abstract: The link between victimization and offending is well established in the literature, yet an unexplored causal pathway within this relationship is concerned with why some individuals engage in maladaptive coping in response to victimization. In particular, those with low self-control may be attracted to problematic yet immediately gratifying forms of coping post-victimization (e.g., substance use), which may increase their likelihood of violent offending in the future. Using three waves of adolescent panel data from the Gang Resistance Education and Training (GREAT) program, this research examines: (1) whether individuals with low-self control are more likely to engage in substance use coping following violent victimization, and (2) whether victims with low self-control who engage in substance use coping are more likely to commit violent offenses in the future. The results from negative binomial regressions support these hypotheses, even after controlling for prior offending, peer influences, prior substance abuse, and other forms of offending. The implications for integrating general strain and self-control theories, as well as for our understanding of the victimization-offending overlap, are discussed. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.S. Criminology and Criminal Justice 2011

Objective: Research has demonstrated deficits in socio-emotional processing following childhood traumatic brain injury (TBI; Tonks et al., 2009a). However, it is not known whether a link exists between socio-emotional processing, TBI and offending. Drawing on Ochsner’s (2008) socio-emotional processing model, the current study aimed to investigate facial emotion recognition accuracy and bias in young offenders with TBI. Setting: Research was conducted across three youth offender services. Participants: Thirty seven participants completed the study. Thirteen participants reported a high dosage of TBI. Design: The study had a cross sectional within and between subjects design. Main Measures: Penton-Voak and Munafo’s (2012) emotional recognition task was completed. Results: The results indicated that young offenders with a TBI were not significantly worse at facial emotion recognition compared to those with no TBI. Both groups showed a bias towards positive emotions. No between group differences were found for emotion bias. Conclusion: The findings did not support the use of Ochsner’s (2008) socio-emotional processing model for this population. Due to the small sample size, inadequate power and lack of non-offender control groups, it is not possible to draw any firm conclusions from the results of this study. Future research should aim to investigate whether there are any links between TBI, socio-emotional processing and offending.

abstract: The victim-offender overlap is a widely accepted empirical fact in criminology. While many methodological strategies have been used to study overlap, prior studies have assumed that it is uniform, taking little consideration into the potential differences within the overlap. The larger body of criminological research on pathways to crime suggests that victim-offenders also have variability in their victimization experiences and offending patterns. Not accounting for variation within the overlap has produced inconsistent findings in terms of establishing theoretical explanations for the victimization and offending relationship. Several general theories of crime have merit in their assumptions about the relationship between victimization and offending. Routine activity/lifestyle theory, low self-control theory, and general strain theory offer insight into the overlap. Variables derived from these three general theories are assessed to test their ability to explain a more complex conceptualization of the victim-offender overlap. Using data on 3,341 individuals drawn from four waves of the publically available National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health), a latent class analysis establishes unique victim-offender overlap taxonomies. A multinomial logistic regression is conducted to test how well theoretically derived variables from three general theories (e.g., routine activity theory, low self-control theory, and general strain theory) predict membership in the unique victim-offender overlap taxonomies. Additional multinomial logistic regressions are run using a split sample analyses to test the invariance of the findings across different social groupings (e.g., gender and race/ethnicity). Comparing the more complex operationalization of the victim-offender overlap with the baseline regression models shows notable differences. For example, depression significantly predicts membership in the general victim-offender overlap group, but when taking into consideration variation within the overlap, depression does not consistently predict membership in all taxonomies. Similar results are found for routine activity/lifestyle theory and low self-control theory. Tests of invariance across gender and race/ethnicity highlight the need to consider how theoretical explanations of the victim-offender overlap differ based on social groupings. Males and females have unique risks and needs and these should be reflected in how routines and negative emotions are measured. The findings underscore the need to consider overlap when studying the relationship between victims and offenders. Implications for theory, future research, and policy are also discussed. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Criminology and Criminal Justice 2018

The central aim of this descriptive and exploratory study is to empirically examine the views and perspectives of practitioners working with young people in the youth justice system in England and Wales. Based on a case study of Peterborough youth offending service (PYOS), the study adopts a multi-method approach. Interviews with 22 practitioners, observations of their practice and key documentary evidence are reviewed, which identify the processes involved in the core practice of key practitioners and a deeper understanding of how policy and legislation reform are experienced in practice. Practitioners play key roles as case managers in the intervention process, yet youth justice literature somewhat neglects the role and perspective of staff within multi-agency youth offending teams (Case, 2007), despite increasing focus on youth justice practice through organisational analyses (see for example, Burnett and Appleton, 2002; 2004a; Field, 2007; Holdaway et al., 2001; Newburn et al., 2002; Souhami, 2007; Stahlkopf, 2008), and much critique of youth justice policy in England and Wales (see for example, Goldson, 2002; Goldson and Muncie, 2006; Pitts, 2003; Smith, 2007). The central argument of this thesis is that knowledge (what is known about effective practice) is not applied effectively in practice. Questions are raised regarding the use of professional discretion and the accountability of practitioners working with young offenders within a perceived managerialist process which neglects individuals needs in favour of achieving targets and performance measures. The findings of this study support the view that the use of standardised assessment tools increase accountability of practitioners whilst reducing their professional discretion, which constrains practice. A lack of structural support created a cultural divide between management and practitioners, which further confounded their practice. Practitioners face a multitude of obstructions to their work with young people, which seem to be further rooted in the prioritisation of recording information and meeting targets, which results in less time attributed to planning and delivering interventions. In a climate of uncertainty for the youth offending service (YOS), in which doubts about its future are frequently raised and further reductions are made to YOS budgets, there is increased need for well-informed and supported practitioners to be working with young people who offend.

