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Research suggests that whilst not more likely to offend, autistic people are overrepresented within the Criminal Justice System. To date, prevalence estimates are available only for male autistic offenders. Thus, this research aimed to provide the prison-reported rate of autistic female prisoners currently residing in the female prison estate in England. All 12 of the female prisons in England were contacted to request the following information: (1) the total number of autistic females; and (2) the total female prison population. Findings show an English female prison-reported rate of autism of 4.78% indicating that autism is approximately 13.7 times higher in female prisons compared to the general population. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first research article to focus exclusively on female autistic offenders. Further research is needed to understand the risk factors for offending, offender characteristics, offence types/patterns and autistic experience of the Criminal Justice System for female autistic offenders. What is already known about the topic? Autistic people are reported to offend at lower or comparable rates to non-autistic people. However, autism is overrepresented within male prisons due to a number of suggested reasons including an increased chance of being caught and a lack of autistic sensitive interventions which lead to longer stays in prison. To the authors' knowledge, no papers currently exist focussing on autistic females in prison. What does this paper add? To the authors' knowledge, this is the first piece of research to solely include autistic females in prison settings. This research provides an estimate of how many autistic people are in female prisons. All 12 female prisons in England were contacted. Data provided indicate a prison-reported female autism rate of 4.78%. This prison-reported female autism rate is 13.7 times higher than the prevalence of autistic females in the general population. Implications for practice research or policy? Autism is overrepresented in female prisons; however, to the authors' knowledge no current research exists on this group to understand their needs or experience. Autistic females often have differing requirements to males and the lack of research highlights the need for future research to investigate areas such as factors which increase the risk of offending, offences typically committed and the female autistic experience of the Criminal Justice System. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There can be an overlap in offending, experiences of crime and the onset of mental disorders during adolescence. Justice-involved young people have a higher prevalence of mental ill-health and face additional barriers to help-seeking than non-involved young people. This study investigated how a pathway to psychosocial support could be provided following an early encounter with police. Interviews were conducted with five young people, three parents/carers, 11 service staff and managers and two police. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to identify themes from the data. Barriers included police focusing on their justice role, negative youth–police interactions, resistance by some youth to family involvement and shortcomings of existing referral mechanisms. The potential for a pathway to psychosocial support services would be improved through respectful and informative communication, more supportive responses to reporting minor crime and facilitating family engagement. Participant groups were amenable to a support-focused service-hub alternative for responding to early, minor offending and crime reporting, integrated into police procedures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Correctional practice has seen a proliferation of prison animal programmes over the last two decades, but scant attention has been paid to the impact of prison farm animal work. Five members of prison dairy farm staff in the UK were interviewed about their experiences of supporting prison workers, including their perceptions of its potential impact for supporting rehabilitation from offending. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to identify three overarching themes: the positive human-bovine relationship; strengthening interpersonal skills and intrapersonal benefits. This paper suggests that prison dairy work has the potential to support desistance from further offending by facilitating the transition towards a non-offending identity, cultivating and enabling compassionate behaviour, and improving wellbeing. Future research could include: an analysis of the recidivism data of prison farm livestock workers; qualitative explorations of prison livestock workers' experiences (including those working with cows and other food/production animals); and research with a specific focus on the transferability of compassionate and caring attitudes towards self and others away from the farm setting. Findings from this exploratory study inform debate about the value and transferability of prison farm animal work and should be used to contribute to a larger body of work on this topic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Offenders convicted of trafficking human beings for sexual exploitation involve a high percentage of women compared to other similar offenses. Previous studies have searched for explanations for the dynamics of the illegal sex market and the coercion experienced by victims during the process of exploitation and exit. This article analyses the content of 58 judicial decisions involving a sample of 148 women convicted in Spain of trafficking in human beings between 2017 and 2024. Two main dimensions are explored: the criminal organizations performing the sexual exploitation phase in Spain and the characteristics, positions, and roles of women traffickers within the criminal organizations. Half of the sample occupies leadership roles, while the other half consists of supporters, especially in larger