International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology This is an RSS file. You can use it to subscribe to this data in your favourite RSS reader or to display this data on your own website or blog.

Perceived Risk of Burglary and Fear of Crime: Individual- and Country-Level Mixed Modeling
Given the scarcity of prior studies, the current research introduced country-level variables, along with individual-level ones, to test how they are related to an individual’s perceived risk of burglary (PRB) and fear of crime (FC), separately, by using mixed-level logistic regression analyses. The analyses of 104,218 individuals, residing in 50 countries, showed that country-level poverty was positively associated with FC only. However, individual-level variables, such as prior property crime victimization and female gender, had consistently positive relationships with both PRB and FC. However, age group and socioec...
Source: International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology - January 19, 2016 Category: Criminology Authors: Chon, D. S., Wilson, M. Tags: Articles Source Type: research

Couples Counseling for Aboriginal Clients Following Intimate Partner Violence: Service Providers Perceptions of Risk
Interventions for family violence in Aboriginal communities should take a culture-based approach and focus on healing for the whole family. The purpose of this research was to identify risk issues from the perspective of service providers for couples counseling with Aboriginal clients following intimate partner violence. A total of 25 service providers participated in over the phone interviews concerning risk with Aboriginal men in couple counseling. Five concepts emerged including (a) collaterals, (b) commitment to change, (c) violence, (d) mind-set, and (e) mental health. It was concluded that culturally competent interv...
Source: International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology - January 19, 2016 Category: Criminology Authors: Riel, E., Languedoc, S., Brown, J., Gerrits, J. Tags: Articles Source Type: research

All Elder Abuse Perpetrators Are Not Alike: The Heterogeneity of Elder Abuse Perpetrators and Implications for Intervention
The tendency to label all elder abuse perpetrators as the "bad guys" has diminished our ability to respond effectively. A review of the literature demonstrates that elder abuse perpetrators are in fact heterogeneous with important differences across types of abuse. A reformulation of perpetrator interventions away from a singular emphasis on prosecution to meaningful alternatives that utilize criminal justice and/or therapeutic approaches tailored to the needs of the case is needed. These interventions must incorporate the needs of both victims and perpetrators, take into consideration the type of abuse involved, acknowled...
Source: International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology - January 19, 2016 Category: Criminology Authors: Jackson, S. L. Tags: Articles Source Type: research

Juvenile Sexual Homicide Offenders: Thirty-Year Follow-Up Investigation
Sexual homicide by a juvenile offender occurs approximately 9 times per year in the United States. Little is known about the post-incarceration adjustment of these offenders. The current study was designed to follow up 30 years later on a sample of eight adolescent sexual homicide offenders who were convicted of murder and sentenced to adult prison. The results indicated that six out of eight offenders were released from prison, and their mean sentence length was 12 years and 2 months. Four offenders out of the six released were rearrested, but none of the arrests were for homicide, sexual or otherwise. The post-incarcerat...
Source: International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology - January 19, 2016 Category: Criminology Authors: Khachatryan, N., Heide, K. M., Hummel, E. V., Chan, H. C. Tags: Articles Source Type: research

Self-Injurious Behavior in Prison: A Case Study
The practice of self-injurious behaviors (SIBs) within corrections disproportionately consumes resources and negatively impacts staff. To date, the majority of empirical studies on the topic have relied upon quantitative methodologies that fail to include the perspective of the actual offender who is engaging in self-injury, thus reinforcing mischaracterizations and confusion. In response, this manuscript features a case study of an offender currently housed in a maximum security prison who routinely engages in self-injury. Findings are presented along the tripartite themes of family background, suicidality, and SIB. Polic...
Source: International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology - December 24, 2015 Category: Criminology Authors: Smith, H. Tags: Articles Source Type: research

Making Sense of Imprisonment: Narratives of Posttraumatic Growth Among Female Prisoners
The literature on prison effects is characterised by a focus on negative outcomes. There is a need to acknowledge individual differences. The theme of posttraumatic growth emerged in a subsample of interviews from a study on psychological adjustment in prison. The narratives of this subsample (six female, first-time prisoners) were used to explore the phenomenon of posttraumatic growth during imprisonment. It is argued that the initial shock of incarceration challenged these prisoners’ assumptive worlds, but they managed to overcome this crisis by finding meaning in the prison experience and using it as an opportunit...
Source: International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology - December 24, 2015 Category: Criminology Authors: van Ginneken, E. F. J. C. Tags: Articles Source Type: research

Effects of Parent-Child Relationships on Inmate Behavior: A Comparison of Male and Female Inmates
There is very little current information on the nature and extent of contacts between inmate parents and their children. To fill in this gap, it was the purpose of this study to determine how parental contacts with children, in the form of visits, mail, and telephone calls, affected inmate behavior behind bars. A subsample of more than 6,000 inmate parents from a larger sample of state prison inmates in the United States was analyzed. Results showed that inmates who got visits, both males and females, and mail (female inmates only) were more likely to be written up and/or found guilty of rule violations. Policy implication...
Source: International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology - December 24, 2015 Category: Criminology Authors: Benning, C. L., Lahm, K. F. Tags: Articles Source Type: research

