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Abstract: Cyber child pornography is an increasingly visible problem in society today. With the growth in home Personal Computer (PC) usage and more readily available access to the World Wide Web over the past decade, child pornographers have found a convenient venue for sharing horrific pictures of children being sexually abused. Also, police and lawyers around the globe have found that detecting and prosecuting cyber child pornographers have become onerous chores, often with a high failure rate of placing perpetrators behind bars. The methods currently employed by law enforcement officers to combat cyber child pornography may be considered to be primitive and inefficient. In this paper, we review the major social, legal, and technological issues facing citizens, lawmakers, and the police regarding cyber child pornography. We also propose a new technological approach for combating online child pornography. In particular, we propose a source address reputation system based on Bloom filters and a novel classification system utilizing a stochastic weak estimator, coupled with a linear classifier. We believe that our proposed method for identifying offensive online material would be attractive to law enforcement globally, because it can be implemented with acceptable overheads. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Our paper reports on a systematic review of crime concentration studies over the last 35 years. We identify 47 papers that report on crime concentrations at a micro geographic unit of analysis. These papers produced 49 estimates of general crime concentration for crime incidents at streets segments for a specific cumulative proportion of crime. The median concentration for these estimates is 50 % of crime found at 4.5 % of streets, and 25 % of crime at 1.25 % of streets. The bandwidth for 50 % crime concentration is 9.3 % (1.7–11.0 %), and for 25 % crime concentration 3.0 % (0.4–3.4 %). Using the interquartile range to exclude outliers, we found a bandwidth of 2.5 % (3.2–5.7 %) for 50 % of crime, and 1.4 % (0.8–2.2 %) for 25 % of crime. Crime concentration was generally stronger for specific types of crime, and bandwidths of concentration were generally smaller. Using alternative measures of crime and different micro geographies produces similar conclusions regarding strong crime concentration at place with narrow bandwidths. Our review shows that a general framework of a law of crime concentration applies across a large number of cities across many regions around the world. • This paper conducted a systematic search for studies that examined crime concentrations at the micro-geographic level. • Crime in cities is extremely concentrated at a micro-geographic level with a narrow bandwidth concentration levels. • These narrow bandwidth are robust when examining different metrics and different methodological approaches. • These findings reinforce policy approaches that focus on hot spots of crime. • Future research should use representative samples of cities, collecting data to understand the levels of crime concentration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Place-based policing is effective, but the police do not have all the tools needed to solve complex crime problems and certain policing strategies may increase the risk of disparate impacts to members of marginalized communities. However, local governments—acting in their role as a "super-controller," can incentivize and support the natural crime-control system of place managers, handlers, and guardians to act to prevent crime at hot spots, whether or not the police are involved. This paper examines a body of evidence from 44 studies on the effectiveness of local government-led and initiated non-police interventions at crime hot spots, finding that local governments can successfully capitalize on the concentration of crime at hot spots and direct its myriad non-police resources to help prevent crime from occurring at these places. The paper concludes with three themes that have both practical and research implications for local governments as super-controllers at crime hot spots: 1) support systematic hot spot problem-solving, 2) examine the threshold of effective deterrence, and 3) ensure rigorous evaluation. • Place-based policing is effective, but there are limits to the police's ability to solve complex problems. • Local governments can prevent crime by acting as a 'super-controller', supporting the natural system of controllers. • We found place-based strategies initiated by local governments are effective across multiple domains of crime prevention. • Programs should support systematic problem-solving, consider the threshold of deterrence, and ensure rigorous evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Experiencing online sexual harassment (OSH) poses significant threats to individuals' well-being, necessitating effective intervention. Addressing OSH requires collaboration across policy, education, and technology, where technology can play a role in supporting victims. This paper conducted a scoping review to identify technological tools for supporting OSH victims, uncovering five tools documented in scientific literature. These tools were designed to help OSH victims get support, collect evidence, raise awareness, or develop coping skills. Components of these tools include emotional support, multimedia content, informational support, labelling, reporting, victim stories, and evidence collection. Four tools went through process evaluation using qualitative or mixed-method approaches. Results collectively showed that users appreciate emotional support, informational support, multimedia content, and labelling components, but are dissatisfied with the evidence collection component. One study assessed tool effects using a quasi-experimental with a two-group design, showing significant effects on changing users' knowledge, attitude, and coping behaviors. These findings inform user preferences, a crucial factor for supportive effects. However, four of the five studies lack effects evaluation. Future research should prioritize evaluating the effects of technological tools supporting victims of OSH. This is essential because implementing an ineffective tool can incur considerable costs and pose challenges in removal or modification. • This paper conducted a scoping review to identify technological tools for supporting OSH victims. • These tools were designed to help victims get support, collect evidence, raise awareness, or develop coping skills. • Users like components such as emotional and informational support, multimedia content, and labelling but dislike evidence collection component. • These findings inform user preferences, a crucial factor for supportive effects. • Future research should prioritize evaluating the effects of technological tools supporting victims of OSH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Institutional child abuse has several negative impacts, including effects on mental health, well-being and interpersonal relationships. There is a need to understand this complex form of abuse occurring in an out-of-home setting. The current review aims to understand the literature base regarding the impact of institutional child abuse and to identify areas where further research is needed. Consequently, a systematic review was conducted, which captured quantitative and qualitative methods. This resulted in 58 papers being included. The papers captured the impacts of institutional abuse, covering physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse and neglect (i.e., a failure to be adequately cared for). These were then analysed using a qualitative methodology, specifically Reflexive Thematic Analysis. Several factors, such as prior abuse, were reported to exacerbate the impact of institutional abuse, whereas secure attachment was noted as a protective feature. Responses to disclosure appear to have an important role in recovery. Areas important for further research included understanding the role of protective factors and how they impact future outcomes, but to do so alongside an acknowledgement and greater exploration of negative impacts. • Diversity in impact is clearly evidenced, alongside complexity in presentation. • Pre-existing factors, including availability of protective factors, appear as important correlates with later mental health challenges. • A role for disclosure as a unique feature is indicated. • An absence of longitudinal research into impacts is evidenced. • The research field uses considerable diversity in method, with resulting varied quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cyber child pornography is an increasingly visible problem in society today. With the growth in home Personal Computer (PC) usage and more readily available access to the World Wide Web over the past decade, child pornographers have found a convenient venue for sharing horrific pictures of children being sexually abused. Also, police and lawyers around the globe have found that detecting and prosecuting cyber child pornographers have become onerous chores, often with a high failure rate of placing perpetrators behind bars. The methods currently employed by law enforcement officers to combat cyber child pornography may be considered to be primitive and inefficient. In this paper, we review the major social, legal, and technological issues facing citizens, lawmakers, and the police regarding cyber child pornography. We also propose a new technological approach for combating online child pornography. In particular, we propose a source address reputation system based on Bloom filters and a novel classification system utilizing a stochastic weak estimator, coupled with a linear classifier. We believe that our proposed method for identifying offensive online material would be attractive to law enforcement globally, because it can be implemented with acceptable overheads. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After decades of advocacy, prosecution of elder abuse has increased, a trend that is likely to continue. However, the increased scrutiny of elder abuse has raised questions about the consequences of prosecution on victims, perpetrators, and society, calling for a careful analysis of when and how the criminal justice system intervenes in these cases. To understand the nature and characteristics of elder abuse perpetrators, the article briefly reviews three sources of administrative data on perpetrators, followed by a concise review of the perpetrator research, most of which does not draw from criminal justice samples. To explain how the criminal justice system responds to elder abuse perpetrators, the article describes the criminal justice system's philosophy, the careful balancing of multiple factors when exercising prosecutorial discretion and provides a compilation of criminal justice responses that may be available to prosecutors in elder abuse cases. Recommendations for improvements in administrative data and increases in the quantity and quality of perpetrator research are presented. Where prosecution may be warranted, this paper argues that prosecutors would benefit from having a range of pre- and post-charging perpetrator interventions available. Filling research gaps identified in this paper could form the foundation for developing targeted criminal justice responses that both address the underlying causes of perpetrator criminal behavior and consider victim's wishes and may ultimately increase the safety and well-being of older adults and the communities in which they live. • Concise review of elder abuse perpetrator research. • Analysis of criminal justice philosophy and prosecutorial discretion within this context. • Research agenda for elder abuse perpetrator criminal justice interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Violent crime may impact the perpetrator in many ways, such as experiencing the negative emotions of shame and/or guilt. These emotions may subsequently play a role in adjusting to life after the crime has taken place, which is an area that has been relatively under-researched. The review aimed to identify and synthesise all available literature on the experience of offence-related shame and/or guilt in violent offenders, and to describe and characterise the methodological standard of research evidence whilst suggesting areas for further research. A systematic review of relevant databases was conducted using predefined search terms related to 'shame' and/or 'guilt' and 'violent offenders'. A mixed methods systematic review of sample characteristics, methodologies and measures was conducted to describe and compare findings across quantitative and qualitative studies. The review yielded nine papers. Offence-related shame and/or guilt was prevalent among violent populations. Results highlight the complexity and importance of the two emotions for offender rehabilitation. The findings support the need for further investigation to improve the methodological rigor within this area, such as the use of, and development of validated measures of offence-related shame and/or guilt to encourage a more reformed understanding of offence-related shame and/or guilt, for violent offenders. The review considers several implications for research and practice. • Shame and/or guilt are complex emotions and hold important insights into offender rehabilitation. • Approaches should focus on enhancing adaptive guilt, whilst reducing maladaptive shame. • Future research should aim to improve the methodological rigor when exploring shame and/or guilt as offence-related emotions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This systematic review summarises and assesses the evidence for educational interventions that increase the knowledge and recognition of elder abuse. Frontline health workers lack sufficient protocols or experience to identify, handle, and report elder abuse. Developing new curricula guided by the literature continues to be a challenge. Interpretation of the educational programmes described in randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of elder abuse interventions can provide guidance when planning new programmes to increase knowledge and improve case-finding and cooperation. A detailed literature search was performed using five electronic databases related to healthcare: PubMed, PsycInfo, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and MEDLINE. Only RCTs examining the effectiveness of educational interventions in preventing or reducing elder abuse were included. Framework analysis was used to integrate data from the retrieved documents. Forty-seven papers were read in full, and five were included in the review. Synthesis of the results from these studies resulted in five main themes: 1) Knowledge improvement; 2) Ability to identify; 3) Meta-analysis of recognition; 4) Characteristics of programmes; and 5) Outcome measurement. Increases in the immediate and longer-term outcomes of all interventions in the included studies were also determined. This review provides healthcare practitioners and older adult service providers with insights into educational intervention programmes that can be used for the development of elder abuse training modules. • Interventions produced improvements in the knowledge and detection of elder abuse. • A meta-analysis showed that recognition of elder abuse was significantly higher in the intervention than the control groups. • Programme characteristics and outcome measurements differed between studies. • Interventions used diverse follow-up periods and lacked longitudinal data. • Online digital intervention appears to be just as effective as face-to-face training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This systematic literature review sought to identify social norms influencing the perpetration of, and response to, sexual violence and physical intimate partner violence in Somalia. A systematic search of four online databases (Embase, Cinahl Plus, Scopus, and PsychINFO) was undertaken to identify peer-reviewed articles relevant to this study. The search was then expanded to identify other relevant documents published out with academic journals, such as technical or government reports. A total of 19 peer-reviewed journal articles, books, or book chapters were identified, in addition to other relevant papers and reports. A variety of norms were identified, which could be categorized as norms contributing to violence, norms limiting prevention or support, and norms preventing violence or diminishing its consequences. The literature review underlined the importance of considering the intersectionality of social norms and individual, institutional, material, and other social influences on behaviour when seeking to design interventions to address sexual violence and physical intimate partner violence in Somalia. • There is a lack of literature at the interface of social norms and violence against women and girls research in Somalia. • Social norms can either sustain perpetration or confer protection from violence in Somalia. • Social norms in Somalia may be cross-cutting, effecting multiple subtypes of violence against women and girls. • Social norms in Somalia may vary in strength and intersect with other influences on behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current systematic review aimed to critically examine the growing body of literature proposing that there is an 'intergenerational cycle' of violence, whereby victims of abuse during childhood are posited to have a higher propensity of becoming perpetrators during adulthood. Specifically, this review examined whether there is quality evidence supporting the relationship between childhood sexual abuse victimisation and interpersonal violence perpetration (sexual/physical) in adult men. 20 studies published between 1992 and 2022 were included in this review. The quality of studies was systematically assessed to provide a weighted conclusion to the primary research question. Overall, there was limited evidence to confidently support or reject the link between childhood sexual abuse and physical and/or sexual violence in adulthood for men. The current review found that whilst there were studies that found associations on a univariate and multivariate level between childhood sexual abuse and interpersonal violence in adult men, only 25 % of the papers included in this review were deemed high-quality and significant methodological issues limit the validity of conclusions made. Additionally, a sizeable proportion of high-quality studies at both univariate and multivariate levels of analysis suggest mixed results or did not find a significant relationship. Implications for future research studies in this area in terms of the encouragement of a more critical stance towards the assumption of 'intergenerational cycles' of violence as well as recommendations for methodological improvements of studies were discussed. • Evidence on the impact of CSA on violence perpetration in men is mixed. • Majority of included studies utilised retrospective and cross-sectional designs. • Heterogeneous operationalisation of CSA limits synthesis of findings. • Future studies should use validated measures of CSA and interpersonal violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Violence and aggression represent a serious problem, with significant cost and impact at individual and societal level. There has been increasing interest in the potential of mindfulness