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Using cross-lagged model design, the present study is the first one to longitudinally examine whether bidirectional associations between child psychopathy features and negative parenting behaviors remain when controlling for parental psychopathic traits. The relationship between parental and child psychopathology, child conduct problems and parental rejection was assessed in 175 children (80 boys) at the ages 5, 6 and 8. Child psychopathy features and conduct problems at age 5-8 years were assessed using kindergarten/teacher-reported questionnaires, whereas parenting behaviors across all waves and parental psychopathic traits at Wave 1 were assessed using self-reports. Similar to past research, parental psychopathic traits were significantly related to both negative parenting practices and child's psychopathy features. However, although cross-lagged models provided evidence for bidirectional dynamics between child psychopathy features and parenting at all waves, this relationship became non-significant once parental psychopathic traits were entered into the model. These findings provide important new evidence that parental psychopathic personality has an important effect on the relationship between child psychopathy features and parenting practices observed in previous longitudinal studies. Thus, in addition to child psychopathy features, interventions for children with conduct problems should also target parental psychopathy in order to contribute to children's healthy development., Author(s): Silvija Rucevic [sup.1] , David P. Farrington [sup.2] , Henrik Andershed [sup.3] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.412680.9, 0000 0001 1015 399X, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Department of Psychology, [...]

Studies show that different types of antisocial behaviors share similar risk and protective factors related to particular social, emotional and moral competencies. Nevertheless, little is known about the longitudinal relation of social, emotional and moral competencies with patterns of antisocial behaviors in youth. The present study aimed to discover the longitudinal relations between social and emotional competencies, empathy, moral emotions, moral disengagement, and perceived moral disengagement induced by parents, and the patterns of antisocial behaviors and change in these patterns over time. A sample of 898 Spanish students aged between 9 and 17 was followed up for one year. Self-reported data were analyzed using latent transition analyses and multinomial regressions. Results showed that age, several mechanisms of moral disengagement, perceived parental moral disengagement induction, and several social and emotional competencies predicted offenders outside of school and highly antisocial and victimized patterns, including their stability over time. Moreover, males at early ages and perceived parental moral disengagement induction predicted the high bullying victimization pattern. Being a male, with high victim dehumanizing and blaming, predicted stability of the high bullying victimization pattern. Being a male, early ages, and low responsible decision-making predicted changes from the high bullying victimization pattern to the low antisocial pattern. Results are discussed emphasizing the need to conduct prevention and intervention programs from a comprehensive perspective promoting social, emotional and moral competencies. This study could have useful implications for prevention and intervention focused on decreasing risk and increasing protective factors., Author(s): Elena Nasaescu [sup.1] , Izabela Zych [sup.1] , Rosario Ortega-Ruiz [sup.1] , David P. Farrington [sup.2] , Vicente J. Llorent [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.411901.c, 0000 0001 2183 9102, [...]

The Basic Empathy Scale is widely used to measure cognitive and affective empathy in different age groups. Although empathy is studied throughout the world, research on this important psychological construct in Eastern European populations needs to be increased. In order to accomplish this, validated instruments to measure empathy are needed in this geographic area. This study was conducted to analyze the psychometric properties of the Basic Empathy Scale in Poland. The sample included 1052 children and adolescents aged 9 to 16, enrolled in Primary and Middle schools. This was a cross-sectional study conducted with a survey that was filled in by the participants during their regular classroom hours. Confirmatory Factor Analyses were conducted, together with concurrent validity analyses and comparisons between younger and older participants, and between females and males were undertaken. A final 12-item version of the Basic Empathy Scale was obtained with affective empathy and cognitive empathy factors. The Polish version of the scale showed good psychometric properties. Females scored higher on affective, cognitive and total empathy than males. Younger male participants scored higher on affective, cognitive and total empathy than older male participants. This validated measure of empathy in Polish children and adolescents can be used to study the relation between empathy and both antisocial and prosocial behaviors. In addition, this measure will allow for Poland to be included in cross-country comparisons of empathy and also used to evaluate programs focused on enhancing empathy in Poland., Author(s): Izabela Zych [sup.1] , David P. Farrington [sup.2] , Elena Nasaescu [sup.1] , Darrick Jolliffe [sup.3] , Estera Twardowska-Staszek [sup.4] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.411901.c, 0000 0001 2183 9102, Universidad [...]

