Sexual Offenders With Intellectual Disabilities: An Exploratory Comparison Study in an Incarcerated U.S. Sample

Research indicates that individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID) are overrepresented among sexual offenders, and that those with ID might differ from those without ID in terms of the etiology of offending behavior. Despite this, few studies have explored ID using incarcerated U.S. samples. The present study sought to identify relevant characteristics of this population by comparing individuals with and without ID who are incarcerated in the U.S. for sexual offenses. Archival records for 3,066 participants were used to determine demographic, historical, and offense-related characteristics. Participants with ID, including those with borderline ID, comprised 19.1% of the sample and displayed elevated rates of adverse childhood experiences and psychopathology. Contrary to previous research, participants with ID were no more likely to offend against children than those without ID. These findings help to elucidate the etiology of offending behavior among those with ID and inform on potential targets for intervention.

THE CONCEPT AND PROBLEMS OF THE LEGAL NATURE OF CRIMINAL COMPLICITY

Статья посвящена исследованию природы соучастия в преступлении как самостоятельного института уголовного права. Признавая институт соучастия одним из дискуссионных в уголовно-правовой доктрине, авторы отмечают, что в настоящее время спорным является вопрос о юридической природе соучастия, решение которого имеет не только теоретическое, но и практическое значение, заключающееся в обосновании ответственности соучастников преступления при вынесении судебного приговора. Правовая природа соучастия в преступлении проявляется в том, что данный институт определяется нормами уголовного права и тем самым представляет собой особое уголовно-правовое явление, характеризующееся рядом существенных признаков. Основная функция института соучастия как уголовно-правового института заключается в обосновании уголовной ответственности лиц, оказывающих содействие в совершении преступлении. В настоящее время в доктрине выработано две теории, обосновывающие правовую природу соучастия в преступлении: акцессорная теория и теория самостоятельной, независимой от других соучастников ответственности. Проведенный в статье анализ научных концепций и мнений позволяет утверждать, что в настоящее время соучастие в преступлении представляет собой самостоятельный институт уголовного права, закрепленный в нормах Общей и Особенной частей УК РФ, имеющий многоаспектный характер, выражающийся в зависимости от обстоятельств совершения деяния и преступного результата в одних случаях в акцессорной природе ответственности соучастников преступления, в других - в самостоятельной ответственности соучастников преступления. Именно при сочетании акцессорности и индивидуализации ответственности лиц, совершивших преступление, возможна всесторонняя и полная оценка правонарушающего поведения субъектов, а также назначение справедливого наказания. The article is devoted to the study of the nature of complicity in a crime as an independent institution of criminal law. Recognizing the institution of complicity as one of the controversial ones in the criminal law doctrine, the authors note that at present the issue of the legal nature of complicity is controversial, the solution of which has not only theoretical but also practical significance, consisting in justifying the responsibility of accomplices in a crime when passing a court sentence. The legal nature of complicity in a crime is manifested in the fact that this institution is determined by the norms of criminal law and thus represents a special criminal law phenomenon characterized by a number of essential features. The main function of the institute of complicity as a criminal law institution is to substantiate the criminal liability of persons assisting in the commission of a crime. Currently, two theories have been developed in the doctrine that substantiate the legal nature of complicity in a crime: the accessory theory and the theory of independent responsibility, independent of other accomplices. The analysis of scientific concepts and opinions carried out in the article allows us to assert that at present complicity in a crime is an independent institution of criminal law, enshrined in the norms of the General and Special parts of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, having a multidimensional character, expressed depending on the circumstances of the act and the criminal result in some cases in the accessory nature of the responsibility of the accomplices of the crime, in others - in the independent responsibility of the accomplices of the crime. It is with the combination of accessory and individualization of responsibility of persons who have committed a crime that a comprehensive and complete assessment of the offending behavior of subjects is possible, as well as the appointment of a fair punishment.

Differentiating Categories of Violent Adolescent Offending and the Associated Risks in Police and Youth Offending Service Records

Historical risk assessment forms for a sample of 173 males with a history of violent offending and under supervision by Merseyside Youth Offending Services (YOS) were investigated. Subsequent arrest records were scrutinised in order to obtain a better understanding of the relationship of social and psychological risk factors to offending behavior. The mean age of the sample at the point of contact with YOS was 16.01 ( SD = 1.37) with a range between 12 and 18 years. Assault was associated with solo expressive offending, a history of domestic violence, low school attendance and an inability to control impulsivity and aggression. Robbery was associated instrumental and escalated violent offending, psychological disorders, and deviant groups, including family criminal involvement. Risk assessments by professionals and the young people indicated that substance misuse co-occurred with robbery. The findings suggest that solo offenders commit the majority of violent offences and that targeted interventions should distinguish between expressive and instrumental offending.