interventions to decrease levels of violence and aggression. This paper systematically reviews the evidence to assess the effectiveness of mindfulness interventions for the reduction of violence and aggression levels. Five electronic databases were searched, and methods followed published guidance for systematic reviews. Studies that used a mindfulness intervention and measured outcomes of aggression and violence in adult populations were included. The Quality Assessment Tool for Quantitative Studies was utilised to evaluate the quality of included studies. Twenty-two studies met the eligibility criteria, including fourteen randomised studies, three non-randomised studies and five cohort studies. The interventions investigated included mindfulness, acceptance and commitment therapy, dialectical behaviour therapy and yoga with meditation. Overall, the results suggest that mindfulness-based interventions, with the possible exception of DBT, may be effective in reducing aggression and violence. They also suggest that mindfulness may relate to the processes of aggression through emotion regulation. However, papers were of variable quality, with weaknesses in both methodology and the reporting of data. Further good quality controlled studies with full and transparent reporting are needed to confirm these results, and to explore the elements of mindfulness which interact with mechanisms of aggression. • This review compiles all current evidence on the effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions to decrease aggression and violence in adults • A detailed critique of the included studies is presented with the results categorised by type of mindfulness-based intervention • We observed heterogeneity in population, study design, intervention, methods and outcome measures used in the included studies • The results in 16 of the 22 studies suggest that mindfulness had an impact on violence and aggression, with effect sizes ranging from 0.21 to 0.87 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper articulates a case for prioritizing prevention of violence against children (VAC) at schools in resource poor environments of developing countries. The first section makes a broad case for why it is important to focus on schools as an entry point for preventing VAC. The second section discusses how the whole school approaches prevalent in developed nations such as Positive Behavioral Intervention Support (PBIS) can be adapted and contextualized for resource poor environments. The paper delineates between school climate and the operational culture of a school and discusses why practical approaches tend to address the latter. The final section of the paper discusses an evidence-based example of such an approach; the Good School Toolkit for preventing VAC at schools in resource poor environments. The paper concludes by articulating strategic considerations to bear in mind when designing such interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a well-established link between experiencing traumatic events in childhood such as witnessing violence and later perpetration of domestic violence. Within the United States, literature in the area of domestic violence has largely neglected the link between the neuroscience of trauma exposure in childhood and later instances of perpetration. Few research studies have explored the neurological impact of adverse childhood experiences on adult offending behavior. Additionally, the most common treatment models for these offenders do not focus on addressing prior trauma that may be related to offending behavior. Through the development of two theoretical models, this paper explores the relationship between childhood trauma and later perpetration of domestic violence. This paper argues that ACTV (Achieving Change Through Values-Based Behavior), a relatively new treatment model that incorporates elements of mindfulness, interoception, and experiential avoidance may be an effective treatment intervention for domestic violence offenders with a history of trauma. • Offender treatment programs have largely neglected the relationship between trauma exposure in childhood and violence in adulthood. • Prior evaluations have found treatment models that view violence as a result of power-control dynamics only marginally reduce reoffending. • Preliminary assessments of the ACTV treatment model have demonstrated significant reductions in continued violence. • Mind-body offender treatment programs may be well suited to address the neurobiophysiological effects of trauma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reviews and discusses the intersection of three brain networks, violence, and mindfulness practices. Research findings suggest that violence and predictors of violence are linked to neurological abnormalities in three interconnected brain networks including the salience network, the executive control network, and the default mode network. This paper also reviews findings which demonstrate that mindfulness practices and a related trait, self-compassion, lead to positive changes in the same brain systems and research results that discuss the use of mindfulness practices and self-compassion as interventions to violence. Future research directions and implications of mindfulness practices, brain networks, and violence are discussed. • Violence and predictors of violence are associated with the SN, DMN, and ECN. • Mindfulness and self-compassion are related to changes in the SN, DMN, and ECN. • Mindfulness-based interventions have been shown to reduce violence. • Self-compassion is linked to less violence. • Implications and future directions of this manuscript are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Recent years have witnessed a plethora of research on cyberbullying. However, many of the published studies have yielded mixed findings related to cyberbullying and its relation to demographic variables such as age, sex, and race/ethnicity. Review papers have been published on some of these topics, but comprehensive reviews of the relation between age and cyberbullying victimization and perpetration are lacking, particularly with regard to protective factors. Thus, the current paper takes a developmental approach to examine age and cyberbullying. The review focuses specifically on age variations in technology use, prevalence of cyberbullying involvement, risk and protective factors, and outcomes. Directions for future research, including implications for prevention and intervention, are discussed. Highlights • A developmental approach to ICT use and cyberbullying is discussed. • Cyberbullying risk and protective factors across ages are examined. • Notable gaps in the literature are highlighted, specifically among elementary school age youth and adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The explanation of offending and reoffending currently relies upon the Risk-Need-Responsivity model's concept of "criminogenic need" (Andrews & Bonta, 2010; Bonta & Andrews, 2017) or dynamic risk factors (DRF). This is problematic because the DRF construct is predictive rather than explanatory, and suffers from a number of conceptual problems. Relatedly, the identification and management of DRF in individuals who have committed crimes is an overriding concern for the criminal justice system. It drives the formation of correctional policy and the funding of treatment programs in prisons, forensic hospitals, and probation services. Significant theoretical work is required in order to transform DRF into explanatory tools which are useful for research and practice. In this paper we outline problems with DRF which obstruct this process and then sketch out a possible way forward; the Risk-Causality Method, with its three phases of deconstruction, analysis, and reintegration. Highlights • In this paper we outline a novel method for researchers to utilize dynamic risk factors in the explanation of offending. • Our method integrates suggestions from recent literature throughout its phases: deconstruction, analysis, and reintegration. • The analysis phase includes the psychological mechanisms underpinning factors as well as the contexts in which they manifest. • This has the potential to encourage and guide research, and eventually influence the way practitioners formulate cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This paper provides an interdisciplinary perspective on the role of existential crises in crime causation. The theory presented in this paper is that a crisis of meaning is interrelated with other criminogenic factors, and that these factors together lead to frustration, which in turn may lead to aggression in some cases. Specifically, factors of anomie, boredom, mass entertainment, subculture, and gender are explored. This framework traces the influence of both social structure and culture on the individual level of motivation. This paper follows in the theoretical tradition advanced by Dollard et al., linking frustration to aggression and positing "there is a strong tendency for inhibited direct aggression to be displaced, i.e., not to disappear but to be expressed in altered form or to be directed toward individuals who were not the source of the frustration." (Dollard, 1967). The paper develops a Weberian ideal type of the anomic individual within the criminal subculture. For an additional layer of social psychological perspective, the analysis continually engages with Merton's theory of anomie. Overall, this framework invites the reader to explore the interaction of psychological, sociological, and cultural variables. By appreciating the relationship between these variables, we might recognize the motivational power of the subjective experience of acute frustration present during existential