concluded with about 35 participants in 2019. Some interesting experiences from participants were published

Gestalt is a Way of Caring for Human Rights

I grew up in Cologne, a big city in Germany. During my time in high school, there were big eruptions in the social field. Willy Brand became the first social-democratic chancellor. And the war in Vietnam was a broad issue that was discussed among the younger generation. When I started to study psychology, I had personal treatment by a psychoanalytic therapist, and during my studies I had a one-year course in behavioral therapy. I was not impressed by these modalities, so I started to look for alternatives and, by chance, I found somebody who had learned the Gestalt approach. I was fascinated and did a professional training for years. At that time, I was active in different social fields, especially in the peace movement against new nuclear weapons.In 1991, I moved to Switzerland and worked in a therapeutic institution for young male offenders. I became a member of the EAGT, which had a committee for Human Rights founded as a reaction to the situation after 9/11. A main task was to raise more awareness for the international political field we live in.One important project from our committee was the work in Ukraine. In the spring of 2014, the Ukrainian Umbrella Organization for Psychotherapy asked different therapeutic organizations for help working with the many people traumatized from the shootings on Maydan Square and the beginning of the civil war in the East of the Ukraine. Ivana Vidakovic from Serbia and I went to Kyiv and offered a three-day workshop on trauma. We both had never been to Ukraine and we were working together for the first time, not knowing what they were expecting and if the situation would be safe.We started with a workshop with 28 participants, all women. That was very typical. In the former Soviet Union medicine and psychology had been mainly female professions. Most of them did voluntary work for many months after normal work of eight to nine hours, and they struggled with overwhelming feelings and burnout symptoms. After more than two hours of heartbreaking stories, we learned that this would not be a place to give lectures. All were happy to have somebody from outside who cared about them. The symptoms were all about actual shock and some sparks of panic. So, we skipped the idea to give a lot of information (my coleader had done a lot of work with war trauma during and after the Yugoslavian war), and we started to get the participants into the here and now. We functioned in small groups, sharing experiences in the war zone, and did some work around breathing and imaginations of a safe place.After a few months, we returned to Kyiv to meet again with some of the workshop participants. For them, the main result was to take better care of themselves and to have some private time. We did another three-day workshop and realized this work around trauma could not be done through other European countries, given that dozens of people were being killed every day. The demand was huge; they wanted us to do workshops in many cities all over the country. The European Association of Gestalt Therapy organized a “Train the Trainer” program for the local Gestalt therapists to take over. This was successfully concluded with about 35 participants in 2019. Some interesting experiences from participants were published

Validation of the sociopolitical control scale for youth amongBrazilian juvenile offenders in rehabilitation.

Empowerment theories provide the conceptual framework to understand the process of change among marginalized groups in rehabilitation. Sociopolitical control is an element of the intrapersonal component of psychological empowerment (PE). The current study analyzes the psychometric properties of the Brazilian version of the Sociopolitical Control Scale for Youth (SPCS-Y) in a sample of institutionalized young male offenders (N = 190) and examines its relationships with well-being, perception of educational environment, self-efficacy, and drug consumption. The results of the confirmatory factor analysis supported the two-dimensional structure of the SPCS-Y (leadership competence and policy control). Linear regression models indicated that consumption of drugs contribute positively to leadership competence, and policy control was explained by well-being, positive perception of educational environment, and enlisting social support. The results are consistent with previous studies from other countries and indicate that the SPCS-Y is a valid measure to assess sociopolitical control among adolescents in rehabilitation. Additionally, theoretical implications and directions for practice are discussed in the paper.