trafficking networks. Regarding the positions and roles of women offenders, supporters and partners in crime are at higher risk of being coerced due to the nature of their roles or partnerships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Police‐issued barring notices are currently used in Western Australia in response to alcohol‐related disorderly and anti‐social behaviour. This paper examines the type, severity and trajectory of the offending behaviours associated with served barring notices. Method: WA Police Force de‐identified the data for 3815 individuals who had received one or more police‐imposed barring notice/s between 2011 and 2020. The offence category associated with each barring notice was examined to explore the overall breakdown and whether/how offending categories change for recipients of subsequent barring notices. Results: For single and multiple barring notice recipients, the most common offence categories were fighting/physical violence and public order offences. Within a subset of the data, non‐anti‐social offences also spiked. Aggressive behaviours predominate for recipients in metropolitan areas, compared with public order offences in regional locations. Discussion and Conclusions: For recipients of multiple barring notices, behaviours do not become more serious but neither do they moderate to any notable extent. The low number of repeat barring notices (5%) may suggest an overall beneficial effect on recipient behaviours but more analysis is needed to examine the potential confounding effects of factors, such as fly‐in/fly‐out workers, policing and locational differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many, but not all, reconviction studies are undertaken over relatively short periods of time (such as 2 or 5 years) and are usually used to gauge the impact of various disposals against one another. This study, based on one cohort of probationers who started being supervised in England during 1997–1998, takes a different tack, and explores their reconvictions between 1997 and 2022, a period of 25 years, and touches upon a range of topics germane to this field, such as: how many reconvictions were racked up?, who was reconvicted?, which offences were they convicted of? and what accounts for their reconvictions? The second half of the article focuses on the issue of 'crime-free gaps' and provides further insight into this recent development in criminal careers research and in so doing builds upon an earlier article by Joanna Shapland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: General criminological theories contend that African Americans' substance use is due to overexposure to criminological risk factors. However, some scholars suggest that racial injustices (i.e., racial discrimination and criminal justice injustices) and racial socialization practices, which includes religiosity (church involvement), impact African American substance use. Objective: Drawing on Unnever and Gabbidon's theory of African American offending, which considers racial injustices and racial socialization when explaining African American offending, the current research examined African American college students' substance use behavior. Methods: African American college students (n = 131) completed an online and anonymous survey measuring substance use, criminal justice injustices, racial discrimination, racial socialization, religiosity, negative emotions, and school bonds. Results: African American college students who reported marijuana use had less confidence in the police and those who engaged in heavy/binge drinking reported more negative emotions and negative encounters with the police. Additionally, negative police encounters and racial socialization practices increased the odds of heavy/binge drinking, whereas religiosity decreased the odds of heavy/binge drinking. Conclusion: These results suggest that a relationship exists among criminal justice injustices, perceived racial bias, racial socialization, religiosity, and African American college students' substance use. As such, the current research provides partial support for the Theory of African American Offending while demonstrating the need to consider racial experiences when examining African American substance use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Homelessness and rough sleeping are currently on the rise in England. Literature evidences an empirical relationship between substance use disorders and offending behavior within homelessness. This qualitative study explores this relationship from the perspective of those currently experiencing homelessness and substance use disorders, with an offending history. Thematic analysis identified substance use disorders as the dominant factor in the continuous relationship between three. Furthermore, when discussing their experiences of prison, participants did not identify prison as a deterrent from committing offenses. Feelings of stigmatization and marginalization from mainstream society were also identified, but participants expressed feelings of social inclusion within their marginalized groups. These findings, and their implications for support services in the community, are discussed in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exposure to adversity or maltreatment is known to correlate with high-risk behaviors that can increase the risk of contact with the criminal justice system; however, few studies have focused on the role of trauma symptoms and other behaviors that may develop in response to exposure to adverse life events. We also know far less about the role of these experiences in young men compared to young women who have been in contact with the youth justice system. In this study, we examine the associations between different patterns of trauma symptomatology and adverse childhood experienced (ACEs), substance use, behavioral difficulties, and re-offending in a sample of 141 young men under the supervision of a Youth Justice (YJ) agency in Australia. Trauma symptoms were reported by