crises. The results of this analysis are directly applicable to the perennial social issue of aggression. Scholarly elucidation of the criminogenic existential crisis can provide vivid guidance to teachers, parole officers, social work professionals, and therapists from a variety of traditions. The existential perspective provides an important reason to remain attuned to the psychological vulnerability of young people. Primarily, the need for meaning-oriented leadership should be seriously considered. Another basic precept of prevention should be to provide young people with a third way between models of ostentatious affluence and nihilistic ego gratification. Additionally, boredom should be recognized as a criminogenic state of being. Importantly, the pervasiveness of criminal subcultures must be reckoned with. Rather than denying the pervasiveness of such subcultures, preventive policy should incorporate destructive or unflattering norms and behavior into a positive framework of counseling or therapy. Finally, supervision during the period of inner crisis is absolutely vital. Constructive supervision would consist of ensuring that external control is concurrent with purposeful activity and outlets for inevitable frustrations. This framework has implications for criminal justice. By focusing closely -as this paper does- on psychological drives, we begin to perceive limitations to punitive policy. As this paper suggests, external controls may merely redirect inner drives, which will tend to discover or create outlets once the external control is removed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract In this paper, we provide a comprehensive review of the empirical evidence related to the effectiveness of residence restrictions imposed on sex offenders for preventing sex crimes against children. This topic is important because such laws currently exist in many states and there is ongoing debate about changes in law in some jurisdictions. We build on previous reviews by narrowing our scope and applying a greater focus on important methodological features of the studies. In the absence of a body of direct tests, we examine a triangulation of empirical tests related to assumptions of residence restriction laws. The analysis suggests that residence restrictions have little potential for preventing sex offenses against children. Most importantly, the data indicate that very few sex crimes against children have been by the offender's residence near a school, daycare center, or park. Because only one direct test of this research question has been published, we make specific recommendations for future research to fill gaps and to provide more compelling evidence to policymakers. Highlights • As of 2018, approximately 29 states have residence restrictions for at least some sex offenders • Few studies bear directly on the efficacy of sex offender residence restriction laws to reduce sex crime against children • Our paper reviews empirical evidence related to the ability of residence restrictions to reduce sex crime against children • Existing empirical research suggests that residence restrictions have little potential for preventing sex crimes against children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Violence towards formal and informal caregivers is a frequently occurring and complex international hazard in healthcare that has a negative impact on the physical and psychological health states of caregivers. However, little is known about the prevalence and type of violence towards formal and informal caregivers by care recipients in the home care settings. The aim of this review is to obtain insight into the prevalence of violence by home care recipients against formal and informal caregivers in home care settings and the types and consequences of violence. A systematic review was conducted between March and May 2023 using the PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, and PsycINFO databases. A methodological quality appraisal was conducted using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT). Data collection was performed until May 2023. Out of 1087 screened articles, a total of 10 full texts were included after the screening process. Findings demonstrate that workplace violence is an understudied area of research. The few studies found in this review showed high prevalence rates of violence with risk for physical and mental injuries for formal caregivers. No information at all on violence against informal caregivers was available. Strategies for prevention and intervention against violence in the home care setting must be developed. To develop strategies, it is important to have more insight in the prevalence and types of violence. It is also important to explore violence against informal caregivers in research. Violence towards formal caregivers in home care settings is a common risk that negatively impacts the health status of caregivers. What is already known about the topic? • Workplace violence has a negative impact on the physical and psychological health state of formal caregivers. • There is a lack of knowledge on care recipient violence towards formal and informal caregivers in the home care setting. What this paper adds • No study was found that studied violence against informal caregivers; this review demonstrates the importance of exploring this topic. • In home care settings, formal caregivers are exposed to types of workplace violence that have little or no presence in the hospital setting • Sexual harassment and sexual aggression towards formal caregivers in the home care setting are underreported in the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through a systematic review and meta-analysis of research on individual health and well-being outcomes this paper examines the consequences of witnessing, and thereby being a bystander to, workplace bullying. The review was limited to peer-reviewed primary observational studies with cross-sectional or prospective research design which included findings on outcomes among witnesses to bullying. The review identified 24 relevant studies from 13 countries. Eighty-eight percent of the studies were published from 2010 and onwards. Most studies used cross-sectional single source data from non-probability samples, mainly comprising female respondents from Western countries. Although cross-sectional findings indicated significant associations between witnessing bullying and outcomes such as mental health, job dissatisfaction, and turnover intent, the review show that we need to consider reverse causation, the witness's own exposure to bullying, their proximity and identification with the target, as well as their helping behavior, to understand the true magnitude of the association. Witnessing and being a bystander to bullying is a complex phenomenon and the magnitude of the outcomes relies on a range of third variables and indirect relationships. There is a need for more research to fully understand the consequences of witnessing bullying in the workplace. • Systematic review and meta-analysis of the research literature on outcomes of witnessing workplace bullying • Reviews theoretical frameworks, mediators, moderators, and research designs • Discusses the knowledge gaps and informs about important topics for future research • Addresses important methodological issues in research on witnesses to workplace bullying [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This research deals with the phenomenon of terrorism and attempts to ascertain the true roots of its sadistic crimes. The research considers two possible hypotheses to explain this phenomenon: The first hypothesis says that since most of the perpetrators of these crimes are Muslim, the roots of these sadistic crimes are religious and based on the texts of the Qur'an and Sunnah. The second hypothesis is that since most of the perpetrators of these crimes are mostly Arabs or some of their neighboring nations, the roots of these sadistic crimes are to be found in Bedouin culture. The methodology used in this research is a combination of a historical approach and a psychoanalytic approach. The most important finding of the research is that there is no link between sadistic terrorist acts and Islam. The true roots of these sadistic crimes are cultural, namely mythology of heroes and revenge. In fact, these crimes also contradict the principles and teachings of Islam. The changes made by Islam in the societies of this region are superficial and skin-deep changes while the deep structures of these societies have remained dominated by their local culture. Arab societies have often exploited religion to justify their cultures. Highlights • This paper deals with the sadistic terrorism crimes. This is significant because it looks for the roots of this phenomenon. • It should be of interest to readers in the areas of psychology, crime, mass murder and the physiological basis of aggression. • It is the first scholarly work that studies the phenomenon of sadistic terrorism crimes in the Muslim world. • It looks for the roots of these crimes and examines what made them permissible, to boast about, and a source of pleasure. • It has come to many conclusions that give the readers a better understanding for this phenomenon and its roots. • This paper serves as a good source in an effective fight against the terrorists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Research has investigated the attitudes of a range of professional and paraprofessional staff who are exposed to men who have sexually offended. The evidence emerging from this work suggests that many factors appear to have an effect on the attitudes that staff develop, including the number of years in their job, gender, or parental status. Objectives