Prison Homicide: An Extension of Violent Criminal Careers?

This study investigated prison homicide perpetrators through the lens of the career criminal perspective. Prison homicide, while a rare event, has critical implications for the prison environment. Despite its importance as a form of institutional violence that must be addressed, only four studies in the past five decades have explored the characteristics of homicide perpetrators/victims, the motives, and circumstances of the crime. The goal of the current study was to develop a better understanding of prison homicide by examining 54 perpetrators who committed 37 inmate homicides over 40 years in a mid-Western state prison system. Results showed that prison homicides typically involved a younger male inmate perpetrator, acting independently, murdering an older inmate, in his cell, by stabbing or beating the victim during an altercation. Perpetrators, in comparison with victims and prisoners in general, had a record indicating more prior community homicides, elevated institutional risk scores, and higher rates of serious and assaultive prison misconduct, all indicative of prior community and prison maladjustment. Consistent with career criminal research, prison homicide perpetrators constitute a small but distinct subset of habitually deviant criminals that perpetrate high rates of criminal and violent behavior regardless of context.

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Contextual variability in biopsychosocial pathways to violent offending

Journal of Criminal Psychology ◽

10.1108/jcp-03-2018-0014 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 8 (4) ◽

pp. 249-264 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Danielle M. Fenimore ◽

Wesley G. Jennings

Keyword(s):

Criminal Behavior ◽

Violent Behavior ◽

Empirical Support ◽

Maladaptive Behavior ◽

Sociocultural Factors ◽

Content Type ◽

Violent Offending ◽

Violent Criminal ◽

Biopsychosocial Theory ◽

Contextual Variability

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to use data from the Longitudinal Study of Violent Criminal Behavior in the USA to examine case configurations of violent behavior using a biopsychosocial framework. Specifically, the theory posits that arguably all behavior is the result of specific combinations of biopsychological (individual) and sociocultural (environmental) characteristics that are interacting within the individual. With regard to criminal and violent behavior, the theoretical assumption is that this maladaptive behavior is the result of a negative interaction between the biopsychological and sociocultural factors. Design/methodology/approach The study design consists of secondary data analysis. A conjunctive analysis of case configurations was performed using data from the Longitudinal Survey of Violent Criminal Behavior to formally explore the tenets of Cortés and Gatti’s (1972) biopsychosocial theory. Findings The results suggest that there are main effects for ego strength, family problems, family incohesiveness and underachievement as they relate to offending. A possible six-way interaction was also identified within the case configurations that provides empirical support for Cortés and Gatti’s (1972) biopsychosocial theory of deviance. Originality/value The present study contributes to the existing biopsychosocial literature by providing insight on the contextual variability in pathways to violent offending. Specifically, the evidence provided indicates that Cortés and Gatti’s (1972) biopsychosocial theory of deviance can be extended to comparing violent and non-violent offenders. Implications for policy and practice are also discussed.

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Violent Criminal Behavior Over the Life Course: A Review of the Longitudinal and Comparative Research

Violence and Victims ◽

10.1891/0886-6708.8.3.235 ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 8 (3) ◽

pp. 235-252 ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

John H. Laub ◽

Janet L. Lauritsen

Keyword(s):

Life Course ◽

Comparative Research ◽

Criminal Behavior ◽

Longitudinal Research ◽

Developmental Trajectories ◽

Violent Behavior ◽

Future Research ◽

Opportunity Structures ◽

Violent Criminal ◽

The Life Course

In this paper we review the existing longitudinal research on violent criminal behavior. Although interested in comparative research on this topic, we found that virtually all of the longitudinal studies comprised individuals from Western societies. The primary issue we examine concerns the extent to which there are universal patterns of violent behavior over the life course. Based on the available evidence, our best guess is that universal patterns do not exist It cannot be answered definitively, however, to what extent sociocultural variations in violence reflect differences in opportunity structures or differences in developmental trajectories and transitions over the life course. In order to address these issues, specific recommendations for future research, both within countries and cross-nationally, are presented and discussed.