over ninety percent of participants, with Latent Class Analysis used to identify four subgroups of young men based on their clustering of trauma symptomatology: internalizing, externalizing, high, and low trauma symptoms groups. The characteristics of young men across these groups were, however, remarkably similar. Over four-fifths scored in the clinical range for substance use and externalizing behavior problems, while recidivism was reported in over three-quarters of young men across all groups. These findings have implications for the development of trauma-informed responses by specialist adolescent mental health services as well as for adult forensic services that seek to understand the developmental origins of psychopathology and offending behavior. There appears to be a strong rationale for more compassionate and trauma-informed justice system practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractWhile low self-control is one of the strongest predictors of offending, scholars do not agree whether the theory is gendered or gender neutral. This study used hierarchal meta-analytic methods to take stock of the self-control literature, focusing specifically on all-male and all-female samples. The analysis included 1,282 effect size estimates (ESEs) nested in 244 individual studies which used 169 unique datasets. Moderator analyses examined potential differences depending on sample and offense characteristics, measurement of self-control, and included controls in multivariate models. While mean ESEs did not differ significantly for males and females, suggesting that the effect between self-control and offending is similar, once moderator analyses were conducted, differences emerged in female offense type and measurement. This suggests that while self-control can explain both male and female offending, there may be important gendered risk factors that are also influential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies on exposure to violence lack a nuanced understanding of the causal effects of different exposure types on offending behaviors. This study, drawing on Pathways to Desistance Study (PDS) data tracking 1354 adjudicated youths aged 14–18 over 7 years, explores the contemporaneous (cross‐sectional), acute (after 1 year), enduring (after 3 years), and long‐term (after 6 years) causal effects of violence exposure on property and violent offending. The sample, predominantly male (86%), consisted of White (20%), Black (42%), and other (38%) individuals. The generalized propensity score is used to match unbalanced covariates across multiple exposure types, namely noninvolved (n = 392), witnessed (n = 577), experienced (n = 31), and experienced‐witnessed violence (n = 305). Results demonstrate the contemporaneous, acute, enduring, and long‐term effects of violence exposure on both violent and property offending, with varying durations and strengths across exposure types. The most pronounced risk effects are immediate, diminishing over time and potentially reversing in the long term as youth transition into adulthood. Among exposure types, experienced‐witnessed violence exhibits the most potent effects on offending, followed by witnessed violence and then experienced violence—a pattern consistent across the observed time points. Noteworthy is the finding that the impact of violence exposure is more pronounced for violent offending, diminishing more rapidly compared to the effects on property offending. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Clinical services for early psychosis seek to improve prognosis for a range of adverse outcomes. For some individuals, perpetration of violence is an important potential outcome to reduce. How these clinical services currently assess this risk however is uncertain. This study aimed to address this gap by using qualitative methods to examine in depth current approaches, attitudes and challenges to assessing violence risk in this clinical setting, from the perspectives of multidisciplinary clinicians, patients and carers. Methods: Participants were recruited from two UK Early Intervention in Psychosis services. Semi‐structured individual interviews were undertaken using a topic guide. In addition, clinical vignettes were presented to clinician participants as a probe to prompt discussion. Data were analysed using thematic analysis, informed by the constant comparative method. Results: We conducted 30 qualitative interviews, of 18 clinicians and 12 patients and carers. Themes developed from clinician interviews included key difficulties of low confidence, limited training, accessing collateral information and variation in how risk is appraised and communicated. Potential stigma and sensitivity of the topic of violence were perceived as barriers to its discussion. Patient and carer perspectives provided insight into how to address barriers, and highlighted the importance of an open approach, including with families. Conclusions: We recommend developing contextually appropriate pathways to collaboratively assess violence risk and identify modifiable needs to reduce this risk, and for practical improvements in training and information‐sharing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This was a mixed methods cross-sectional study evaluating OPD EERSS services in London. This included whether engagement with EERSS improved service participants' well-being and relationships with others, and reduced risk. Participants completed self-reported measures on working alliance, psychological distress, and well-being; and at different time points of service participation, were compared on outcomes including risk and attendance at statutory appointments. EERSS were compared to two control groups; the Intensive Intervention Risk Management Service (IIRMS) group, and a 'no-intervention' OPD screened-in group. A subsample of EERSS participants took part in qualitative interviews. Findings highlighted the positive impact of EERSS and IIRMS; in particular, that participants in those services improved their attendance at statutory probation appointments, compared to controls. There was a positive indication of improvement in well-being and risk. Qualitative findings identified aspects of the therapeutic alliance which improved well-being and engagement with probation. In conclusion, EERSS added value to the OPD pathway and may be deserving of wider rollout. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Work on deterrence demonstrates that high perceptions of formal sanctions (e.g., arrest) and informal sanctions (e.g., negative reactions from others) both relate to decreased offending behaviors. However, there are numerous contextual factors that influence the strength of formal and informal sanctions on crime. The current study uses the Pathways to Desistance data to explore how formal and informal sanctions relate to offending, and how legal cynicism moderates this process. Findings from a series of longitudinal models show that higher perceptions of both formal and informal sanctions are related to decreased offending, while higher legal cynicism is linked to increased offending. Legal cynicism moderates the relationship between formal—but not informal—sanctions and offending. Policy implications are explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Youth in the juvenile justice system evince high rates of mental health symptoms, including anxiety and depression. How these symptom profiles change after first contact with the justice system and - importantly - how they are related to re-offending remains unclear. Here, we use latent growth curve modeling to characterize univariate and multivariate growth of anxiety, depression, and re-offending in 1216 male adolescents over 5 years following their first arrest. Overall, the group showed significant linear and quadratic growth in internalizing symptoms and offending behaviors over time such that levels decreased initially after first arrest followed by a small but significant upturn occurring a few years later. Crucially, multivariate growth models revealed strong positive relationships between the rates of growth in internalizing symptoms and offending behaviors such that improvements in mental health related to greater decreases in offending, and vice versa. These results highlight the reciprocal nature of internalizing and externalizing problems in adolescence, underscoring the importance of considering mental health alongside offending in the juvenile justice system.

Conscience can be defined as a dynamic psychological function that regulates our behavior and identity through self-reflection, in an interplay of the constituent functions empathy, self-conscious emotions, and moral reasoning. Functions that are self-contained influences, but which together form the conscience. Compared to non-offenders, offenders have been reported to exhibit lower levels of these aspects. This study aims to provide a more dynamic understanding of how these aspects of conscience interact and constitute its functioning. Contrary to our expectation, network analysis (N = 281) revealed no significant differences in the structure or density of conscience networks between offenders (n = 123) and non-offenders (n = 158). Results of regression analyses suggest that conscience depends strongly on the development of self, on decentralization from self-centeredness to a broadened perspective, and more on capacities for affective than cognitive empathy. Cognitive distortions appeared not to be predictive of lower levels of guilt or shame. Failure of one of the constituent aspects appears to negatively affect the functioning of conscience as a whole. Diagnosing conscience functioning must therefore be aimed at all of those aspects in order to enable targeted interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deterrence theory is the framework traditionally used to underpin road policing practices. However, there have been several developments in deterrence theory. This study uses an integrated approach and tests four hypotheses derived from classical deterrence theory, Stafford and Warr's reconceptualization and informal sanctioning. Regression analysis of self-reported data from a sample (N = 623) of Queensland's drivers provided evidence that punishment avoidance, both direct and vicarious, significantly predicted offending driving behaviors. Moreover, while offending driving behaviors appeared unrelated to formal sanctioning, including certainty, severity, and celerity, they were inversely associated with informal sanctions involving shame, guilt, and concern over losing the respect of friends. This indicates that policing agencies may be able to reduce road offending by implementing interventions targeted at the informal sanctions associated with these behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is prevalent amongst offenders, increasing risks for aggressive and delinquent behaviors. Since ADHD and its symptoms can persist into adulthood, accurately diagnosing and maintaining diagnoses in offenders is crucial to ensure appropriate treatment and reduce recidivism. Methods: This study employed a retrospective longitudinal design to investigate ADHD amongst adult offenders with a confirmed diagnosis of ADHD during childhood or adolescence at a Swiss forensic outpatient clinic between 2008 and 2021. N = 181 patient files were reviewed, including forensic expert witness assessments and treatment reports. We charted the adulthood trajectory of patients with a confirmed childhood/adolescence ADHD diagnosis, examining the course of their diagnoses. Results: Of 181 patients, evidence indicated that 12 (7%) had an ADHD diagnosis in childhood/adolescence. In 1 (8%) of these 12 cases, the diagnosis was maintained throughout the observation period. For 4 patients (33%), a diagnosis was given in the first forensic psychiatric expert witness assessment in adulthood but subsequently dropped. In another 4 cases (33%), the diagnosis was dropped in adulthood but later re-assigned, whereas in 3 cases (25%), the diagnosis