The aim of this review is to explore these factors to determine the influence they have on the attitudes of care staff and how these attitudes subsequently influence the care and treatment provided to men who sexually offend. Method An electronic search of seven bibliographic databases was conducted to identify primary research studies in addition to scanning reference lists of existing studies and contacting experts in the field. The search generated 13,987 hits. After scanning the titles and abstracts, 51 papers were subject to the exclusion criteria. A total of 13 studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in the final synthesis process. Results A number of factors appear to be important when exploring the relationship between attitudes and the care and treatment provided to men who sexually offend. These include factors within the domains of cognitive, affective and behavioural attitudes. Conclusions The papers highlighted a range of factors that influence attitudes. These factors appear to influence the flavour of attitudes and the nature of attitudes is seen to be an influencing factor in terms of the quality of relationships between men who commit sexual offences and professional staff. However the definition of attitudes needs to be more carefully applied to empirical research. Results collected from the studies provide suggestions regarding the clinical implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper evaluates the most influential current approaches to the mechanisms of radicalisation on the basis of their empirical evidence and calls for a focus on research designs capable of arbitrating on matters of causality, not just correlation. It shows how the existing evidence converges on a handful of factors involved in radicalisation, including negative life experiences leading to fundamental uncertainty or loss of significance, which spur on the search for and identity shift towards groups with strong norms and ideals, including sacred values that enable extreme ingroup defences (e.g. acts of terrorism). The cumulative empirical data indicates support for some, but not all, kinds of interventions. Finally, because both theoretical approaches and current interventions propose cause-and-effect relationships, the paper argues that it is imperative that the field shifts its focus to experimental research designs capable of making causal inferences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

School bullying is an important concern. Whilst there is growing knowledge about the nature, extent and effects of school bullying, areas of complexity in research findings remain. In this paper we develop our thinking on school bullying using a sociocultural theoretical framework. We review existing literature around three main themes: 1) The conceptualisation and interpretation of bullying; 2) The relational aspects of bullying 3) Bullying as part of someone's life trajectory. For each theme, empirical findings are discussed to highlight key issues, and arguments presented from relevant sociocultural theories to provide insight in each case. During the paper, we show how varying strands of research into bullying can be integrated, and how areas of complexity can be explained. Adopting a sociocultural view of school bullying presents implications for both research and practice. Bullying is contextual, and attention should be given to the situated relationships and multiple settings surrounding the behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper offers a review of the phenomena of bullying and peer violence among children and adolescents living in residential care settings (RCS). The review was conducted on four databases (Scopus, Web of Science, PsycINFO and ERIC). Findings of the 31 full-text papers included in the present work showed that bullying and peer violence involve various forms of direct and indirect attacks. While bullying in RCS involves severe and repeated aggressive actions, peer violence seems to be characterized by distinct levels of severity; i.e., low-level attacks are infrequent and isolated, whereas high level attacks may be severe and frequent. Several individual factors, such as age, gender, and length of stay in RCS were found to be associated with both bullying and peer violence. Contextual risk factors such as activities, structure and facility size, along with a residential peer culture characterized by a high level of hierarchy and a poor emotional bond between children and staff, contributed to bullying and peer violence. Furthermore, findings of the studies included in the present review showed that both perpetrators and victims manifest a number of behavioral and psychological problems. Overall, the present study offers a picture of bullying and peer violence among institutionalized children. However, distinct operationalization of constructs among studies, together with the use of different methods and measures, made comparisons among studies difficult. Future research should overcome these limitations in order to promote validity and compatibility of research in this field of study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Both clinicians and researchers value observation as an important source of diagnostic information, especially in forensic, mental health and school settings. However, it is not well-known how reliable information collected by means of observation is. Methods The present study aimed to systematically review the literature on the inter-rater reliability (IRR) of observation of aggression and impulsivity. Results A total of 37 papers on the observation of aggression that provided information about the IRR was selected and reviewed. Forms of observation ranged from videotaped observation in a lab to participant observation in a naturalistic setting (e.g. with an observer taking part in the situation). Relatively few studies focused on observation of aggression in naturalistic settings. For various reasons, no papers on the observation of impulsivity could be included. Regardless of differences in forms and settings, the IRR of observing aggression was fair to excellent. Conclusion Different forms of observation (e.g. non-participant, direct) taking place in different settings (e.g. naturalistic or lab) can be executed reliably. This finding is encouraging for clinicians who want to make use of systematic observations in naturalistic settings. However, the relatively sparse research on these naturalistic observations underscores the need for research on the topic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ability to express experiences coherently and participate in effective interpersonal communication underlies many facets of human life. Not much is known about the communication abilities of mothers who are incarcerated, but it is well understood that other incarcerated populations have challenges in this domain. Research has demonstrated that communication skills are amenable to change with evidence-based interventions, and these improvements can have positive downstream effects on the individuals and their communication partners. This theoretical paper focuses specifically on incarcerated mothers because of the importance of mother-child relationships to post-release desistance, and the need to stop intergenerational cycles of trauma and problematic behaviors. We take a holistic approach to the issues that surround incarcerated mothers' abilities to participate in and benefit from communication-based intervention programs. Areas for future research are discussed, especially the need to establish a clear profile of the capabilities and limitations of this population with regards to communication. This paper advances a case, and road map, for communication intervention with incarcerated mothers, including considerations for culturally-aware programs. It also addresses the elements of good skills training and how those should be evaluated. • Improved communication has wide-ranging positive downstream effects. • Communication intervention for incarcerated mothers may contribute to desistance. • The communication skills of incarcerated peoples can be strengthened through intervention. • Interventions must be culturally aware, trauma-informed, and evaluated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban concentration and rapid rural-urban migration are often considered factors that trigger violence. The empirical evidence, however, is mixed: many studies find either an undetermined or even a negative relationship between urbanization and violence. This paper reviews the literatures on urbanization, mass emotions, and ethnic conflicts to advance our understanding of the urbanization-violence nexus. We argue that the effect of urbanization on violence is conditional on local conditions such as ethnic diversity: in ethnically homogenous areas, urbanization increases economic welfare and the provision of public goods and services, therefore lowering the chances of ethnic violence; in ethnically diverse areas, the increased economic welfare by urbanization is often distributed along ethnic lines, intensifying between-group grievances and negative emotions and increasing the chances of violence. To illustrate the dynamic mechanisms between mass emotions and ethnic conflict in the process of urbanization, we present empirical evidence from our case study of Xinjiang, China. The drastic urbanization in ethnic diverse societies like Xinjiang aggravates rival ethnic sentiments and essentializes the perception of ethnic status (dominant vs. dominated), which is critical in triggering ethnic conflict events. • The effect of urbanization on violence is conditioned by the level of local ethnic diversity. • In ethnically homogenous areas, urbanization