Violence, in all its different manifestations, is a universal problem affecting individuals of different age groups, of different ethnic and religious backgrounds, and of different sexual orientations. Family violence and youth violence are interconnected. This special issue advances knowledge about child maltreatment, bullying, youth violence, dating violence, and intimate partner violence. This commentary critically discusses the contributions to the special issue in the context of the most recent research developments in family and youth violence. It concludes that long-term longitudinal studies with frequent assessments are needed to advance knowledge further, especially relating within-individual changes in influencing factors to within-individual changes in outcomes. It is highlighted that the intersection of family violence and youth violence remains a fertile field for further research, and that it is important to provide family, school and community services within an ecological focus., Author(s): David P. Farrington [sup.1] , Maria M. Ttofi [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.5335.0, 0000000121885934, Institute of Criminology, Cambridge University, , Sidgwick Avenue, CB3 9DA, Cambridge, UK We are delighted [...]

John Farrington and David Gallo were named fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. They were among 531 members elected in 2010 by AAAS members to honor [...]

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2010.07.020 Byline: Ivana Sekol, David P. Farrington Keywords: Bully/victims; Differences in kind; Differences in degree; Residential care Abstract: This research examined whether bully/victims in adolescent residential care are qualitatively different from pure bullies and pure victims. Male and female young people (N=601) aged 11-21 from 22 residential institutions in Croatia completed an anonymous self-report questionnaire measuring bullying as well as the Basic Empathy Scale, the Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale and the Big Five Personality Inventory. Based on the bullying questionnaire, the residents were classified as pure bullies, pure victims, bully/victims and those not involved in bullying/victimization. Bully/victims were compared to pure bullies and pure victims on a number of background and personality variables. The differences found were in degree rather than in kind. Bully/victims did not differ from both pure bullies and pure victims on any of the measures nor did they differ from pure bullies and pure victims in the way they bully or in the way they are victimized. Above those that could be expected by chance, there were no independent predictors that were unique to bully/victims nor were there strong interaction effects between bully and victim statuses. The results are discussed with reference to the existing prison and school-based literature about bully/victims and a number of research and policy recommendations are provided. It is concluded that bully/victims are not qualitatively different from pure bullies and pure victims, and that future research should focus on bullies and victims rather than bully/victims. Article History: Received 1 April 2010; Revised 26 July 2010; Accepted 28 July 2010

Structured risk assessment should guide clinical risk management, but it is uncertain which instrument has the highest predictive accuracy among men and women. In the present study, the authors compared the Psychopathy Checklist--Revised (PCL-R; R. D. Hare, 1991, 2003); the Historical, Clinical, Risk Management-20 (HCR-20; C. D. Webster, K. S. Douglas, D. Eaves, & S. D. Hart, 1997); the Risk Matrix 2000--Violence (RM2000[V]; D. Thornton et al., 2003); the Violence Risk Appraisal Guide (VRAG; V. L. Quinsey, G. T. Harris, M. E. Rice, & C. A. Cormier, 1998); the Offenders Group Reconviction Scale (OGRS; J. B. Copas & P. Marshall, 1998; R. Taylor, 1999); and the total previous convictions among prisoners, prospectively assessed prerelease. The authors compared predischarge measures with subsequent offending and instruments ranked using multivariate regression. Most instruments demonstrated significant but moderate predictive ability. The OGRS ranked highest for violence among men, and the PCL--R and HCR-20 H subscale ranked highest for violente among women. The OGRS and total previous acquisitive convictions demonstrated greatest accuracy in predicting acquisitive offending among men and women. Actuarial instruments requiring no training to administer performed as well as personality assessment and structured risk assessment and were superior among men for violence. Keywords: risk assessment, gender differences, actuarial instruments

