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PubMed2004

Criminal history and assault of dating partners: the role of type of prior crime, age of onset, and gender.

Some studies of assaults on intimate partners have found that most of the perpetrators are not violent outside the family, which suggests a specialized type of crime. However, other studies found domestic violence offenders tend to have extensive criminal histories. To further investigate the extent to which partner assaults are part of a more general pattern of criminal behavior or a specialized type of crime, we studied the dating relationships of 653 university students. Thirty-one percent reported assaulting a partner in the previous 12 months. The rate of assault on partners by females did not differ significantly for males (29%) and females (32%). We also found high rates of other self-reported crime, and much higher rates by males. For example, over one half of the male students and almost one third of the female students reported having stolen money. The male students reported an average of 3.4 crimes committed, and the female students an average of 1.4 crimes. These high crime rates and gender differences are consistent with many previous studies. Logistic regression analysis revealed that a history of prior criminal acts is associated with an increased probability of assaulting a partner. The relationship was greater when there was prior violent crime compared to property crime, when there was early onset of criminal behavior, and when the offender was female. The implications of the findings for understanding partner assaults, criminal careers, and gender differences in the etiology of violence against intimate partners are discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

An investigation of the validity and reliability of the Criminal Sentiments Scale in a sample of treated sex offenders.

The Criminal Sentiments Scale (CSS) purports to measure attitudes and values pertaining to and in support of criminal conduct (Andrews & Bonta, 2003). A sample of 72 sex offenders treated in a high intensity sex offender program completed the CSS pre- and post-treatment and was followed up for approximately 3 years. The CSS demonstrated high internal consistency. Correlational and ROC analyses indicated that the CSS is a robust predictor of non-sexual violent and non-violent recidivism. The CSS also correlated significantly with the General Statistical Information on Recidivism Scale which assesses non-sexual recidivism risk. Similar analyses showed that the CSS did not predict sexual recidivism nor did it correlate with a tool that assesses sexual recidivism risk-the Static 99. The CSS scores changed significantly in the predicted direction following treatment. The present results suggest that the CSS is an internally consistent tool for the assessment of criminal sentiments among sex offenders and that it predicts non-sexual but not sexual recidivism.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

[Psychodynamic aspects of criminal behavior].

The study deals with the investigation results of psychodynamic factors relevant to the explanation of criminal behaviour. The research has been carried out on a sample of ten subjects sent to forensic psychiatric examination through court order, in order to evaluate their accountability and to suggest possible treatment. The sample included the diagnostic category of personality disorders only. Persons with psychotic disturbances, alcohol and drug addicts, mentally retarded and delinquents with organic-cerebral damage were not taken into consideration. The method of studying individual cases by means of psychodynamically oriented analysis of the subjects' development and other available data have been applied. The obtained results suggest that socialization defects, located in pregenital development phase are basis for criminal behaviour. The defects are due to badly disturbed object relations mainly in the oral and anal phase of development. In the subjects, narcissistic personality disorders can be diagnosed, while neurotic symptoms are present in a smaller degree. Criminal behaviour of these people can best be understood in the context of the theoretical concept of early narcissistic configurations actualization: grandiose self and idealized image of parental figures. In such cases the release of aggressiveness has been provoked, as a rule, by immediate endangerment of the self and by uncertain sexual identity. Unconscious feeling of guilt and need for selfpunishment appears often as criminal action driving forces. In all the subjects, structural disturbances in ego and superego formation were diagnosed. Greater integration of psychoanalytic knowledge into the theory and praxis of forensic psychiatry imposes itself as an indispensable basis for the reforms which are already under way and which are excepted in the future development of forensic psychiatry.

Criminal Psychology↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Accidental death of disoriented persons in long term care facilities].

Five cases of accidental death occurring in connection with physical restraints in long-term care facilities are reported. The position in which the deceased were found, autopsy findings, police investigations as well as the evaluation of each case under criminal law are described. The investigations by the prosecution as well as the attention of the public media have meanwhile contributed to an improvement of the technical standards and a reduction of the risk in applying such restraints under the Law on Medical Devices.

Accidents↗
PubMed2004

[Do clinical guidelines and economic restrictions on health care affect the criminal liability of health care professionals?].