increases economic welfare, therefore lowering chances of violence. • In ethnically diverse areas, increased welfare is distributed along ethnic lines, therefore increasing between-group violence. • Policies should be implemented to mitigate potential adverse effects of urbanization on disadvantaged ethnic groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder, which affects particularly adolescents. The media coverage of feminine thinness is demonstrated as a token of beauty, with diet as a tool to achieve this. However, diets are not enough to explain the numerous cases. This disease is the symptom of a psychological disorder and looking for the origin must coincide with psychotherapeutic treatment. Multifactorial explanations seem dominate within our female patients. For most female patients, family problems and past experience with sexual assault explain this transition to anorexia. It is demonstrated throughout this paper how and why anorexia nervosa is used as a tool for identification and personalization in the assumption of autonomy and independence, and how and why anorexia becomes a defensive response to aggression. We give a clinical confirmation of the diverse origins of anorexia nervosa and of the impact of sexual abuse. This paper proposes a new therapeutic approach to patients with anorexia nervosa, in which the eating disorder is a symptom of an emotional disorder, often triggered by sexual assault or emotional deprivation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper offers a historically grounded review of several biologically based developmental theories for serial homicide. Beginning with a discussion that outlines nineteenth-century etiological theories, this article guides its reader through a series of intellectual and scientific developments – all of which have contributed to our current understanding of the etiology of serial homicide. Embedded within this review is a critical examination of how social, methodological, and other such limitations have stalled and prevented the development of a meaningful etiological account for serial homicide. This author offers some direction to help researchers overcome these limitations, and suggests three additional lines of inquiry that may help to illuminate biologically-based developmental trajectories. This paper concludes by reinforcing the need for a transdisciplinary approach when studying violence risk and prevention within this population specifically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human beings are thought to have unique capacities to interpret and make meaning after major life events. However this process may be complicated and difficult after events that involve anger and aggression and when dangerousness and destructiveness come to the fore. Meaning making may be especially challenging when such an event is incomprehensible to the victim's family and society, due to the perpetrator's irreversible actions and the painful awareness that a human life has been lost. Meaning-making for the perpetrator, including owning of responsibility, in the aftermath of a serious and violent crime remains under-explored; perhaps this is because violent death is an extraordinary behavior with tragic consequences on the victim that invokes enormous anxiety at the thought of exploration. The aim of this paper is to draw upon criminological, forensic and psychology literature to provide a unified perspective on meaning-making processes and what meanings are made for and by the offender in the aftermath of homicide. From the perspective of the perpetrator, challenges might include how sense can be made of the tragedy, including how a redemptive story can emerge and in turn lead to pro-social identity changes. The paper concludes by highlighting consequences and lack of adjustment following incomprehensibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gun violence and substance abuse are prevalent, widespread public health issues that have recently received a great deal of media and political attention. In order to better understand how these phenomena are linked, this paper aims to explore the relationship between the two. First, it will describe the phenomena of gun violence and substance abuse individually. Next, this paper will detail the intersection of gun violence and substance abuse, including shared antecedents, the effect of intoxication on gun violence, and the effect of criminalization of drug use on gun violence. Finally, it will address treatment and policy recommendations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reviews the existing literature on the relationship between social media and violence, including prevalence rates, typologies, and the overlap between cyber and in-person violence. This review explores the individual-level correlates and risk factors associated with cyber violence, the group processes involved in cyber violence, and the macro-level context of online aggression. The paper concludes with a framework for reconciling conflicting levels of explanation and presents an agenda for future research that adopts a selection, facilitation, or enhancement framework for thinking about the causal or contingent role of social media in violent offending. Remaining empirical questions and new directions for future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Protective factors safeguard against undesirable outcomes such as violence, sexual violence and criminal behavior in general. While a growing body of theoretical and empirical literature has identified plausible protective factors and explored their underlying mechanisms and additional value to risk factors, little has been written concerning clinical assessment of protective factors. A challenge faced by clinicians working in correctional and forensic settings is how to translate emerging knowledge into applied approaches to assessment and treatment. The current paper explores the clinical assessment of protective factors. Within often time-pressed legal and clinical practice environments, feasible assessment methods are needed that add value to the current predominantly risk-focused assessment practice. The valid and reliable assessment of protective factors should aid in risk-management decision-making and help inform strengths-based treatment efforts. This paper aims to demonstrate ways to bridge the gap between theoretical and empirical knowledge regarding protective factors and their clinical applicability, and to highlight the added value of assessing protective factors. Several protective factor assessment tools are described and short cases are used to exemplify how consideration of protective factors can enhance clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides a review of the current criminological landscape in relation to positive criminology and strengths based responses to crime. It does this by drawing on four forms of ‘offender’ rehabilitation as detailed in Fergus McNeill's (2012) seminal work. By using the four domains of psychological, social, moral and legal; this paper outlines current criminological literature, policy, and practice, highlighting some of its limitations. In all, the paper supports the call made by McNeill that in order to work with those mandated by the criminal justice system, a strength based and integrated approach to rehabilitation is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The primary purpose of the current paper is to review existing literature on alcohol-related aggression and propose a cohesive model to advance our understanding of this behavior. Experimental research highlights that a drinker's level of self-control impacts the aggression inducing effects of alcohol, however, assessments used to measure this type of aggression are limited. Extant investigations utilize trait self-control only, neglecting the influence of state self-regulation. Daily variation in self-regulatory demands has been found to inhibit impulse control, however, methodological techniques to assess self-regulation variation have not been applied to help explain alcohol-related aggression. The current paper argues for a conceptual model of alcohol-related aggression that integrates both trait and state levels of regulatory control. The proposed cohesive model is suggested to help explain alcohol consumption, aggressive behavior, and alcohol-related aggression. Recommendations for testing the model as well as implications of the model are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A particularly pressing problem in the correctional psychology domain is the failure to ask questions about what the targets of explanatory theories should be, and in light of this failure, researchers have arguably spent too much time constructing misdirected explanations. In this paper this issue is addressed. First, we briefly describe the aims and different phases of scientific research. Second, the explanatory dilemma currently facing researchers within the correctional domain is outlined: concentrating on crime related categories (offending types and criminal behavior) versus psychological and social ones that are conceptually distant from criminal behavior. Third, we explore the offence solution to this problem in more detail, concluding that it is fruitless to continue basing explanations only on categories of offences or offending behavior. Fourth, we examine the possible solution of shifting the focus to psychological and social problems evident in people who have committed crime. Fifth, we present our solution to the problem of selecting explanatory targets based on the concept of black boxes. Finally, we conclude the paper with a brief discussion of the research and practice implications of our solution. • Identifies target selection