was discontinued throughout the observation period. In 50% of cases with a diagnostic change, the discontinuation of an adult ADHD diagnosis coincided with a newly diagnosed personality disorder (or vice versa). Conclusions: Our findings highlighted considerable inconsistencies in the assignment of adult ADHD diagnoses amongst offenders. Whilst ADHD remission in adulthood occurs, the diagnostic variability in our results warrants detailed scrutiny. One possibility is that ADHD has similar fluctuations to conditions like depression, as argued elsewhere. Equally, diagnoses may become "lost", meaning they are not given even when applicable and replaced by other diagnoses. Additionally, residual symptoms may remain but beyond the diagnostic threshold. This is significant because untreated ADHD can increase re-offending risks and adverse health outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a lack of research examining Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) in forensic psychiatric patients despite research consistently demonstrating a relationship between ACEs and later life mental and physical health issues and likelihood of incarceration. The current study sought to examine the relationships between ACEs and indicators of health and offending among forensic psychiatric patients. Medicolegal files were reviewed and coded for 313 patients from two independent high and low/medium security Canadian forensic psychiatric programs. Findings from both samples revealed higher than previously reported average and cumulative rates of childhood adversity compared to the general population, and rates which were comparable to other forensic samples. Both samples revealed positive relationships between ACEs and both mental health and offending history, while differential patterns between samples emerged for physical health outcomes. Results are interpreted via comparisons between the samples, as well as in reference to previous forensic, correctional, clinical, and community research findings. Although it is clear from these results that ACEs are a significant factor in the forensic psychiatric population, more research is needed to better understand the interactions among, and mechanisms through which, ACEs contribute to offending onset and risk, treatment response, and both mental and physical health outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The link between schizophrenia and homicide has long been the subject of research with significant impact on mental health policy, clinical practice, and public perception of people with psychiatric disorders. The present study investigates factors contributing to completed homicides committed by offenders diagnosed with schizophrenia referred to a Swiss forensic institution, using machine learning algorithms. Data were collected from 370 inpatients at the Centre for Inpatient Forensic Therapy at the Zurich University Hospital of Psychiatry. A total of 519 variables were explored to differentiate homicidal and other (violent and non-violent) offenders. The dataset was split employing variable filtering, model building, and selection embedded in a nested resampling approach. Ten factors regarding criminal and psychiatric history and clinical factors were identified to be influential in differentiating between homicidal and other offenders. Findings expand the research on influential factors for completed homicide in patients with schizophrenia. Limitations, clinical relevance, and future directions are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores how South Australian judges use information about child sexual abuse (CSA) victimization history and its potentially traumatic impact, when sentencing adult defendants. Past research indicates that sentencing outcomes may significantly improve if judicial officers are "trauma-informed." "Trauma" is the distressing impact of adversity on an individual's social and emotional well-being. Drawing from a sample of 33 sentencing remarks within which judicial officers have identified defendants with histories of CSA, this article applies a trauma-informed practice framework to explore the degree to which the sentencing of these defendants may be trauma-informed. Finally, the paper discusses potential initiatives to better achieve community safety when sentencing people with trauma from CSA. The findings are highly transferable, given the parallels in the sentencing calculus across countries that have a Westminster system of law. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Autism spectrum disorder (hereafter referred to as autism) is characterised by difficulties with (i) social communication, social interaction, and (ii) restricted and repetitive interests and behaviours. Estimates of autism prevalence within the criminal justice system (CJS) vary considerably, but there is evidence to suggest that the condition can be missed or misidentified within this population. Autism has implications for an individual’s journey through the CJS, from police questioning and engagement in court proceedings through to risk assessment, formulation, therapeutic approaches, engagement with support services, and long-term social and legal outcomes. Methods This consensus based on professional opinion with input from lived experience aims to provide general principles for consideration by United Kingdom (UK) CJS personnel when working with autistic individuals, focusing on autistic offenders and those suspected of offences. Principles may be transferable to countries beyond the UK. Multidisciplinary professionals and two service users were approached for their input to address the effective identification and support strategies for autistic individuals within the CJS. Results The authors provide a consensus statement including recommendations on the general principles of effective identification, and support strategies for autistic individuals across different levels of the CJS. Conclusion Greater attention needs to be given to this population as they navigate the CJS.