Criminal liability in connection with clinical guidelines relates to several different aspects: (1) It refers to the guideline authors' liability under criminal law in the case of faulty guidelines. (2) Guidelines do not constitute legally binding rules. They can only contribute to determining the standard for medical specialists. (3) There can and must not be any reversal in the burden of proof with criminal proceedings. (4) In case of a deviation from guidelines and a related breach of duty, the subjective aspect of negligence (i.e. the recognizability of danger) can often be inferred from the knowledge of the respective guideline that we can reasonably expect of the physician. (5) No physician who has adhered to the guidelines can regularly be accused of (subjective) negligence. (6) Problems may be encountered in cases where the topic in question has not been covered, but only peripherally touched upon by guidelines. For the sake of uniformity in our legal system, the individual physician must not be held criminally responsible for the lack of economic means. Possible solutions include: (1) relating the standard to the practically instead of the theoretically feasible, (2) investigating to what extent criminal liability may be limited by acceptability and possibility. The complete refusal to provide medical care under inadequate conditions may increase the endangerment of legally protected rights and therefore be unacceptable. Attempts to improve structures towards the standard may be regarded as meeting the requirements under criminal law.

Costs and Cost Analysis↗
PubMed2005

DNA extraction from human saliva deposited on skin and its use in forensic identification procedures.

Saliva is usually deposited in bite marks found in many homicides, assault and other criminal cases. In the present study, saliva obtained from volunteers was deposited on skin and recovered for DNA extraction and typing in order to evaluate its usefulness for practical case investigation and discuss the contribution of forensic dentistry to saliva DNA typing. Twenty saliva samples were collected from different donors and used as suspects' samples. Five of these samples were randomly selected and deposited (250 microl) on arm skin. Saliva was collected from skin using the double swab technique. DNA from saliva and skin-deposited saliva samples was extracted by the phenol-chloroform method. DNA samples were amplified by PCR for DNA typing using a set of 15 STRs. The recovery of DNA from saliva deposited in the skin was 14 to 10 times lower than DNA quantity from saliva samples. DNA typing was demonstrated in 4 of 5 deposited saliva samples, the likelihood ratios estimated for these samples based on data of the Brazilian population were 1:11, 1:500, 1:159.140 and 1:153.700.123. Our results indicate that standardized procedures used for DNA collection and extraction from skin-deposited saliva can be used as a method to recover salivary DNA in criminal cases. However, it is important to observe that DNA recovery in forensic samples can be difficult. This study suggests that the analysis of saliva deposited on skin be incorporated into a criminal investigation since it may have great discriminatory power.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Understanding the role of neighborhood context in the long-term criminal consequences of child maltreatment.

This study investigated how neighborhood conditions influence the relationship between early child maltreatment and criminal behavior, using official data from a sample of maltreated children (N = 908) and matched controls (N = 667), as well as census data about respondents' neighborhoods. Using multilevel data that incorporated information about individuals, families, and neighborhoods, 2 hypotheses (direct influence and interaction effect) were examined using hierarchical generalized linear modeling (HGLM). The results indicated that neighborhood disadvantage and stability moderated the relationship between early child maltreatment and offending. Specifically, the effect of early child maltreatment on later juvenile and adult criminal behavior was strongest for those individuals from the most disadvantaged and most stable neighborhoods. These results suggest that studying the interaction between family functioning and neighborhood conditions provides a more comprehensive understanding of offending than does studying each factor separately.

Case-Control Studies↗
PubMed1986

Unnatural death investigation in India. A plea for the introduction of a medical examiner system of inquest.

The inquest upon a dead body is the basis of the scientific crime investigation and administration of criminal justice. The pivotal issue in any inquest is the initial visualization of the body and its surroundings at the scene of incident by a team of investigators and experts. This must be carried out meticulously, since the subsequent course of the case, and its success or failure in the court of justice, essentially depends upon its proper execution. Unfortunately, such an important step as the inquest is generally the most neglected part of any crime investigation process as it exists in India today. It is quite often left entirely to the inspired guesswork and seasoned experience of the lowest ranking police officers and more often than not to a Head Constable of a police station or substation. Nevertheless, while the coroner's system has proved to be utterly unsuitable for Indian conditions, we have failed to find an alternative solution to the growing challenge of scientific crime investigation in India, by involving the forensic pathologist in inquests held upon dead bodies, by including him in the first crime investigation. A strong case is made for adoption of the medical examiner's system of inquest, wherein the forensic pathologist plays the pivotal role and leads the "unnatural death investigation team."

Coroners and Medical Examiners↗
PubMed1988

A psychometric study of stereotypes: assessment of malingering in a criminal forensic group.