Addressing sexual and reproductive health and rights with men in prisons: co-production and feasibility testing of a relationship, sexuality and future fatherhood education programme

PurposeYoung incarcerated male offenders are at risk of poorer sexual health, adolescent parenthood and lack opportunities for formative relationship and sexuality education (RSE) as well as positive male role models. The purpose of this paper is to report the process of co-production and feasibility testing of a novel, gender-transformative RSE programme with young male offenders to encourage positive healthy relationships, gender equality, and future positive fatherhood.Design/methodology/approachUsing a rights-based participatory approach, the authors co-produced an RSE programme with young offenders and service providers at two UK prison sites using a sequential research design of: needs analysis, co-production and a feasibility pilot. Core components of the programme are grounded in evidence-based RSE, gender-transformative and behaviour change theory.FindingsA needs analysis highlighted the men’s interest in RSE along with the appeal of film drama and peer-group-based activities. In the co-production stage, scripts were developed with the young men to generate tailored film dramas and associated activities. This co-production led to “If I Were a Dad”, an eight-week programme comprising short films and activities addressing masculinities, relationships, sexual health and future fatherhood. A feasibility pilot of the programme demonstrated acceptability and feasibility of delivery in two prison sites. The programme warrants further implementation and evaluation studies.Originality/valueThe contribution of this paper is the generation of an evidence-based, user-informed, gender-transformative programme designed to promote SRHR of young male offenders to foster positive sexual and reproductive health and well-being in their own lives and that of their partners and (future) children.

Unveiling the heart of young offenders: Testing the tripartite model of affect regulation in community and forensic male adolescents

PurposeThe tripartite model of affect regulation proposes the existence of three emotion regulation systems (i.e., Threat, Drive and Soothing). An unbalanced functioning of these systems associates with greater risk for psychopathology, specifically Conduct Disorder (CD). Youths with CD generally develop in hostile environments, present higher levels of negative emotions and display different emotion regulation patterns when compared to normative peers. Recently, heart rate variability (HRV) has been reported as an accurate index of emotion regulation. However, there is no study exploring specific HRV patterns for each system while comparing community adolescents and young offenders. MethodsThis study aimed to explore differences in HRV patterns between community males (n = 97) and male young offenders (n = 99), aged between 14 and 18 years old, when triggering the three systems. Data was collected for resting, reactivity and recovering phases, following standardized experimental procedures. ResultsResults showed that in both samples, the threat and drive systems associated with decreased HRV. Remarkably, while for community males, triggering the soothing system associated with increases in HRV, young offenders displayed decreases in parasympathetic nervous system activity which seems to mirror threat-like physiological responses. ConclusionFindings suggest an underdeveloped/suppressed soothing system in young offenders when compared to normative peers.

Crimes and Determinants of Young Criminals: A Study of Interior Sindh, Pakistan

The purpose of the study is to identify the crimes perpetrated by young offenders in the interior districts of Sindh, including Shikarpur, Sukkur, Dadu, and Ghotki, as well as to investigate the underlying causes of criminal behavior. This qualitative study was undertaken by collecting FIRs from four districts using random sampling. The sample consists of 485 FIRs of convicted young male offenders from 2019 to 2020. The study found that youth are involved in various crimes such as murder, rape, larceny, assault, drug/alcohol consumption, and illegal weapon possession. In addition, the study's findings identified the factors that inspire young offenders to commit crimes, including poverty, land conflicts, tribal feuds, provocation, retaliation, sexual passion, and thrill. Consequently, illegal activities, as opposed to more constructive ones, are gaining popularity among the younger generation; therefore, the study suggests establishing a parental care and control program to improve educational and training facilities, increase employment opportunities, decrease the availability of dangerous weapons and drugs and alternative methods of crime prevention should be implemented.

“Is Restorative Justice Greek to Me?”: Exploring Its Applicability in Greek Youth Detention Centres

Abstract Justice systems around the world are constantly working to balance reform/rehabilitation/re-entry and punishment in response to juvenile delinquency. In recent years, there has been a strong emphasis on the notion of restorative justice as an alternative approach to criminal justice, yet there continues to be a dearth of information on the interrelation between restorative justice, religion and imprisonment, especially among youth. The present research seeks to explore the applicability and possible future implementation of restorative justice programmes for late adolescent and young adult male offenders (18–21 years old) held in the Special Detention Institutions of Greece. It also aims to identify any links between restorative justice and religion in youth custodial settings among the large migrant population hosted in these institutions. A self-administered quantitative study was distributed to achieve this aim. The data analysis provided no statistically significant relationships between the inmates’ willingness to meet with their actual/surrogate victims and ask for forgiveness/restore relationships with them. Equally insignificant was found the inmates’ eagerness to get involved in restorative mediation with their capacity to acknowledge the harm that their illegal actions inflicted on others, and to make amends.