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Prisons, Deterrence, and Incapacitation

Modern Control Theory and the Limits of Criminal Justice ◽

10.1093/oso/9780190069797.003.0008 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 151-162

Author(s):

Michael Gottfredson ◽

Travis Hirschi

Keyword(s):

Control Theory ◽

Early Adulthood ◽

Crime Rates ◽

Criminal Careers ◽

Criminal Career ◽

Criminal Sanctions ◽

Career Criminal ◽

Theory Of Crime ◽

Offender Typologies

Modern control theory doubts the effectiveness of criminal sanctions to affect the crime rate substantially. This view is contrasted with the expectations of the criminal career perspective, a leading view on the nature of crime and the role of the criminal justice system in controlling crime by deterrence and incapacitation. The contrast is illustrated with differing expectations about how age is related to crime (including serious offending), the importance of the versatility effect for offending, and evidence about how changes in incarceration levels are expected to be related to crime rates. On all counts, the results of competent contemporary research support the expectations of the general theory of crime over the expectations of criminal career/career criminal traditions. The research on statistical modeling and offender typologies in the criminal careers tradition has not provided consistent or replicated results demonstrating that criminal sanctions effectively incapacitate or deter offending. Control theory is inconsistent with mass incarceration, with the belief that increasing severity of sanctions reduces crime rates either by incapacitation or by deterrence, and notes that crime tends overwhelmingly to decline with age for all offenders beginning in early adulthood.

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When a victim becomes violent perpetrator: Violent victimization in childhood, violent criminal behavior in adulthood

Temida ◽

10.2298/tem1304005s ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 16 (3-4) ◽

pp. 5-25

Author(s):

Ljiljana Stevkovic

Keyword(s):

Risk Factor ◽

Violent Crime ◽

Criminal Behavior ◽

Violent Behavior ◽

Violent Victimization ◽

Men And Women ◽

Adult Men ◽

Violent Criminal ◽

Indirect Exposure ◽

Familial Context

Numerous international research has identified that direct or indirect exposure to violent victimization in a familial context during childhood is a risk factor for violent criminal behavior of victimized children in adulthood. Studies of violent victimization of children in Serbia are rare, and are mostly directed at determining the prevalence, the main characteristics of or the immediate physical, psychological and behavioral consequences of victimization. Empirical analysis of the criminological consequences of early violent victimization in adulthood are an exception in scientific studies in Serbia. The aim of the paper is to present the results of research into the influence of early violent victimization on violent crime of adult men and women. After the introduction a brief overview of the worldwide research confirming the correlation between the experience of violent victimization and subsequent violent behavior is given. The results of the research conducted by the author will then be discussed. The results illustrate the possibility of predicting violent criminal behavior in adulthood based on indicators of direct and indirect victimization in childhood.

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Gang organization and violence in youth correctional facilities

Journal of Criminological Research Policy and Practice ◽

10.1108/jcrpp-03-2015-0004 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 2 (2) ◽

pp. 81-94 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Daniel Walter Scott ◽

Cheryl Lee Maxson

Keyword(s):

Negative Binomial ◽

Violent Behavior ◽

Negative Binomial Regression ◽

Correctional Facilities ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Content Type ◽

Institutional Violence ◽

Binomial Regression ◽

Gang Organization ◽

The Relationship

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine characteristics of gang organization in youth correctional facilities as reported by youth and staff as well as to analyze the relationship between institutional violence and level of gang organization. Design/methodology/approach – The data were collected through interviews with staff and youth in correctional facilities. Gang organization level averages are compared across youth and official perspectives, and the variability of responses among youth is also examined. Negative binomial regression models are conducted to determine the association between perceived level of gang organization and officially recorded violent behavior, both prior to and subsequent to the interview. Findings – Perceptions of institutional gang organization vary notably depending on who is reporting. In contrast with prior studies of street gangs, controlling for youth demographics and offense characteristics, the authors find no significant relationship between gang organization and violence. Research limitations/implications – The sample size is small and the data are cross-sectional. Future studies will need to be conducted in order to confirm these findings, as they contradict prior studies. The analysis of street gang organization may need to be approached differently by scholars. Originality/value – Research has not been conducted on the organizational structure of gangs in youth correctional facilities or its relationship to institutional violence.

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Suicide in New South Wales Prisons, 1995–2005: Towards a Better Understanding

Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry ◽

10.1080/00048670701341863 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 41 (6) ◽

pp. 519-524 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Colmán O'Driscoll ◽

Anthony Samuels ◽

Mark Zacka

Keyword(s):