Measuring Drug Court Adherence to the What Works Literature: The Creation of the Evidence-Based Correctional Program Checklist-Drug Court
This article also discusses the development of two predecessor assessment tools designed to measure how closely correctional programs adhere to evidence-based practice, the Correctional Program Assessment Inventory (CPAI) and the Evidence-Based Correctional Program Checklist (CPC). Results are briefly presented on the outcomes of the CPC-DC assessments completed to date by the University of Cincinnati (UC). Finally, recommendations are offered for operating an evidence-based drug court. (Source: International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology)
Source: International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology - December 24, 2015 Category: Criminology Authors: Blair, L., Sullivan, C. C., Lux, J., Thielo, A. J., Gormsen, L. Tags: Articles Source Type: research

Prescribing Some Criminological Theory: An Examination of the Illicit Use of Prescription Stimulants Among College Students
This article reports results from a survey (N = 484) of college students from a Midwestern university, examining whether measures of strain, self-control, and social learning predict the illicit use of prescription stimulants. Measures from social learning and social control theories were significant predictors of illicit use of prescription stimulants, whereas the measure of academic strain was not; the strongest predictor of illicit use of prescription stimulants was general deviance. Implications of these findings are discussed. (Source: International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology)
Source: International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology - December 24, 2015 Category: Criminology Authors: Maahs, J. R., Weidner, R. R., Smith, R. Tags: Articles Source Type: research

Capturing Crime: The Qualitative Analysis of Individual Cases for Advancing Criminological Knowledge
The qualitative analysis of individual cases has a prominent place in the development of criminological theory, yet progression in the scientific study of crime has largely been viewed as a distinctly quantitative endeavor. In the process, much of the theoretical depth and precision supplied by earlier methods of criminological knowledge production have been sacrificed. The current work argues for a return to our criminological roots by supplementing quantitative analyses with the qualitative inspection of individual cases. We provide a specific example of a literature (i.e., criminal specialization/versatility) that has b...
Source: International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology - December 24, 2015 Category: Criminology Authors: Wright, K. A., Bouffard, L. A. Tags: Articles Source Type: research

Evidence of a Gene x Environment Interaction Between Birth Weight and Genetic Risk in the Prediction of Criminogenic Outcomes Among Adolescent Males
A number of studies have revealed that low birth weight children have a heightened risk of various maladaptive outcomes, including academic challenges and delinquent involvement. However, very little research to date has examined whether the relationship between low birth weight, poor academic performance, and delinquent peer affiliation is moderated by genetic risk. Using data from the National Longitudinal study of Adolescent Health, the present study examines whether male adolescents born at very low birth weights are significantly predisposed to poor academic performance and delinquent peer affiliation. Moreover, we te...
Source: International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology - December 4, 2015 Category: Criminology Authors: Jackson, D. B., Beaver, K. M. Tags: Articles Source Type: research

Reducing Deviance Through Youths Mutual Aid Group Dynamics
The mutual aid group, as supported by the social worker, emerges to play a vital role in helping group members reduce their deviance or behavioral problem. However, how the collaboration of the group and social worker accomplishes the reduction has remained uncharted. Based on social capital theory, mutual aid and cohesion within the group and social workers’ specific aid for the group are likely responsible for the reduction. The test of such hypotheses relies on a two-wave panel survey of the members of 60 mutual aid groups who had deviant behavioral problems, located in Hong Kong, China. These groups had 241 youth...
Source: International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology - December 4, 2015 Category: Criminology Authors: Cheung, C.-k., Ngai, S. S.-y. Tags: Articles Source Type: research

Materialistic Desires or Childhood Adversities as Explanations for Girls Trading Sex for Benefits
This study investigates whether high school and younger South Korean girls trade sex with middle-aged men for benefits due to cultural emphasis on materialism/consumerism, childhood adversities, or both. This form of prostitution, referred to as "compensated dating," is common in economically developed East Asian Countries, where there is debate about its causes. Purposeful sampling was used to select a diverse group of 25 girls who described involvement in compensated dating, and a life calendar method was used to guide the interview. The rich data were subjected to thematic analysis to show the nature of prostitution inv...
Source: International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology - December 4, 2015 Category: Criminology Authors: Song, J., Morash, M. Tags: Articles Source Type: research

Maltreatment and Delinquency in China: Examining and Extending the Intervening Process of General Strain Theory
Using a sample of 1,163 adolescents from four middle schools in China, this study explores the intervening process of how adolescent maltreatment is related to delinquency within the framework of general strain theory (GST) by comparing two models. The first model is Agnew’s integrated model of GST, which examines the mediating effects of social control, delinquent peer affiliation, state anger, and depression on the relationship between maltreatment and delinquency. Based on this model, with the intent to further explore the mediating effects of state anger and depression and to investigate whether their effects on ...
Source: International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology - December 4, 2015 Category: Criminology Authors: Gao, Y., Wong, D. S. W., Yu, Y. Tags: Articles Source Type: research

Finding and Keeping a Job: The Value and Meaning of Employment for Parolees
This article examines processes that shape the abilities and motivations of parolees to secure gainful employment by examining interview data collected from parolees in Queensland, Australia (n = 50). We explore the role of social networks and commercial employment providers in helping parolees find work, the perceived value of institutional work and training, and the meanings, challenges, and impact of managing the disclosure of one’s criminal past to employers. Findings highlight that the role and influence of employment on a parolee’s reintegration is conditional on his or her supportive social networks, abi...
Source: International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology - December 4, 2015 Category: Criminology Authors: Cherney, A., Fitzgerald, R. Tags: Articles Source Type: research