The remediating effect of Attention Bias Modification on aggression in young offenders with antisocial tendency: A randomized controlled trial

Background and objectivesAn attention bias toward hostile stimuli is associated with an increased risk of aggressive behavior. Thus, reducing hostile attention bias may help to reduce aggression in young offenders. We evaluated the remediating effects of Attention Bias Modification (ABM) on hostile attention bias and aggressive behavior in Chinese male young offenders with antisocial tendencies. MethodsInstitutionalized male young offenders (ages 16–18) were recruited and randomly assigned to ABM (n = 28), placebo (n = 28), or waiting list (n = 28). The ABM group received four weeks of training using visual search of emotional faces; the placebo group underwent similar training using visual search of neutral objects. Before and after treatment, aggressive behavior, attention bias toward positive stimuli and hostile stimuli were assessed. ResultsLinear mixed models and hierarchical multiple regression analyses showed that the intervention effect of ABM was moderated by participants’ initial attention bias. Young offenders with a high level of initial hostile attention bias, or with a low level of initial positive attention bias, benefitted most from ABM. LimitationsThe small sample size impedes investigation of the mechanism of the intervention's effects. Further research can determine whether the current results can be extrapolated to the population of female young offenders. ConclusionThe results of the present study suggest that ABM is helpful for young offenders who show the greatest bias toward hostile stimuli and away from positive stimuli. These findings highlight the importance of matching the intervention and the participant. Trial registrationosf.io/vj5rk;

Empathy and repeat offending of young offenders in Argentina

ABSTRACT Low empathy is an important psychological construct for understanding persistent criminal and antisocial behavior. In this study the affective empathy (the capacity to experience the emotions of others) and cognitive empathy (the capacity to understand the emotions of others) of 100 young male offenders (aged 16-17) in Buenos Aires was assessed using the Basic Empathy Scale. The level of empathy of young offenders who were repeat offenders (N=49) was then compared to one-time offenders (N=51). In addition, data on family criminality, school achievement and socioeconomic status was also obtained for both groups. The results showed that repeat offenders had significantly lower affective and cognitive empathy, and that these relationships held independently of the other related factors. These findings suggest that low empathy may be an important explanatory factor for repeat offending of juveniles in Argentina, and therefore may be a useful target for interventions designed to reduce repeat offending

Effectiveness of an Individual Cognitive-Behavioral Intervention for Serious, Young Male Violent Offenders: Randomized Controlled Study With Twenty-Four-Month Follow-Up.

Background: Psychological recidivism-reducing interventions with serious, young violent offenders in residential care have unsatisfactory effects. We tested if a complementary individual cognitive behavioral therapy (iCBT) intervention focusing problem-solving, cognitive self-control, and relapse prevention reduces criminal recidivism beyond usual institutional care encompassing interventions such as social skills training and prosocial modeling (treatment-as-usual; TAU).Method: We consecutively approached 115 eligible serious, male violent crime offenders in five residential treatment homes run by the Swedish National Board of Institutional Care. Eighty-one (70%) 16 to 21-year-old youth at medium-high violent recidivism risk were included and randomized to an individualized 15 to 20-session CBT intervention plus TAU (n = 38) or to TAU-only (n = 43), 4–6 months before release to the community. Participants were assessed pre- and post-treatment, at 12 months (self-reported aggressive behavior, reconvictions) and 24 months (reconvictions) after release. Intent-to-treat analyses were applied.Results: The violent reconviction rate was slightly higher for iCBT+TAU vs. TAU-only youth at 12 months (34 vs. 23%, d = 0.30, 95% CI: −0.24 to 0.84) and 24 months following release (50 vs. 40%, d = 0.23, 95% CI: −0.25 to 0.72), but neither of these differences were significant. Cox regression modeling also suggested non-significantly, negligibly to slightly more violent, and any criminal recidivism in iCBT+TAU vs. TAU-only youth during the entire follow-up. Further, we found no significant between-group differences in conduct problems, aggression, and antisocial cognitions, although both iCBT+TAU and TAU-only participants reported small to large within-group reductions across outcome measures at post-treatment. Finally, the 12-month follow-up suggested marginally more DSM-5 Conduct Disorder (CD) symptoms of “aggression to people and animals” in iCBT+TAU vs. TAU-only youth (d = 0.10, 95% CI: −0.40 to 0.60) although this difference was not significant.Conclusion: We found no additive effect of individual CBT beyond group-based TAU in residential psychological treatment for serious, young male violent offenders. Limited sample size and substantial treatment dropout reduced the robustness of intent-to-treat effect estimates. We discuss the possible impact of treatment dose and integrity, participant retention, and TAU quality.