Offenders convicted of trafficking human beings for sexual exploitation involve a high percentage of women compared to other similar offenses. Previous studies have searched for explanations for the dynamics of the illegal sex market and the coercion experienced by victims during the process of exploitation and exit. This article analyses the content of 58 judicial decisions involving a sample of 148 women convicted in Spain of trafficking in human beings between 2017 and 2024. Two main dimensions are explored: the criminal organizations performing the sexual exploitation phase in Spain and the characteristics, positions, and roles of women traffickers within the criminal organizations. Half of the sample occupies leadership roles, while the other half consists of supporters, especially in larger trafficking networks. Regarding the positions and roles of women offenders, supporters and partners in crime are at higher risk of being coerced due to the nature of their roles or partnerships.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is common among justice-involved persons, creating substantial health and economic burdens owing to its association with a range of adverse psychosocial outcomes. No study to date has synthesised extant knowledge about TBI across the whole criminal justice pathway. We aimed to conduct a systematic review of the literature on TBI across this pathway, from arrest through to release from custody. Following PRISMA guidelines, five key electronic databases (PubMed, PsychInfo, Medline, Embase, Cinahl), Proquest Dissertations & Theses Global, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Web of Science, and grey literature were searched up to May 2023. Fifty-six reports met inclusion criteria. Three more reports were added after review. TBI prevalence rates ranged from 5.65% to 100% with higher rates among persons experiencing federal incarceration, justice-involved adolescents, and justice-involved veterans in the US. Severity of TBI was mostly mild. Studies reported positive associations between TBI and many psychosocial outcomes including violence, incarceration rates, cognitive impairment, mood disorders, psychosis, substance use disorders, and socioeconomic deprivation. Other adverse outcomes included reduced participation in educational activities and increased utilisation of mental health services. More research is needed to establish the true prevalence of TBI in criminal justice systems and the relationship between TBI and psychosocial as well as criminogenic outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Comorbid substance use disorder (SUD) is linked to a higher risk of violence in patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorder (SSD). The objective of this study is to explore the most distinguishing factors between offending and non-offending patients diagnosed with SSD and comorbid SUD using supervised machine learning. Methods: A total of 269 offender patients and 184 non-offender patients, all diagnosed with SSD and SUD, were assessed using supervised machine learning algorithms. Results: Failures during opening, referring to rule violations during a permitted temporary leave from an inpatient ward or during the opening of an otherwise closed ward, was found to be the most influential distinguishing factor, closely followed by non-compliance with medication (in the psychiatric history). Following in succession were social isolation in the past, no antipsychotics prescribed (in the psychiatric history), and no outpatient psychiatric treatments before the current hospitalization. Discussion: This research identifies critical factors distinguishing offending patients from non-offending patients with SSD and SUD. Among various risk factors considered in prior research, this study emphasizes treatment-related differences between the groups, indicating the potential for improvement regarding access and maintenance of treatment in this particular population. Further research is warranted to explore the relationship between social isolation and delinquency in this patient population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is well-known that experiences of out-of-home care (OHC; foster-family care and residential care) are linked to criminal behavior. Less is known how criminal activity in the OHC population develops over the life course and to what extent such development is characterized by desistance or persistence. Using population-based longitudinal register data for more than 740,000 Swedish men and women, of which around 2.5% have experience of OHC, followed until age 40, results from group-based trajectory modelling and multinomial regression suggest that OHC-experienced individuals with various timing and duration of placement, especially men first placed as teenagers, have substantially elevated likelihood for persistent offending compared to peers without OHC experience. However, most OHC-experienced followed pathways characterized by desistance. Our findings have implications for understanding the dynamics of offending in OHC populations and underscores the necessity for interventions that can prevent the onset of criminal careers, as well as disrupt or modify the ongoing paths of offending within this disadvantaged group of individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

IntroductionComorbid substance use disorder (SUD) is linked to a higher risk of violence in patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorder (SSD). The objective of this study is to explore the most distinguishing factors between offending and non-offending patients diagnosed with SSD and comorbid SUD using supervised machine learning.MethodsA total of 269 offender patients and 184 non-offender patients, all diagnosed with SSD and SUD, were assessed using supervised machine learning algorithms.ResultsFailures during opening, referring to rule violations during a permitted temporary leave from an inpatient ward or during the opening of an otherwise closed ward, was found to be the most influential distinguishing factor, closely followed by non-compliance with medication (in the psychiatric history). Following in succession were social isolation in the past, no antipsychotics prescribed (in the psychiatric history), and no outpatient psychiatric treatments before the current hospitalization.DiscussionThis research identifies critical factors distinguishing offending patients from non-offending patients with SSD and SUD. Among various risk factors considered in prior research, this study emphasizes treatment-related differences between the groups, indicating the potential for improvement regarding access and maintenance of treatment in this particular population. Further research is warranted to explore the relationship between social isolation and delinquency in this patient population.

