Juvenile crime and violent victimization continue to be significant social problems, in that adolescents, females in particular, are likely to participate in health-related risk behaviors as a result of having been victimized or exposed to a violent environment. Specifically, abuse, neglect, sexual molestation, poverty, and witnessing violence are…

Inpatient assault of forensic and psychiatric staff is a complex and multifaceted issue. Hence, the consequences reported in the literature regarding prosecuting assaultive inpatients are quite variable. In this article, issues pertaining to the prosecution of violent inpatients are reviewed. Illustrative cases, challenges of prosecution,…

The purpose of this study was to (1) create a predictive model that would correctly identify men at greatest risk of dropping out of a court-mandated, batterer intervention program; and, (2) explore the creation of such a logistic regression model using a set of instruments that were different from those used in previous research. Method: The…

Used Experience Sampling Method to investigate experiences of anger in 10 patients at maximum security forensic institute who had histories of severe, violent behavior. Found severity of anger influenced by type of activity in which subject was engaged and by emotional valence of preceding events but not by time of day nor by type of interpersonal…

A close review of prison violence makes it obvious that a disproportionate amount of such violence is related to the mental health problems of prisoners, and that, in the U.S. at least, this appears to have become increasingly the case. One reason for the trend is that prison administrators have been routinely relegating disturbed disruptive…

Investigation was conducted into the demographic, psychopathological, and offense characteristics of forensic psychiatric patients in residential treatment program. Descriptive findings, including victim variables, are presented. Select case vignettes, including offense profiles, are described. Clinical implications for risk assessment and…

Rejects federal court ruling that prison crowding must be considered in light of total space availability of given institution. Notes variability in body buffer zones for each individual inmate, aggression potential, and variability between violent and nonviolent inmates. Contends that correctional practitioners should allocate institutional space…

The over-representation of people with mental illness in the criminal justice system highlights the need for legislative reform and the implementation of programs breaking the cycle of mental illness, poverty, unemployment and substance abuse across Australia. Whilst there is no inherent association between mental illness and crime, there is a…

A cognitive approach to anger management was applied to juvenile offenders with histories of violent criminal referrals to the juvenile court. STOP, a six-session group-intervention model was developed. The model is discussed. Evaluation results with a small sample suggest that further study is warranted. (EMK)

Attitudes of members of the Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers (ATSA) towards treatment, release, and recidivism of sexual predators are assessed through an anonymous questionnaire. Fifty-two percent (540 members) responded. A large majority report little hope for cure (63%) and fear of recidivism after treatment (88%). No differences…

Examines biochemical measures in a population of forensic psychiatric inpatients. Regression equations utilizing chemical and biological variables were developed and evaluated to determine their value in predicting the severity and frequency of aggression. Findings strongly suggest the presence of specific biochemical alteration among those…

Examined claimed substance intoxication at time of crime commission with violent crimes for 1988 admissions to North Carolina Department of Correction. Most frequently abused drug was alcohol. Intoxicated criminals committed no more violent offenses than did sober offenders. Inmates inebriated with illegal drugs committed fewer violent crimes than…

Administered Dissociative Experiences Scale, which distinguishes between subjects with dissociative disorder and those without, to 71 sex offenders and 14 men who were falsely accused of sexual abuse. Outpatient sex offenders scored in the range attributed to general population. Those falsely accused of child sexual abuse scored lower than…

Tested situational factors as predictors of types of individual aggressive incidents in male prison population. Categorized incidents of violence by whether occurrence of infraction involved aggressive behavior directed at staff, another inmate, self, or property. Found that situational variables did serve as predictors of these categories of…

Grouped 30 male adolescent correctional residents by offense type, and administered the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-Adolescent (MMPI-A) and the Dissociative Experiences Scale. Results indicate some differences between violent and non-violent youth offenders in regard to responses to the two measures, suggesting a fundamental…