The Reconvictions of Mentally Disordered Offenders - How, When, and Where?

Background Little is known about the recidivism of mentally disordered offenders after discharge from forensic psychiatric services. This is problematic because such knowledge could (i) help professionals who come into contact with this group to better plan interventions to prevent recidivism and (ii) clarify the effectiveness of forensic psychiatric care. The aim of this study was to investigate the new crimes of mentally disordered offenders who had been reconvicted after discharge from forensic psychiatric care. Methods Included in this study were all individuals who had been discharged from forensic psychiatric care in Sweden during 2009-2018, were included in the Swedish National Forensic Psychiatric Register, and had been reconvicted in a criminal court within the follow-up period of 2009-2018 (n=157). Retrospective registry data along with coded data from criminal judgments (n=210) were used to create a database. Descriptive statistical analysis was performed. Results 75% of included individuals were reconvicted for at least one violent crime, but only 9 individuals were reconvicted for a serious violent crime, which can be compared to the 44 individuals with serious violent index crimes. The most common crime was “Other violent”. The most common sentence was probation. The offender’s most common relationship to the victim was having no known relationship, followed by the victim being a person of authority. The most common circumstance of the crime leading to the reconviction was that it occurred without apparent provocation; other common circumstances were related to the exercise of public authority. The most common crime scene was a public place. Conclusions Even though the reconvictions of this group included many violent crimes, there were very few serious violent crimes. The finding that the victims of the crimes of mentally disordered offenders are most commonly either unknown to the perpetrator or persons of authority, and that the crimes are often perpetrated without apparent provocation or reason, is important information for all professionals who come into contact with this group and should be taken into consideration in order to assess risk more accurately.

Detectives’ Descriptions of Their Responses to Sexual Assault Cases and Victims: Assessing the Overlap Between Rape Myths and Focal Concerns

Increasing just responses to sexual assault requires understanding how police perceive sexual assault cases and victims, and which legal (e.g., evidence), extralegal (e.g., suspect characteristics), and practical (e.g., convictability) concerns influence their responses in these cases. Using interview data collected in the Los Angeles Sexual Assault Study, we qualitatively analyzed 611 comments made by 52 detectives in response to questions about case processing decisions (e.g., what it takes to arrest) to examine the factors detectives described as relevant to their assessments of allegations as legitimate, victims as credible, and cases as chargeable. Results revealed overlap between rape myths and legal, extralegal, and practical concerns. Specifically, comments referenced rape myths in relation to suspect blameworthiness and dangerousness, evidence, victim cooperation, and prosecutors’ decisions. Comments also revealed some detectives lacked knowledge of relevant legal statutes and case processing guidelines (e.g., unfound criteria). These results suggest that sexual assault case attrition stems from an orientation to prosecutors’ charging criteria rather than probable cause, and organizational factors, such as deprioritization of sex crimes investigations. We recommend that departments adequately staff and equip sex crimes units with investigatory resources and prioritize sex crimes investigations over non-violent crimes. Departments should incentivize sex crimes assignments and screen applicants for quality, experience, and bias. Detectives in these units should undergo regular trainings on unfounding and probable cause criteria and should be required to make arrests when they have probable cause to do so.

INVESTIGATIVE SITUATIONS OF INTERROGATION OF A VIOLENT CRIMINAL DEFENDANT

The article examines the problems of the tactics of interrogating the defendant when the court considerscriminal cases of violent crimes against the person. The urgency of such a study is substantiated. Theimportance of the interrogation of the defendant in the establishment by the court of the circumstances ofthe criminal event in question is noted. Typical situations of judicial investigation are determined, dependingon the position of the defendant. The differences of such situations from investigative situations emerging atthe stage of preliminary investigation are revealed. The features of investigative situations of interrogation ofthe defendant, their significance for the construction of the tactics of the judicial investigation are considered.The peculiarities of the formation of the testimony of the defendant during the judicial examination ofcriminal cases of violent crimes, the factors influencing their formation are revealed. Highlighted the typicalversions put forward by the defense when the court is considering criminal cases of violent crimes. Tacticalrecommendations for organizing the interrogation of the defendant are formulated, the circumstancesthat require clarification during interrogation are indicated, tactical techniques that can be used by theprosecution to ensure the effectiveness of the interrogation are determined.