Offenders with severe personality pathology are at significantly increased risk of serious and violent offending. In England and Wales, offenders who are likely to meet criteria for a diagnosis of personality disorder are managed within a network of ‘Offender Personality Disorder Pathway’ services. We conducted a retrospective cohort study over 6 years, using linked routine datasets, to examine the effectiveness of these services on male offenders (n = 28,321). We compared the outcomes of those who received a simple case formulation and had not been referred to Pathway services (the ‘Comparison group’), with a group of offenders who had received a complex case formulation and been referred to Pathway services (the ‘Treatment group’). Over time, significant improvements occurred in re-offending risk scores, and lower rates of behavioural disturbance among both Treatment and Comparison groups of offenders. However, no statistically significant differences were detected in the rates of improvement between Treatment and Comparison groups. Offending rates in both groups significantly increased over time, although there was no significant difference in the increase in offending rates between the Treatment and Comparison groups. Currently, there is no statistical evidence that the Pathway is associated with changes in offender behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Females are the fastest growing justice involved population in the United States, yet there is relatively little empirical research on the collateral consequences of juvenile justice involvement specifically for females. A growing body of empirical research underscores linkages between juvenile justice involvement and negative health and psychosocial outcomes, both in the short and long term. Method: The current study describes the long-term collateral consequences of juvenile justice involvement for females previously involved in the juvenile justice system, drawing from a longitudinal dataset of 166 women who were initially recruited in adolescence due to chronic and severe justice system involvement. Participants were 15 years-old on average at study enrollment and 35 years-old on average at the current assessment. This paper describes the adolescent and adult experiences of the sample, therefore depicting the developmental trajectories of risk and protective factors for females involved with juvenile justice. Results: As adults, 73% of the sample experienced arrest and 36% experienced incarceration. High rates of mental and physical health problems were reported, including that 50% of the sample met diagnostic criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder. Over 400 children were born to the sample, with high rates of documented intergenerational child welfare involvement. Discussion: Study findings are discussed in the context of best practices for supporting adolescent girls involved with the juvenile justice system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to characterize people with dementia who were charged with criminal offences between 1995 and 2020 and describe their offending. Court cases were derived from Australian legal databases and descriptive data were manually extracted from case reports. Of 62 people variously charged with homicide, assault, child sexual assault, breach of conditions, property and larceny offences, driving offences, perverting the course of justice and arson, 46 were identified as having executive dysfunction, either as stated by medical expert witnesses or implicitly, due to conditions like Huntington’s disease and frontotemporal dementia. Offending history was found to differ depending on offence type and dementia type. Executive dysfunction appears to underly offending in the sample; furthermore, some disease factors may combine to ‘inhibit’ or ‘permit’ offending. Permitting factors include executive dysfunction and younger age at time of offending; inhibitory factors include dementia-related impacts on mobility, memory and reaction speed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We argue that reconceptualizing social bond theory (SBT) through incorporation of dual agency and change can identify unique causal change sequences, improve its ability to explain offending, and generate new questions about it. The reconceptualization recognizes that individuals and those with whom they interact play an ongoing role in contributing to the bond. It shows that changes in the bond can contribute to changes in delinquency through three sequences, each with a unique over-time pattern that depends on how bond agents respond to delinquency. We identify implications for SBT—highlighting that theoretical arguments about static effects do not necessarily equate to straightforward predictions about change effects—and, more broadly, efforts to advance theories of offending. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]