This research investigates the validity of the stereotype of insanity defendants as malingerers by analyzing the proportions of insanity defendants who exaggerate psychopathology at the pre- and postacquittal stages of the legal process and by assessing the severity of psychopathology among preacquittal defendants. We administered the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) to 49 insanity defendants evaluated for fitness to stand trial and/or sanity at the time of the alleged crime and to 52 subjects previously found not guilty by reason of insanity. Results indicated: (a) Contrary to the stereotype, a minority (14% to 41%) of insanity defendants clearly malingered, whereas 22% to 39% showed evidence of minimizing psychopathology. (b) Eighty-one percent of these subjects had MMPI profiles suggestive of psychosis, but relatively few showed evidence of primarily antisocial behavior. Thus, the malingering stereotype may be application to only a minority of insanity defendants and is specifically inapplicable to a substantial proportion who minimized psychopathology or showed evidence of psychosis consistent with the claim of insanity.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Handedness, criminality, and sexual offending.

A very large database was used to investigate whether men with a history of criminality and/or sexual offending have a higher incidence of nonright-handedness (NRH) relative to a control sample of nonoffender men. The sample (N>8000) comprised interviews by investigators at the Kinsey Institute for Sex and Reproduction in Indiana. The general offender group and a subsample of sex offenders (e.g. pedophiles) had a significantly higher rate of NRH relative to the control (nonoffender) men. In addition, evidence was found that the general criminality/NRH relationship might result from increased educational difficulties that some nonright-handers experience. In contrast, education was unrelated to the handedness/pedophilia relationship, suggesting that there may be a different mechanism underlying the handedness/pedophile relationship than the handedness/(general) criminality relationship. Finally, as a cautionary note, it is stressed that the effects are small and that NRH should not be used as a marker of criminality.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

The forensic and investigative significance of reverse paternity testing with absent maternal sample.

The authors are involved in the extraction of DNA material from calcified tissues, oftentimes teeth, and analysis of such material to assist the investigative process, frequently by confirming the identity of the victim. Biologic or molecular techniques for the purposes of human identification have evolved to allow increasingly discriminating tests for use in criminal and noncriminal death investigations, as well as paternity disputes. The goal of such tests is to either include 2 samples (ie, they are from the same person, or in the case of paternity, they are from related individuals) or exclude 2 samples (ie, they are from different people or from unrelated individuals). Regardless of the system used and when data error has been eliminated, an exclusionary conclusion is irrefutable. The probability of excluding the falsely accused has steadily increased over the years as new methods are developed. Conventional ABO blood typing, for example, has a probability of exclusion (PE) of only 17%. This value increases to 53% with the inclusion of the Rh and MN systems. Additional serological markers can provide a probability of exclusion of greater than 99%. Today, the current method of choice for human identification is the polymerase chain reaction for the amplification of short tandem repeat (STR) multiplexes. This paper discusses the implications of nonpaternity in reverse paternity testing when only paternal DNA is available.

ABO Blood-Group System↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Counter-attack on cocaine trafficking: the strategy of drug law enforcement.

In the past cocaine was abused by the affluent and the famous members of society while at present it is widely abused by people in all social strata. Both abuse and availability of cocaine are increasing in the United States of America. Cocaine traffickers possess enormous assets, financial resources and means of transport that enable them to remain in operation. The incidence of violent activities, including homicides, is higher among cocaine traffickers than among traffickers in other drugs. Certain cocaine-related criminal groups are routinely engaged in wanton violence. Cocaine trafficking is closely connected with various sorts of crime, corruption and subversive activities. Suppression of cocaine traffic is among the most important priorities of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Coca plant eradication is regarded as the most effective weapon against cocaine trafficking. DEA special agents, in co-operation with their counterparts from concerned countries, are conducting intelligence exchange, international cocaine investigations and training programmes in cocaine source areas. The United States Government has focused on coordination of efforts of various concerned agencies at the federal, state and local levels to combat drug abuse and trafficking. The Department of Justice has mandated the establishment of law enforcement coordinating councils throughout the United States to ensure appropriate utilization of prosecution resources and to co-ordinate criminal investigative efforts. Task forces against organized crime are established in 12 key areas of the country. Control of precursors and essential chemicals that are used clandestine drug manufacturing is one among other measures currently being undertaken by the Government to suppress trafficking in cocaine and other drugs.

Cocaine↗
PubMed2001

The relationship between socio-economic inequality and criminal victimisation: a prospective study.