THE SPECIFIC OF PREVENTIVE WORK WITH EXTREMIST PRISONERS ON THE EXAMPLE OF UK PRISONS

Проблемы распространения экстремизма и радикализации общества является одной из первостепенных проблем любого государства. Последствия насильственных преступлений, совершаемых по экстремистским мотивам, всегда поражают своей циничностью, безжалостностью и порождают страх у всего общества. Наши исправительные учреждения тоже столкнулись с проблемами распространения и пропаганды экстремизма среди осужденных со стороны лиц, отбывающих наказание за эти преступления. Однако, как показывает практика, эта проблема актуальна для пенитенциарных учреждений государств всего мира. Поэтому изучение опыта одной из европейских стран представляется интересным с точки зрения заимствования наиболее эффективных профилактических мероприятий при борьбе с экстремизмом. В статье автором анализируются итоги исследования, проведенного в Великобритании, целью которого было изучение масштабов и характера радикализации осужденных в трех тюрьмах строгого режима Англии и Уэльса. В ходе данного исследования был составлен криминологический портрет осужденного, склонного к радикализации, выявлены основные причины распространения экстремизма в тюрьмах, среди которых особенно выделяются проблемы, связанные с сокращением численности сотрудников, увеличением числа вакантных должностей. Кроме того, отсутствие опыта работы именно с осужденными-мусульманами у персонала тюрем, связанного с непониманием ими основ мусульманской религии, ее ценностей, а также отсутствие профессионально подготовленных капелланов, привели к резкому росту экстремизма. Автором изучены все мероприятия, проведенные на уровне уголовно-исполнительной политики государства с целью профилактики экстремизма в тюрьмах. К таким относится создание в 2016 г. нового государственного управления по вопросам безопасности, порядка и борьбы с терроризмом, а также мероприятия, направленные на обучение персонала, координацию деятельности оперативных служб, выявление наиболее «уязвимых» лиц для радикализации, решение кадровых вопросов с подбором персонала. В результате это привело к сокращению роста распространения экстремизма в тюрьмах Великобритании. The problems of the spread of extremism and the radicalization of society is one of the primary problems of any state. The consequences of violent crimes committed for extremist motives are always striking in their cynicism, ruthlessness and generate fear in the whole society. Our correctional institutions have also faced problems with the spread and propaganda of extremism among convicts, on the part of persons serving sentences for these crimes. But as practice shows, absolutely all penitentiary institutions of the world have faced this. Therefore, studying the experience of one of the European countries seems interesting, from the point of view of borrowing positive experience, the most effective preventive measures in the fight against extremism. The author analyzes the results of a study conducted in Great Britain, which sought to examine the extent and nature of radicalization of convicts in three maximum security prisons in England and Wales. In the course of this study, a criminological portrait of a convict prone to radicalization was compiled, the main causes of the spread of extremism in prisons were identified, among which the problems associated with a reduction in the number of employees and an increase in the number of vacant positions are particularly highlighted. In addition, the lack of experience of working with Muslim convicts among prison staff, due to their lack of understanding of the basics of the Muslim religion, its values, as well as the lack of professionally trained chaplains, led to a sharp increase in extremism. The author has studied all the measures carried out at the level of the state's penal policy in order to prevent extremism in prisons. These include the creation in 2016 of a new State Department for security, order and the fight against terrorism, as well as measures aimed at training personnel, coordinating the activities of operational services, identifying the most "vulnerable" persons for radicalization, and resolving personnel issues with recruitment. As a result, this has led to a reduction in the growth of extremism in UK prisons.