dilemma in correctional psychology • Explains why phenomena modelling is a crucial part of scientific inquiry • Explores benefits and problems associated with focusing on offending behavior/offense categories versus psychological problems • Provides a solution to the target selection problem using a black box model [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effective and ethical psychological practice relies on good science, and good science takes theory construction very seriously, as seriously as data collection. There is little point in developing valid research designs and sophisticated data analytic techniques if the ideas driving research are mistaken or trivial. In this paper I explore the problem of theoretical illiteracy for correctional psychological research and practice. First, I discuss why theory is important in science and the dangers of ignoring it. Second, I review the role of theory in addressing the myriad of practical problems facing human beings. Third, I outline three strategies to increase researchers and practitioners' appreciation of theory construction and development: adopting a more comprehensive model of scientific method, epistemic iteration, and promoting model pluralism. Fourth, I take an example of a core concept from correctional psychology, that of dynamic risk factors, and demonstrate how the above strategies can be used to rectify problems with this construct. Finally, I discuss the research, practice and normative implications of my approach to addressing theoretical illiteracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of "criminogenic need" is firmly entrenched within forensic research and practice. So much so that its status is rarely questioned, and its central role in risk reduction and management is accepted at face value. However, the analogue concept of dynamic risk factor (DRF) has recently come under scrutiny, with criticisms centering upon its composite nature and lack of coherence. These criticisms challenge the presumed causality of these factors, and thus their role in practice. In order to test this assumption this paper addresses three questions: 1) how are DRF conceptualized within the recent literature? 2) How are they measured? 3) What is the evidence that they a) change, b) that these changes predict outcomes (i.e., reduced recidivism), and c) that treatment targeting DRF influences this process? The answers can provide support for or cast doubt upon the status of DRF in the prediction and explanation of offending. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the findings of the first review of the research-based evidence reporting the phenomenon of elder homicide. A systematic review of peer-reviewed literature published across the world (between 1982 and 2018) was undertaken. A total of 33 articles were identified and appraised using PRISMA including quantitative (n = 30) and mixed methods (n = 3) studies. Four themes were identified in the synthesis of findings: victim characteristics; offender characteristics; victim-offender relationship; and offence characteristics. Through a critical discussion, these themes, and the emerging typology, are contextualised to argue that these findings could influence the improvement of policy and practice, and inform future research, for vulnerable elderly people at risk of violence and homicide. A gap identified in the literature was the lack of identification and analysis of risk factors for elder homicide which provides evidence of the need for further research on elder homicide, risk and risk management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trait impulsivity has long been proposed to play a role in aggression, but the results across studies have been mixed. One possible explanation for the mixed results is that impulsivity is a multifaceted construct and some, but not all, facets are related to aggression. The goal of the current meta-analysis was to determine the relation between the different facets of impulsivity (i.e., negative urgency, positive urgency, lack of premeditation, lack of perseverance, and sensation seeking) and aggression. The results from 93 papers with 105 unique samples (N = 36, 215) showed significant and small-to-medium correlations between each facet of impulsivity and aggression across several different forms of aggression, with more impulsivity being associated with more aggression. Moreover, negative urgency (r = 0.24, 95% [0.18, 0.29]), positive urgency (r = 0.34, 95% [0.19, 0.44]), and lack of premeditation (r = 0.23, 95% [0.20, 0.26]) had significantly stronger associations with aggression than the other scales (r s < 0.18). Two-stage meta-analytic structural equation modeling showed that these effects were not due to overlap among facets of impulsivity. These results help advance the field of aggression research by clarifying the role of impulsivity and may be of interest to researchers and practitioners in several disciplines. • The goal this meta-analysis was to determine the relation between the different facets of impulsivity and aggression • Results showed significant positive associations for all facets of impulsivity • The associations were stronger for urgency and lack of premeditation • These results may be of interest to researchers and practitioners in several disciplines [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A lack of concern for the feelings, needs or suffering of others and lack of remorse after hurting or mistreating others are key characteristics of antisocial personality disorder (ASPD), otherwise identified as dissocial personality disorder (DPD) and suggest that impaired emotion processing and empathy may contribute to antisocial behaviour. Whilst psychopathy is more commonly associated with an absence of empathy and emotional affect, the nature of emotion processing and empathy deficits specific to adult male ASPD populations with and without co-morbid psychopathy has not been systematically reviewed. To determine the nature of emotion processing and empathy deficits specific to adult male ASPD populations with and without co-morbid psychopathy. We conducted a literature search across seven electronic databases and a range of grey literature sites, hand-searched reference lists of relevant papers and contacted fourteen authors of published studies related to this topic. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied and quality assessments undertaken on eligible studies. Searches located 10,217 records and 205 were eligible for full assessment. 22 studies were identified as suitable for inclusion in this review and 19 reported evidence of emotion processing deficits in ASPD/DPD groups with and without co-morbid psychopathy. This review found no evidence of empathy deficits in ASPD/DPD groups with or without co-morbid psychopathy and only limited evidence of diminished startle reactivity in those with ASPD alone. In contrast, ASPD groups with co-morbid psychopathy were found to exhibit aberrant patterns of affective reactivity and difficulty when processing negative/aversive stimuli which lends support to the notion that these groups may be differentiated in terms of emotional dysfunction. However, as the majority of reviewed studies employed ASPD/DPD groups that included participants with co-morbid psychopathy/psychopathic traits and did not delineate effects for ASPD/DPD groups with and without co-morbid psychopathy, the degree to which emotion processing deficits were mediated by co-morbid psychopathy or evident in ASPD/DPD alone could not be established. Therefore, further research to compare emotion processing and empathy in these groups is required before firm conclusions can be drawn about the extent of overlap between these populations and/or the differences that exist between them. • 1986% of reviewed studies reported emotion processing deficits in ASPD/DPD groups with + without co-morbid psychopathy • ASPD groups with + without co-morbid psychopathy exhibited less startle reactivity when compared to controls • ASPD groups with co-morbid psychopathy exhibited atyical autonomic reactivity patterns/responses to affective stimuli • Only a minority of studies compared outcomes of ASPD groups with + without co-morbid psychopathy against those of controls • Further research required to determine whether co-morbid psychopathy mediates emotion processing/empathy deficits in ASPD/DPD [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper develops an integrated theoretical explanation of aggression among men, showing that much of that aggression is anchored in naturally-selected psychological adaptations—and, in the case of honor, importantly tied to cultural transmission—designed to solve the recurrent evolutionary problems of status and honor. Both of these problems are—or at least were—very crucial to the reproductive success of men. Maintaining and cultivating honor, engaging in theft, mating competition, war, and gangs are the main phenomena thereby explained in evolutionary terms. Drawing on theoretical and conceptual resources from the evolutionary sciences at large, and in particular evolutionary psychology, the explanation developed here also and importantly pulls together the psychological, developmental, cultural, and ecological dimensions of the phenomena at issue. Doing so allows the model to sketch the ways in which the psychological adaptations underlying aggression are sensitive to both external and individual contingencies and thereby open-ended and flexible. The evolutionary model developed here draws an additional strength from its ability to grapple with individual differences and evolutionarily-novel environments. Finally, the integrated explanation is also synthesized with the evolutionary genetics and heritability