Byline: Georgia Zara (1), David P. Farrington (2) Keywords: Nervousness; Anxiety; Late onset; Delayed criminal career Abstract: This study explores the emergence of a criminal career in adulthood. The main hypothesis tested is that late criminal onset (at age 21 or later) is influenced by early factors that delay antisocial manifestations. The Cambridge Study in Delinquent Development (CSDD) was used to examine early determinants of criminal behavior. 400 Inner London males were followed from ages 8--10 to 48--50, and were classified as follows: 35 late onsetters who were first convicted at age 21 or later, and did not have high self-reported delinquency at ages 10--14 and 15--18 129 early onsetters first convicted between ages 10 and 20 and 236 unconvicted males. Odds ratios and logistic regression analyses revealed that the best predictors of late onset offenders compared with early onset offenders included nervousness, having few friends at ages 8--10, and not having sexual intercourse by age 18. The best predictors of late onset offenders compared with nonoffenders included teacher-rated anxiousness at ages 12--14 and high neuroticism at age 16. It is concluded that being nervous and withdrawn protected boys against offending in adolescence but that these protective effects tended to wear off after age 21. These findings show that adult offending can be predicted from childhood, and suggest that early intervention might prevent a variety of maladjustment problems and difficulties in adult life. Author Affiliation: (1) Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Turin , Italy (2) Institute of Criminology, University of Cambridge, Sidgwick Avenue, Cambridge, CB3 9DA, UK Article History: Registration Date: 23/09/2008 Received Date: 15/07/2008 Accepted Date: 23/09/2008 Online Date: 17/10/2008

Byline: Lila Kazemian (1), David P. Farrington (2), Marc Le Blanc (3) Keywords: De-escalation; Desistance; Developmental; Within-individual; Between-individual; Comparative research; Social bonds; Self-control Abstract: This study consists of a comparative analysis of patterns of de-escalation between ages 17--18 and 32, based on data from two well-known prospective longitudinal studies, the Cambridge Study in Delinquent Development (a study of 411 working-class males in London) and the Montreal Two Samples Longitudinal Study (a sample of 470 adjudicated French-Canadian males). Analyses focus on within-individual change, with individuals serving as their own controls. In this regard, the magnitude of measured change is relative to the past degree of involvement in offending. These results are contrasted with predictors of between-individual differences in offending behavior at age 32. We investigate the respective roles of cognitive predispositions and social bonds in the prediction of patterns of de-escalation, and assess whether it is possible to make relatively long-term predictions (over a 15-year period) about offending in adulthood. Findings suggest that traditional measures of social bonds and cognitive predispositions measured at age 17--18 are generally weak predictors of de-escalation up to age 32. However, these measures are stronger predictors of between-individual differences in offending gravity. These findings highlight the difficulties in making accurate long-term predictions about changes in individual offending patterns early in the criminal career. Author Affiliation: (1) Department of Sociology, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, 899 Tenth Avenue, Room 520.01, New York, NY, 10019, USA (2) Institute of Criminology, University of Cambridge, Sidgwick Avenue, Cambridge, CB3 9DT, UK (3) Universite de Montreal, School of Psychoeducation, CP 6128, Succ. Centre-Ville, Montreal, QC, Canada, H3C 3J7 Article History: Registration Date: 27/08/2008 Received Date: 02/06/2008 Accepted Date: 27/08/2008 Online Date: 23/09/2008

We examined the immediate, short- and long-term effectiveness of the SNAP[TM] Under 12 Outreach Project (ORP)--a community-based program for children under the age of 12 at risk of having police contact. Sixteen pairs of children were matched on age, sex and severity of delinquency at admission, and randomly assigned to the ORP or to a control group which received less intensive treatment. Level of antisocial behavior was assessed pre and post intervention (immediate effects) and at three follow-up periods (up to 15 months post treatment) to investigate maintenance of possible treatment effects. A search of criminal records was also performed to assess long term effects. Results indicated that ORP children decreased significantly more than controls on the Delinquency and Aggression subscales of the Child Behavior Checklist pre- to post-intervention, and these effects were maintained over time. For statistically significant differences, effect sizes were large (.79 to 1.19). Fewer ORP children (31%) had criminal records at follow-up compared to controls (57%), although this difference was not statistically significant. Overall, the ORP appears to be an effective cognitive-behavioral program for antisocial children in the short term, with possible effects that extend into adolescence and adulthood. Keywords Randomized controlled trial (RCT) * Conduct disorder * Children * Antisocial behavior * Cognitive behavioral therapy