Childhood Adversities and Individual Responsibility as Explanations for Criminality in Incarcerated Young Men’s Narratives

ABSTRACT Childhood adversities, such as abuse, neglect and parental alcohol and substance abuse, has been linked to higher rates of youth delinquency. Drawing on interviews with 33 young male offenders, incarcerated in Swedish prisons, this paper analyzes how they narrate their experiences of growing up, and particularly how they make sense of their childhood adversities in light of their present situation as incarcerated and convicted of serious crime. Three forms of narratives are identified: stories of childhood adversities affecting the present delinquent self; narratives where “the problem child” serves as the link between childhood and present self; and “broken narratives” where childhood adversities are depicted as not associated with the present self at all. The majority of the young men draw upon the latter two of these narrative types. The analyses conclude that in both of them the young men avoid presenting that their childhood adversities have affected their contemporary selves and criminal behavior, but rather emphasize individual responsibility tied both to street masculinity and to a discourse of responsibilization.

Effect of Mindfulness Training on Inhibitory Control in Young Offenders

Violent and criminal behaviors have increased in recent years in many countries, with the younger population constituting one of the main actors involved in this phenomenon. It has been hypothesized that alterations in inhibitory control play a crucial role in the appearance and persistence of such behaviors. Mindfulness meditation promotes detailed observation of sensations, emotions, and thoughts that involve cognitive processes and brain circuits closely related to inhibitory control. To determine the effect of mindfulness meditation on inhibitory control in young offenders. A total of 40 young male offenders (16–23 years) were recruited from a juvenile correctional facility, all of whom had committed violent crimes before the age of 18. The youths were divided into two groups of 20 participants each: treatment and control. A Stroop task and two Stop-signal tasks, one with happy, fearful, angry, and neutral facial stimuli, were performed before and after a 10-week mindfulness meditation training program. Compared to controls, the young offenders who participated in mindfulness training improved their inhibitory control after treatment, as reflected in an increase in their reaction times on the Stop-signal task (F(1,36) = 12.87, p = .031, η2 = .261), and a decrease in the number of errors on the Stroop task (F(1,36) = 4.684, p = .037, η2 = .115). Mindfulness meditation training improved inhibitory control and, therefore, may have a positive effect on mitigating violent behavior in young offenders.

Predictors of Aggression Among Sample-Specific Young Adult Offenders: Continuation of Violent Behavior Within South African Correctional Centers

Offenders in South Africa face dehumanizing conditions in overcrowded correctional centers known for constant violence and corruption. These offenders need to cope and adjust to life within a correctional center. However, the majority of young adult male offenders use aggression to adjust to the correctional environment. It is, therefore, essential to identify which predictor variables predict aggression the best among incarcerated young adult male offenders. This study focused on 243 young adult male maximum-security offenders sampled through convenience sampling. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were conducted to investigate which variable(s) or set(s) of variables explain a significant percentage of the variance of aggression. The results indicated that problem-solving, seeking social support, and avoidance, as a set of predictors, significantly predicted physical aggression, anger, and hostility. These findings seem to suggest that to decrease physical aggression, anger, and hostility among young adult offenders, it would be advisable to implement interventions that would (i) increase their problem-solving skills, (ii) improve their social support, and (iii) teach them to refrain from making use of avoidance as a coping strategy.