Alcohol, Aggression, and Violence: From Public Health to Neuroscience

Alcohol has been associated with violent crimes and domestic violence across many nations. Various etiological factors were linked to chronic alcohol use and violence including psychiatric comorbidities of perpetrators such as personality disorders, mood disorders, and intermittent explosive disorders. Aggression is the precursor of violence and individuals prone to aggressive behaviors are more likely to commit impulsive violent crimes, especially under the influence of alcohol. Findings from brain studies indicate long-term alcohol consumption induced morphological changes in brain regions involved in self-control, decision-making, and emotional processing. In line with this, the inherent dopaminergic and serotonergic anomalies seen in aggressive individuals increase their susceptibility to commit violent crimes when alcohol present in their system. In relation to this, this article intends to investigate the influence of alcohol on aggression with sociopsychological and neuroscientific perspectives by looking into comorbidity of personality or mood disorders, state of the mind during alcohol consumption, types of beverages, environmental trigger, neurochemical changes, and gender differences that influence individual responses to alcohol intake and susceptibility to intoxicated aggression.

Environmental Conditions Associated With Youth Delinquency Events: A Temporal, Meteorological, and Contextual Perspective

Research on youth delinquency has been essential for gaining a deeper understanding of the etiology of delinquent behavior. Studies considering the environmental perspective have increased during the last decade, but relatively little attention has been paid to temporal patterns and weather conditions. The present study explores the seasonality of youth delinquency as well as the association between violent and non-violent youth offenses and temperature, rainfall, level of darkness, type of day, type of place, and companionship, using data gathered by the police along with data obtained from official weather agencies. To this end, we conducted ANOVA and contingency table analyses. Seasonality was found for non-violent crimes. Companionship, semi-public, and public places were all associated with a higher likelihood of non-violent crime, while darkness and public holidays raise the odds of violent crime to happen. No direct association was found between temperature and type of crime.

Forensic Value of Genetic Variants Associated with Anti-Social Behavior

Insanity defense is sometimes invoked in criminal cases, and its demonstration is usually based on a multifactorial contribution of behavioural, clinical, and neurological elements. Neuroradiological evidence of structural alterations in cerebral areas that involve decision-making and moral reasoning is often accepted as a useful tool in these evaluations. On the other hand, the genetic predisposition to anti-social behavior is still controversial. In this paper, we describe two cases of violent crimes committed by young carriers of genetic variants associated with personality disorder; both the defendants claimed to be insane at the time of the crime. We discuss these cases and review the scientific literature regarding the relationship between legal incapacity/predisposition to criminal behavior and genetic mutations. In conclusion, despite some genetic variants being able to influence several cognitive processes (like moral judgement and impulse control), there is currently no evidence that carriers of these mutations are, per se, incapable of intentionally committing crimes.

Socio-psychological characteristics of convicted persons who have committed violent and self-serving violent crimes

The problem of studying the socio-psychological characteristics of criminals who have committed violent and self-serving violent crimes is extremely relevant. This is due to its insufficient study, the high prevalence of convicts of this category in the population of convicts, the ability to understand the causes and origins of their criminal behavior. The aim of the research is to study the sociopsychological characteristics of convicts who have committed violent and self-serving violent crimes. According to the results obtained, the acceptance of responsibility for the committed crime is associated with the age of the offender (young convicts are more likely to attribute the blame for the committed criminal act to external circumstances). First-time convicts tend to deny the need for social support and show less desire for social contacts; their perception of life goals is less conscious, life is less meaningful compared to repeat offenders. The greater orientation of repeat offenders to social interaction and the perception of their own life as meaningful are considered as associated with the conscious acceptance of criminal values and the commission of criminal acts. The features of the relations of convicts in the parental family are related to the parameters of their further life: constructive employment at the time of detention, the level of education, the available family status, the severity of the crime committed.