abstract / Sociology / Master / Master of Philosophy

During the past decade, China has accepted and extensively adopted probation as a type of community-based sanctions. Since 2003, the number of offenders granted probation in China has greatly increased. However, few empirical studies have focused on the impact of probation, the effect of environments that probationers re-enter or what factors are associated with better probation outcomes. This study fills this gap by evaluating probation outcomes over a one-year follow up on a sample of 250 male probationers. The primary aim of this exploratory study is to examine what factors make probation work better from the social learning perspective. This study tests interaction effects between the person and the social environment in which the probationers’ learning occurs. This study also categorizes potential variables into a theoretical framework of static and dynamic risk factors. This study poses two main research questions: (1) Does probation lower the likelihood of reoffending? (2) What specific factors explain whether probationers reoffend during their probation? This study uses unique, first-hand, self-report data from 250 male Chinese probationers. Probationers were interviewed with a structured questionnaire at the start of the study and revisited 12 months later and asked about their probation experience. Probation outcomes were measured by self-reported reoffending behaviors, including recidivism and technical violations. This was triangulated by reports from probation officers. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were used to assess the effects of static and dynamic risk variables on self-reported probation outcomes. Logistic regressions demonstrated that age, employment status, contact with antisocial companions, leisure status, family/marital circumstance, and relationship with probation officers were all significantly associated with probation outcomes. Logistic regressions also demonstrated that leisure status and contact with antisocial companions were critical factors explaining probation success and failure. The main implication of the findings is that personal and interpersonal factors are important in explaining probationers’ reoffending behaviors. Finally, this study also has implications for social services for probationers from relationship and structuring perspectives. / published_or_final_version / Social Work and Social Administration / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

Part of Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Chicago, 1934. / "Reprinted from American journal of sociology, vol. XL, no. 3, November 1934." "Private edition, distributed by the University of Chicago libraries, Chicago, Illinois."

published_or_final_version / Sociology / Master / Master of Philosophy

by Sarina S.F. Lam. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1997. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 43-48). / ABSTRACT --- p.ii / ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS --- p.iii / TABLES OF CONTENTS --- p.iv / Chapter CHAPER I - --- INTRODUCTION --- p.1 / The nature of frotteurism --- p.1 / Personality of sex offenders --- p.2 / Other related constructs of personality --- p.9 / Purpose of the present research --- p.11 / Chapter CHAPTER II - --- METHODS --- p.12 / Subjects --- p.12 / Measures --- p.14 / Procedure --- p.18 / Chapter CHAPTER III - --- RESULTS --- p.18 / Background information of the subjects --- p.18 / Scores for MCMI scales --- p.22 / Analysis of MCMI code types --- p.28 / Loneliness and heterosexual variables gathered from interviews --- p.30 / Chapter CHAPTER IV - --- DISCUSSION --- p.33 / Background of frotteurs in the present sample --- p.33 / Personality problems and clinical syndromes of firotteurs as compared to rapists and controls --- p.35 / Group profiles interpretation --- p.36 / Loneliness and heterosexual relationship --- p.40 / "The inter - relationship of personality, loneliness and sexual offending" --- p.40 / Limitation of present research and future direction --- p.42 / REFERENCES --- p.43 / APPENDICES --- p.49