of aggression. • This article develops a big picture evolutionary explanation of male aggression. • Honor, gangs, warfare, theft, and mating competition are the core domains addressed. • Psychological, developmental, cultural, and ecological dimensions are integrated. • The explanatory model is informed by evolutionary psychology and adaptationism. • Evolutionary genetics, behavior genetics, and clinical applications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Existing models of deradicalisation, countering violent extremism (CVE), and counter-terrorism (CT) have lacked a clear theory of change, as well as robust empirical methodologies. This paper proposes an empirically-based systematic and transparent methodology – the Innovative Moments Coding System (IMCS) – which is empirically sensitive, ethically defensible, and can be of use in the context of research to inform practitioner contexts. Through a case study of former violent militants, we explore the adaptation and usage of this instrument to identify and track self-narrative change in the processes of engagement and disengagement, as well as radicalisation and deradicalisation in the context of violent extremism and terrorism. We illustrate how this methodology has the potential to bring benefits to the work of researchers involved in producing guidelines for disengagement, deradicalisation or risk-reduction interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discussions about the gang construct and appropriate definitions have been pervasive throughout gang research. This paper seeks to shed light on these discussions by adopting a theoretical perspective to examine the suitability of 'gangs' as a target of explanation and the appropriateness of current definitional approaches. First, we examine the validity and utility of the gang construct. It is concluded that the gang label has poor construct validity and limited explanatory utility, thereby making it unsuitable for theoretical purposes. Instead, we suggest that researchers need to focus on what gangs are at a foundational level, namely groups , and that the group should be the target of explanation. Second, we consider the limitations of gang definitions for theory construction and instead offer a method known as three-tier analysis to comprehensively conceptualize groups without discussions of necessary and sufficient definitional boundaries. Finally, we produce a framework based on these findings and demonstrate how it facilitates understanding of a specific gang exemplar. In doing so, we bypass several theoretical roadblocks obstructing gang research and advance a way to explain the group and (by extension) gangs, thus improving our understanding of groups and gangs with the purpose of ultimately informing practice and policy initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aggression Replacement Training (ART) is a multimodal intervention for chronically aggressive youth. The program has been frequently administered in a variety of samples in the original form or in modified versions. This review examines evaluations of the efficacy of ART on aggressive behavior and secondary outcomes in children and youth, including modifications of ART and evaluations of the original version not covered by earlier reviews. Scholarly databases were searched to identify 10 articles reporting 11 independent studies evaluating the efficacy ART in reducing aggressive behavior and improving anger control, social skills, and moral reasoning in children and youth. The majority of studies found positive effects of ART on aggression and other outcomes related to anger control, social skills, and moral reasoning. However, most studies were based on small samples, and few included a control group to evaluate intervention success. The studies reviewed in this paper tentatively suggest that ART is an efficacious intervention to reduce aggressive behavior and improve anger control, social skills, and moral reasoning in at-risk children and youth. However, this conclusion is qualified by a number of methodological limitations that highlight the need for further, more rigorous evaluation studies. • N = 11 studies on the efficacy of Aggression Replacement Training (ART) are reviewed. • Studies were published between 2000 and 2016 and came from seven countries. • Findings generally support the efficacy of ART in reducing aggressive behavior. • However, methodological limitations undermine confidence in the results. • Directions for future evaluations of ART are outlined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Violence prevention and intervention programming continues to overlook conclusive findings from biopsychosocial research that demonstrates the salience of early interpersonal trauma in subsequent perpetration of violent behavior. As a result, programs struggle to achieve significant and sustained behavior change in individuals whose past experiences of early interpersonal violence predispose them to use violence against others. A robust research literature unequivocally links early interpersonal trauma experience with future violence perpetration. Though legal consequences have demonstrated some success in curtailing future violence among those involved with the legal system and only in situation in which law enforcement and judicial processes protect victims, there is growing recognition that rehabilitation and treatment of perpetrators is necessary. Globally, studies demonstrate that exposure to early interpersonal violence negatively impacts brain development, interpersonal skills, and emotional resilience and escalates risk for future violence perpetration. Studies of youth and adult violence perpetrators consistently demonstrate that individuals who engage in violent behavior are much more likely to have experienced early interpersonal trauma. It is essential to integrate a mental health approach into public health frameworks to address the core of violence perpetration. Unaddressed early trauma greatly distorts the normal developmental trajectory of cognitive and psychological/emotional abilities. Unsurprisingly, many of the affected systems are also linked to violence perpetration. This position paper outlines the interconnections between early trauma and violence perpetration, and demonstrates the necessity of integrating a mental health, trauma-based framework into global violence interventions. • Early childhood interpersonal trauma is related to future violence perpetration • Range of neurobiological and psychological repercussions of early trauma • Highly effective evidence-based treatments for trauma exist • Global violence interventions fail to incorporate trauma approach • Effectiveness and Sustainability problems with perpetrator interventions may be due to failure to address trauma experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seppuku is a traditional suicide method practiced by honorable Japanese samurai. Today this method of suicide is rarely used in Japan or worldwide and may be exceptionally encountered in patients suffering from psychiatric disorders, the majority of them being older men. It is well known that clinical and cultural factors also play a role in practicing this method of suicide. The mortality rate is significantly higher in cases of abdominal wounds suggesting seppuku, compared to the mortality rate caused by simple stab wounds. Death can occur immediately through massive external or/and internal hemorrhage as well as later on through complications, often septic. In the Romanian forensic literature files, suicide by abdominal stabbing suggesting seppuku is rarely encountered and documented. When investigating violent deaths owing to sharp force, the role of the forensic pathologist is not only to establish the cause of death and the mechanism used for creating the lesions, but also to identify the object used for inflicting the injuries, the type of the injuries, allowing thus to formulate a conclusion from legal perspective upon the act itself: suicide or homicide? The present paper reviews the international literature and presents three cases of suicide by self- inflected abdominal stab wounds suggesting seppuku, autopsied at the Bihor County Forensic Service, Romania, during 2013–2017. • In Romania this type of suicide is rarely practiced, commonly seen in older males. • Frequently the victims suffer from a mental illness, or are alcohol users. • The tool used is the knife; the lesions are located in the middle abdominal axis. • The mortality rate is higher in cases of abdominal wounds suggesting seppuku. • It is important to establish a differential diagnosis between suicide and homicide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The term "Socially accepted violence" refers to the use of physical force in a manner that is perceived as legitimate in certain cultures. The exploration of psychological processes characteristic to those who carry-out such forms of violence must, therefore, take into careful consideration the mutual influences between social constructions and the individual's psyche. This paper proposes a psychoanalytic study of a certain type of socially accepted violence, that which is committed by "agents of law" – members of institutions responsible for the execution of the state monopoly of violence. It examines the potential contribution of the underdeveloped Freudian concept of sublimation – the directing of drive towards a socially valued goal. Ideas by Freud, Elias and Girard regarding the elementary role of violence in social institutions servers to highlight the part of sublimation of aggression in the complex psychology of individuals who carry out socially accepted violence in the name of law. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]