BACKGROUND: This study investigates the relationship of socio-economic inequality (SEI) with criminal victimisation. It is hypothesised that disadvantage in terms of SEI is associated with increased risk of being victimised and with increased distress following victimisation. Two concepts of SEI are applied: social class (measured in terms of relation to work) and SES (measured in terms of education). METHOD: A representative sample of the Dutch population, comprising 3446 individuals, was followed up and incident crime victims were identified (n=179). A matched comparison group was recruited from the same sample (n=266). SEI and potential vulnerability measures were taken at baseline. Distress was measured 1 week following victimisation and at 1-month intervals for the following consecutive 3 months. RESULTS: The probability of becoming victimised was significantly higher among the unemployed and (unexpectedly) among persons with higher education. The unemployed also showed an increased vulnerability for distress following victimisation compared to all other class categories. This increased vulnerability could not be explained by differences in style of information processing, locus of control, hardiness, need for affiliation, or social support. CONCLUSION: The limitations of the study are discussed and recommendations with respect to the special attention required for unemployed persons are offered.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

Nondrug criminal behavior and heroin use.

This research was carried out to assess various aspects of nondrug criminal behavior and heroin use. The investigation involved three areas: (1) the temporal sequence of criminal involvement, (2) crimes associated with heroin use, and (3) the impact of treatment upon reducing nondrug criminality among heroin users. These three areas were examined by computer analysis of previously collected data. These data were provided by the Drug Abuse Epidemiology Data Center, Institute of Behavioral Research, Texas Christian University. The findings of this analysis suggested several conclusions. The first was that nondrug criminality predates heroin use since there was little association between the age at which heroin use starts and the ages when various nondrug crimes were first committed. Second, heroin users commit crimes which generate income regardless of whether or not they are violent. Finally, the success of treatment in reducing nondrug criminality is related to the amount of prior criminality.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1980

REM sleep and EEG abnormalities in criminal psychopaths.

Hare's (1970) REM deficit theory in psychopathy was investigated. The repeated finding of EEG slowing in waking psychopaths has been interpreted as reflecting cortical immaturity, cortical underarousal, and an intense need for sensory stimulation of psychopaths. REM sleep has been implicated in cortical maturation during development and in daily cortical maintenance. Hare postulated a possible REM deficit in psychopaths to account for their apparent cortical abnormalities. Three groups of incarcerated criminals were investigated: psychopaths with normal waking EEGs (n = 8), psychopaths with abnormal EEGs (n = 9), and nonpsychopaths with normal EEGs (n = 6). The sleep stages of each inmate were recorded for one baseline and two experimental nights. No significant differences were found in the sleep patterns of these groups using stepwise, multiple discriminant analysis. The psychopaths with abnormal EEGs tended to have the highest REM time and REM% of the inmates, contrary to Hare's theory.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

High delinquency, disability and mortality--a register study of former adolescent psychiatric in-patients.

A Norwegian population of 1276 former adolescent psychiatric in-patients was followed up 15 to 33 years after hospitalization by record linkage to the national registers of criminality, disability benefits and causes of death. In total 1095 patients (53.7% males), representing 85.8% of the original sample, could be traced. On the basis of the hospital records all patients were rediagnosed according to DSM-IV. At follow-up, 52.0% of those investigated had engaged in criminal activity, 38.5% had received disability benefits, and 13.6% had died. The delinquency, disability and mortality rates were significantly increased compared to those for the general population. In total, 22.9% of the population were not found in any of the above registers and were considered to have a good outcome.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Two methods of authenticating past criminal conduct by psychiatric inpatients: a comparison of clinical chart reports and criminal records.

Clinical chart reports on criminal activity based primarily on the patients' own reports were compared with official criminal records of their convictions in a large group of male inpatients suffering from schizophrenia, affective disorder and alcoholism. In 69% of the cases studied there was uniformity between both methods of ascertaining criminal activity. A considerable proportion (26%) of schizophrenic patients' clinical charts indicated criminal behaviour which was not officially registered in criminal records, whereas a substantial proportion (24%) of alcoholics did not report their criminal activities in their clinical records in spite of these being recorded in their criminal records. The conclusion is that official criminal records provide an incomplete account of infractions of the law by psychiatric, especially schizophrenic patients. The information recorded in official records seems to be less accurate than that in clinical charts in the case of schizophrenics, but more veracious in the case of alcoholics. When investigating the frequency of criminal behaviour by psychiatric patients these findings will therefore have to be taken into consideration.

Adult↗