Very few studies have explored residual career length (RCL) and residual number of offenses (RNO), that is, the remaining time and number of offenses in criminal careers. This study uses conviction data from the Cambridge Study in Delinquent Development to investigate RCL and RNO, for a sample of British males and their fathers. The sons were followed up to age 40 and the fathers up to age 70. Distributions of RCL and RNO according to six different criteria are presented (age on offense, conviction number, time since the last conviction. age of onset, offense type, and number of co-offenders). There was a general decline in RCL and RNO with age. Although RCL declined steadily with each successive conviction for both sons and fathers, RNO did not decline with conviction number for fathers. Over and above age on conviction, age of onset predicted RCL and RNO for sons, but less so for fathers. The type of offense and the number of co-offenders did not predict RCL or RNO. Risk scores showed that the predictive power of these variables tot RCL and RNO was statistically significant but not very high. This finding highlights the difficulties associated with predictions of criminal career outcomes based on information available in official records, which is the main source of information available to decisionmakers in the criminal justice system. Keywords: residual career length, residual number of offenses; criminal career

In this prospective study, the authors predicted violence and homicide in 3 representative school samples (N = 1,517). Participants were part of a longitudinal, multiple cohort study on the development of delinquency in boys from late childhood to early adulthood in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Thirty-three participants were convicted of homicide, 193 participants were convicted of serious violence, whereas another 498 participants self-reported serious violence. Predictors of violence included risk factors in the domains of child, family, school, and demographic characteristics. Boys with 4 or more violence risk factors were 6 times more likely to later commit violence in comparison with boys with fewer than 4 risk factors (odds ratio [OR] = 6.05). A subset of risk factors related to violence also predicted homicide among violent offenders. Boys with 4 or more risk factors for homicide were 14 times more likely to later commit homicide than violent individuals with fewer than 4 risk factors (OR = 14.48). Implications for the prevention of violence and homicide are discussed. Keywords: violence, homicide, prediction, precursors, development

In commenting on the five articles in this special issue, this paper discusses (1) the concept of child and adolescent psychopathy, and whether adolescent psychopaths are qualitatively distinct from other young people; (2) the measurement of adolescent psychopathy; (3) the relationship between psychopathy and other personality dimensions; (4) childhood risk factors for psychopathy; (5) psychopathy in the context of risk factors for delinquency; and (6) the prevention and treatment of adolescent psychopathy. It is argued that the three dimensions of an arrogant, deceitful interpersonal style, deficient affective experience, and an impulsive or irresponsible behavioral style are most important at present in the definition of psychopathy. An ambitious research agenda is recommended, investigating the concept of adolescent psychopathy, developing new measures, conducting new longitudinal studies on development and risk factors, and mounting new randomized experiments on prevention and treatment. KEY WORDS: adolescent psychopathy; personality; risk factors; delinquency.

The Campbell Collaboration Crime and Justice Group was inaugurated in 2000 to prepare, update, and disseminate systematic reviews on what works to reduce crime or improve justice. After providing a brief description of a systematic review and the origins of the Campbell Collaboration, this paper provides an overview of the first 36 months of the Crime and Justice Group. Some of the reviews within its portfolio focus on treatment of offenders, including cognitive-behavioral programs, community-based programs for juveniles, prison-based drug treatment, and sex offender therapy. Through its electronic publication known as C2-RIPE, the Campbell Collaboration aims to provide an up-to-date, easily accessible, scientifically reputable, and evidence-based resource that treatment professionals and others can consult. KEYWORDS Systematic reviews, meta-analysis, evidence-based policy, Campbell Collaboration

A number of randomized experiments are summarized that were carried out in Great Britain in the 1960s and 1970s to investigate influences on offending and the effectiveness of interventions to reduce offending. Few such experiments have been carried out in the past twenty-five years, partly because of the influence of Ron Clarke and Derek Cornish on Home Office policy. This article reviews Clarke and Cornish's objections to randomized experiments and concludes that experimenters need to demonstrate in which circumstances they are optimal. The Home Office seems more receptive to randomized experiments nowadays. Keywords: randomized experiments; evaluation; crime reduction; offending; methodology