New South ◽

New South Wales ◽

Rare Event ◽

Data Set ◽

The Past ◽

South Wales ◽

Number Of Factors ◽

Prison Environment ◽

Deaths In Custody

Objectives: This paper reports on a review of suicides in New South Wales (NSW) prisons from 1 January 1995 to 31 December 2005 in an attempt to gain a better understanding of the nature and quality of the problem of suicide among prisoners. Method: All deaths in NSW prisons for the period were reviewed. Those identified as self-inflicted, with a coronial finding of death by suicide or those awaiting a coronial hearing but reported as possible death by suicide were included. A data set was collected on each case and entered into a database. Results: A total of 92 cases were identified as deaths by suicide in NSW prisons from 1 January 1995 to 31 December 2005, representing 41% of all deaths in custody for the period. Conclusion: The rate of suicide in NSW prisons has been declining over the past 10 years, but remains approximately 10-fold that of the NSW community. Suicide was the leading cause of death among NSW inmates from 1995 to 2005. Suicide is a rare event, making its prediction a difficult task, with the prison environment a further compounding factor. This review highlights a number of factors, which appear to be common in many cases. Increased monitoring during the first week of incarceration may be an effective intervention. It is recommended that consideration be given to the length of time spent on remand and the value of custodial sentences of ≤6 months.

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Filhos da (in)justiça

Passagens Revista Internacional de História Política e Cultura Jurídica ◽

10.15175/1984-2503-202113306 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (3) ◽

pp. 508-529

Author(s):

Luciana SIMAS

Keyword(s):

Safe Motherhood ◽

Criminal Proceedings ◽

Human Right ◽

Healthy Development ◽

Institutional Violence ◽

House Arrest ◽

Institutional Responses ◽

Post Natal Care ◽

Prison Environment ◽

Natal Care

The following article presents statements by pregnant or breastfeeding women to have been through custody hearings and criminal proceedings while released on bail, illustrating institutional responses to prenatal, childbirth, and post-natal care outside the prison environment. The aim was to document the possibilities for and difficulties of applying release measures, according to the women’s own narratives of violence. The qualitative research is based on an analysis of content and is organized according to thematic modules with an exploration of the material collected in interviews and field data. Several obstacles faced in the empirical study have been highlighted, as have the experiences of the women inside and outside the prisons, in terms of the exercise of motherhood, life with the child, the lack of state assistance, and the consequences of the imprisonment. The report from mothers to have been released on bail or placed under house arrest due to pregnancy demonstrates adequate pre-natal care and the children’s healthy development, although difficulties were still experienced during childbirth. The adoption of measures to release the women allowed for better access to healthcare, in line with the human right to safe motherhood. The satisfaction of being able to care for their children and live alongside family stood out as a positive factor. Situations of institutional violence still persist, given the insufficiency or absence of state protection.

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Trauma and institutional risk in a secure developmental disorder service: does the SAVRY inflate risk in adolescents exposed to ACEs?

Journal of Intellectual Disabilities and Offending Behaviour ◽

10.1108/jidob-09-2021-0015 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽

Author(s):

Elanor Lucy Webb ◽

Deborah Morris ◽

Abbey Hamer ◽

Jessica Davies

Keyword(s):

Risk Assessment ◽

Developmental Disorders ◽

Developmental Disorder ◽

Assessment Tools ◽

Risk Scores ◽

Risk Behaviours ◽

Content Type ◽

Assessment Scores ◽

Institutional Risk ◽

Risk Assessment Tools

Purpose Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are highly prevalent in people with developmental disorders who engage in offending behaviour. Many violence-based risk assessment tools include items pertaining to ACEs, and may inflate risk scores in trauma-exposed groups. This paper aims to explore the relationships between ACEs, risk assessment scores, incidents of risk and restrictive practices, in adolescents with developmental disorders in a forensic inpatient setting. Design/methodology/approach Secondary analysis was conducted on clinical data for 34 adolescents detained to a developmental disorder service. Data were extracted for Structured Assessment of Violence Risk in Youth (SAVRY) risk scores and risk behaviours and restrictive practices, as measures of observed risk. Findings Participants exposed to more ACEs had higher SAVRY risk scores (p < 0.001, two-tailed), with elevations specifically on the historical subscale (p < 0.001, two-tailed). Neither ACEs nor risk scores were associated with the frequency of risk behaviours. Nevertheless, participants exposed to four or more ACEs were secluded more frequently (p = 0.015, two-tailed), indicating a potential association between trauma and risk severity. Those with more complex developmental disorders experienced fewer ACEs (p = 0.02, two-tailed) and engaged in self-harm behaviours less frequently (p = 0.04, two-tailed). Research limitations/implications The inclusion of ACEs in risk assessment tools may lead to the inadvertent stigmatization of trauma-exposed individuals. Further investigation is necessary to offer clarity on the impact of early adversity on risk assessment accuracy and levels of institutional risk, and the role of developmental disorders in this relationship. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to explore the relative associations between ACEs, risk assessment scores and observed institutional risk and does so in a highly marginalized population.

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