published_or_final_version / Social Work / Master / Master of Social Work

published_or_final_version / Social Work / Master / Master of Social Sciences

published_or_final_version / Sociology / Master / Master of Social Sciences

背景：除性別及年齡等人員變數外，犯罪思想被視為犯罪行為的重要因素。西方研究找出了犯罪思想不同的結構，同類型的研究在中國或香港相對罕見。這範疇的研究可促進對邊緣青年的預防工作，所以有急切性。 / 目標：本研究旨在了解西方犯罪思想結構能否適用於中國香港的年青罪犯，亦嘗試發掘本土獨有的犯罪思想。犯罪思想與犯罪行為的關係亦會被探究。 / 方法：六個焦點小組找出了超過三百多個青少年的犯罪思想。四位有經驗之臨床心理學家仔細分析並製訂了一個一百四十六題的問卷。 探索性的因素分析提取了具本土特性的犯罪思想題目。 它們與兩個外國的測量，名為犯罪情感測量表 (CSSM) 及犯罪思想測量表 (CTS) 一同被放進回歸模型， 以了解能否提升結構模式的適配度及解釋青少年人的普遍及具體犯罪行為。 / 結果：探索性因素分析找到了十四項具本土特性的犯罪思想題目， 它們能提升CSSM結構模式的適配程度 (goodness of fit) ，卻未能於CTS達至理想效能。 當它們與CSSM結合後，一個四因子模型 (包括「英雄主義」、「對司法系統的態度」、「對罪犯的認同」及「相信法庭對青年人寬大」) 被塑造了。 「對司法系統的態度」能解釋普遍的罪案和有關肢體暴力、財產、毒品及性暴力的罪行。 「對罪犯的認同」能解釋普遍的罪案和有關肢體暴力及財產的罪行。 具本土特性的犯罪思想因子跟CSSM有類似統計學上顯注的辨別能力， 「英雄主義」在識別肢體暴力的罪犯上有些微優勝，而「相信法庭對年青人寬大」則可識別干犯毒品罪行的年青人。 與西方研究結果相符，性別和年齡解釋了大部分犯罪行為的差異，犯罪思想測量表能帶來的附加值有限。 / 討論：是次研究為本地年青人犯罪思想的探索。 在CSSM中，只有「對司法系統的態度」和「對罪犯的認同」這兩個因子被確立，兩個本地獨有的犯罪思想卻被發現了。 討論圍繞着四個犯罪思想因子中共同包含了對司法系統的態度或期望及渴求朋輩的贊同或情感。 文章討論了有關的中國教子方法，指出了如何善用研究所得的資料辨別與輔導邊緣青少年。 / Background: Criminal thinking was one of the strongest predictors, apart from demographic variables like gender and age, in predicting offending behavior. There were quite a lot of western researches on criminal thinking coming up with different constructs. In Chinese or Hong Kong research on this domain was however relative rare. Corresponding research was called for to facilitate the early intervention on the at risk youth. / Objectives: The present study aimed at exploring the applicability of the western criminal thinking constructs to Hong Kong - Chinese young offenders' population and discovering any indigenous criminal thinking. The relationship of criminal thinking with criminal behavior of youth had been studied also. / Method: 6 focus groups in young offenders' populations generated over 300 criminal thinking related statements. Four clinical psychologists experienced in young offenders’ work had given their opinions and narrowed the statements down into a 146 questions’ assessment. Exploratory factor analysis was conducted to extract the indigenous items. These items were put into factor analysis and logistic regression together with the two western scales, namely CSSM and CTS, to see how well the indigenous items and factors could improve the goodness of fit of the model and the explanatory of general and specific criminal behavior of local young offenders. / Results: 14 local items had been generated from exploratory factor analysis. They had further improved the goodness of fit of CSSM, but not CTS, no matter in criminal or school samples. By combining the indigenous items with CSSM, a four factor model with factors namely, Heroism, Attitude towards Justice System, Identification with Criminal Others and Belief in Court’s Leniency toward Youth was yielded. Attitude towards Justice System could extensively explain general, physical violence, property, drug and sex offences. Identification with Criminal Others could explain general, physical violence and property offences. The two indigenous factors had comparable statistically significant classification power as the two factors of CSSM, with Heroism slightly more competent in identifying young criminals of physical violence, and Belief in Court’s Leniency towards Youth as more competent in identifying criminals of drug offences. Similar to the western finding, gender and age as demographic variables had explained most of the variances of criminal behavior and hence the added value of the scales on top of the demographic variables was limited. / Discussion: The current study aimed at exploring the constructs of criminal thinking in local young offenders. While only the constructs related to Attitude towards Justice System and Identification with Criminal Others of CSSM were being validated in Hong Kong - Chinese population, two indigenous criminal thinking constructs had been found. Discussion had been made on the two main elements in local young offenders’ criminal thinking as reviewed by the four factor model, i.e. attitude and expectancy towards justice system as well as need for approval and affiliation with peers. The cultural specific parenting style that might be associated with the thinking constructs were discussed. Directions to utilize the finding on early identification of and psychoeducation on at-risk youth had been highlighted. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Yeung, Yin Yan. / Thesis (Ph.D.) Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2014. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 329-360). / Abstracts also in Chinese; appendixes includes Chinese.