This article reports on the findings of a systematic review--incorporating meta-analytic techniques--of the available research evidence on the effects of closed-circuit television (CCTV) on crime in public space. A number of targeted and comprehensive searches of the published and unpublished literature and contacts with leading researchers produced twenty-two CCTV evaluations that met our criteria for inclusion in this review. CCTV had a significant desirable effect on crime, although the overall reduction in crime was a rather small 4 percent. All nine studies showing evidence of a desirable effect of CCTV on crime were carried out in the United Kingdom. Conversely, the other nine studies showing no evidence of any desirable effect of CCTV on crime included all five North American studies. CCTV was most effective in reducing crime in car parks. It had no effect on violent crimes but had a significant desirable effect on vehicle crimes. Keywords: closed-circuit television; situational crime prevention; surveillance; systematic review; meta-analysis

Evaluation studies vary in methodological quality. It is essential to develop methodological quality standards for evaluation research that can be understood and easily used by scholars, practitioners, policy makers, the mass media, and systematic reviewers. This article proposes that such standards should be based on statistical conclusion validity, internal validity, construct validity, external validity, and descriptive validity. Methodological quality scales are reviewed, and it is argued that efforts should be made to improve them. Pawson and Tilley's challenge to the Campbell evaluation tradition is also assessed. It is concluded that this challenge does not have any implications for methodological quality standards, because the Campbell tradition already emphasizes the need to study moderators and mediators in evaluation research. Keywords: methodological quality; evaluation; validity; crime reduction; systematic reviews

Risk and promotive effects were investigated as predictors of persistent serious delinquency in male participants of the Pittsburgh Youth Study (R. Loeber, D. P. Farrington, M. Stouthamer-Loeber, & W. B. van Kammen, 1998), living in different neighborhoods. Participants were studied over ages 13-19 years for the oldest sample and 7-13 years for the youngest sample. Risk and promotive effects were studied in 6 domains: child behavior, child attitudes, school and leisure activities, peer behaviors, family functioning, and demographics. Regression models improved when promotive effects were included with risk effects in predicting persistent serious delinquency. Disadvantaged neighborhoods, compared with better neighborhoods, had a higher prevalence of risk effects and a lower prevalence of promotive effects. However, predictive relations between risk and promotive effects and persistent serious delinquency were linear and similar across neighborhood socioeconomic status.

A study of 1395 male juvenile offenders in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania showed that most had relatives that had committed a crime. The study indicated that some families had numerous criminal offenders. Boys with fathers who had been convicted of a crime were most likely to commit crimes themselves.

Research presented concerns the relationship between juvenile delinquency and risk for victimization among inner-city boys. Findings suggest victims tend to have a delinquent record, carry guns, have behavioral problems, and do poorly in school.

Bullying takes place relatively frequently in Italian schools, according to research undertaken among 113 girls and 125 boys at a middle school in Rome, Italy. Girls tend to be the victims of bullying more often than boys, but overall, 56.7% of students had not been bullied at all in the previous three months, with 13.9% having been bullied once or twice, 14.7% sometimes and 14.7% once a week or more frequently. Most students who were bullied were physically hurt or called names, or indirectly attacked through rejection or the spreading of rumours.

The self-completed anonymous questionnaire technique is an unreliable method for the collection of data on bullying in juvenile correction centers. Individual interviews, coupled with an assurance of confidentiality and the non-disclosure of names, provide reliable data. Studies should be conducted to determine if there is any association between the type of offence committed before coming to the reformatory, and bullying and victimization in the institution. Longitudinal studies should be used to study why some individuals change from being a victim to a bully.

A study conducted on 411 South London males in the age group of 8 to 32 by the Cambridge Study in Delinquent Development revealed that the types of acts leading to convictions belong to a larger syndrome of antisocial behavior. Childhood predictors of criminality included antisocial behavior, impulsivity, family criminality, low intelligence, poor parental child-rearing and poverty. Factors found to help people desist from offending included a job, marriage and moving away from London. The study showed to what extent delinquency could be predicted with children and the influence of various life events on the development of a criminal career.

In the Cambridge Study of Delinquent Development, 411 London males have been followed up from age 8 to age 32. Offending was only one element of a general syndrome of antisocial behaviour, which showed significant continuity from childhood to adulthood. The most important childhood (age 8-11) predictors of offending up to age 32 were: socio-economic deprivation, poor parenting, family deviance, school problems, hyperactivity-impulsivity-attention deficit, and antisocial child behaviour. A theory was proposed to explain these results, including criminal motivation, internalized beliefs about offending, and rational decision-making. It was concluded that the most hopeful methods of preventing offending were behavioural parent training and pre-school intellectual enrichment programmes.