Healthcare Communication Role in the Detection of Unhealthy Behavior in University Students

The current study aims to identify unhealthy behaviors among university students, establish means of detection of unhealthy behavior, identify obstacles to digital volunteering, and explore the relationship between volunteer preferred style of volunteering and the obstacles to volunteering. Data for the study was gathered by administering an unstructured, anonymous questionnaire to 207 female university students and staff. The survey design included questions about sociodemographic characteristics, views on different facets of volunteering, unhealthy behaviors, and correlation between volunteering and unhealthy behaviors. The results revealed unhealthy behavior detected by the respondents (51.7%). Twenty-eight (13.5%) of the 207 respondents reported using social media in detecting women with offending behavior. The value of Pearson’s R is 0.245; thus, it is considered as weak or no correlation. There is hence no correlation between how respondents preferred volunteer work and the obstacle to volunteering. There is not much difference in the obstacles to volunteering faced by respondents despite their preferred style of volunteering. The findings reveal that digital volunteering effectively gains ground in detecting and managing unhealthy behaviors among university students. Much more could be achieved through digital volunteering if more awareness is created and volunteering programs are designed to be more interesting and less time-consuming to allow more students to participate.

Caregivers’ Considerations of Remorse and Responsibility Among Youth Who Sexually Offend

When a youth sexually offends, most of the reactions and repercussions that follow are understandably negative. However, there is limited research about mixed reactions involving remorse and responsibility on the part of the adolescent who offended and their relatives. Based on qualitative interviews with 16 caregivers among 10 families in Canada, this article presents the parents’ perspectives on the various processes, benefits, challenges, and outcomes related to expressions of remorse and experiences of responsibility among youth who sexually offended, their victims, and their parents. This study sheds particular light on how adolescent perpetrators of sexual harm and especially their caregivers do feel deeply remorseful and responsible for the impacts of sexual offending behavior, which is contrary to public scrutiny that negatively projects responsibility onto youth offenders and their parents. Thus, our findings emphasize the constructive and considerate ways in which remorse is felt and responsibility is assumed; and by extension, they point to the importance of restorative practices in efforts toward reconciliation and accountability.

Activating the Role of Digital Volunteering in Early Detection of Unhealthy Behavior on University Campus in the Era of Covid 19 Crisis

BackgroundThe current study aims to identify unhealthy behaviors among university students, establish means of detecting them as well as identify obstacles to digital volunteering and also explore the relationship between volunteer preferred style of volunteering and the obstacles to volunteering. MethodsData for the study was gathered by administering unstructured, anonymous questionnaire to 207 female university students and staff. The survey design included questions about socio-demographic characteristics, views on different facets of volunteering, unhealthy behaviors and correlation between volunteering and unhealthy behaviors.ResultsThe result revealed unhealthy behavior detected by the respondents (51.7%). Twenty-eight (13.5%) of the 207 respondents reported to use social media in detecting women with offending behavior. The value of Pearson’s R is 0.245; thus is considered a weak or no correlation. There is hence no correlation between how respondents preferred volunteer work and the obstacle to volunteering. There is no much of difference in the obstacles to volunteering faced by respondents despite their preferred style of volunteering.Conclusion The findings reveal that digital volunteering is effectively gaining ground in detection and management of unhealthy behaviors among university students. Much more could be achieved through digital volunteering if more awareness is created and volunteering programs are designed to be more interesting and less time consuming to give more students the opportunity to participate.

The Prevalence of Sexual Interest in Children and Sexually Harmful Behavior Self-Reported by Men Recruited Through an Online Crowdsourcing Platform

This study examined the feasibility of using crowdsourcing to recruit men who self-report sexual interest in children or sexually problematic behavior involving children. Crowdsourcing refers to the use of the internet to reach a large number of people to complete a specific task. A nonrepresentative sample of men ( N = 997) participated in a brief self-report survey examining age of attraction, sexual interest in children, proclivity toward sexual offenses involving children, and history of sexual offending. Almost a quarter of the sample (23.1%) indicated some degree of sexual interest in children, propensity to sexually offend against children, and/or actual offending behavior. We present our data broken down by type of interest or behavior and examine the frequency of these outcomes. Findings are likely to be of value to those considering the viability of crowdsourcing to overcome the limitations or challenges of face-to-face research on stigmatizing interests and behaviors. Findings also contribute to estimating prevalence of self-reported sexual interest in children, and sexual offending behavior toward children, across different countries.

Associations Between Adverse Childhood Experiences and Trauma Among Young People Who Offend: A Systematic Literature Review

This systematic review synthesized current knowledge about the prevalence of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) among young people known to have offended and examined evidence of associations between ACEs, trauma symptoms, and offending behavior. A systematic search of English-language, peer-reviewed studies published from the year 2000 onwards was conducted. A final pool of 124 studies that reported quantitative data were included in the review. The Cambridge Quality Checklist for the assessment of studies on offending was used to assess methodological quality of included studies. Pooled data indicated that almost 87% of justice-involved young people across 13 countries experienced at least one traumatic event. The odds of experiencing at least one ACE were over 12 times greater for justice-involved young people compared with nonjustice-involved young people. Prevalence of individual ACEs ranged from 12.2% for childhood sexual abuse to 80.4% for parental separation among justice-involved young people. Those who reported both a higher number and multiple types of ACEs were more likely to be diagnosed with post-traumatic stress symptoms. However, when considering only high-quality studies, there was minimal evidence to suggest that a higher incidence of ACEs predicted trauma symptoms or that trauma symptoms mediated the association between ACEs and offending behavior. Further research is needed to elucidate factors that differentiate young people exposed to ACEs who go on to offend from those who do not. This research is essential to understanding whether ACEs and trauma are drivers of offending behavior and for informing prevention and intervention strategies.