Sexual deviancy and addiction are two concepts that have undergone considerable development in the way in which they are constructed. Since the 1800s both concepts have come to the attention of the medical field, psychological field and the criminal justice system which have made numerous attempts to regulate and treat them within these realms. By using the lens of social construction and Spector and Kitsuse’s theory of social problems, this project explores how experts describe sexual deviancy and addiction. Important considerations involving the significance of victims and a victim status emerge from the analysis, as the differentiating factors between demands for treatment for addiction, while sexual deviancy experiences an increasingly punitive regime.

No description available.

This study explored the lived experiences of men attracted to minors who believed they would benefit from therapy but did not seek out or attend therapeutic services; and sought to gain an understanding of how the decision to seek help or not impacted their well-being. Participants included 7 men who were recruited through the B4U-ACT online forum, which provides peer support for the minor attracted community. Participants were interviewed over Skype. Data from these interviews was analyzed and coded according to the interpretative phenomenological method as outlined by Smith et al. (2012). Five main themes emerged, providing insight as to why more therapeutic support is not sought. These themes include: emotional distress, consideration of therapy, actual and perceived stigmatization, expectations of therapist assumptions, expectations of professionalism, and therapeutic support. The findings were compared with existing literature to propose ways mental health professionals can provide easier access to resources and reach the population, which can lead to societal benefits. Improved access to treatment has the potential to provide the population opportunities to better cope with stigma, manage their impulses more effectively, lower their feelings of isolation, and increase their overall well-being. This study helps to fill the current void in the area of research on help-seeking behaviors and the associated challenges that men attracted to minors may face.

I Sverige är flerfaldig brottslighet ett vanligt fenomen, och under 2021 tillsatte regeringen en statlig offentlig utredning för att föreslå straffskärpningar vid fall av flerfaldig brottslighet. Syftet med den föreliggande studien var att granska hållbarheten i de argument som utredningen presenterade för denna straffskärpning. Granskningen skedde med utgångspunkt i teorier om prevention samt de rättsliga principerna om proportionalitet och ekvivalens. Vidare undersöktes även vilka eventuella konsekvenser straffskärpningarna kan ha för unga lagöverträdare samt återfallsförövare. Det genomfördes en kvalitativ tematisk analys, och utredningen fungerade som studiens urval och material. Resultatet pekade på att argumenten inte sågs som hållbara utifrån teorier om prevention, samtidigt som de i hög grad svarade mot principerna om proportionalitet och ekvivalens. Det visade också på potentiella konsekvenser för unga lagöverträdare och återfallsförövare, och att straffskärpningen skulle innebära risker för dessa kategorier av förövare utifrån ett brottspreventivt perspektiv. / In Sweden, multiple offending is a common phenomenon, and in 2021 the government issued a commission of inquiry, proposing harsher punishments in cases of multiple offending. The aim of the present study was to examine the sustainability of the arguments presented in that inquiry. This was examined through the theoretical framework of crime prevention and the legal principles of proportionality and equivalence. Further, the eventual consequences of the proposal in relation to juvenile offenders and repeat offenders were also evaluated. A qualitative thematic analysis was conducted, and the inquiry served as the sample and the material for the present study. The results indicated that the arguments were not to be considered as sustainable in relation to theories of crime prevention, although they to a high degree were compatible with the principles of proportionality and equivalence. The results also showed potential consequences of the proposal in regard to juvenile offenders and repeat offenders, and it indicated that the outcome of harsher punishments will result in certain risks for these categories of offenders.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Relationships among neighbors contribute to the well-being and outcomes of all who live within a neighborhood. Existing literature provides us with a wealth of information on individual seniors’ isolation but does not seem to consider how neighborhood factors add to the attachment of seniors. Given the increasing number of seniors in our society who have the ability to remain living in their neighborhoods as they age, this study focuses on understanding neighborhood attachment to seniors living in the community. Furthermore, emphasis was placed on the potential impact that senior attachment could have on youth as one subset life stage who reside in a neighborhood. This thesis describes the characteristics of neighborhoods that foster low, normal, and high levels of senior attachment in urban areas and explores the relationship this attachment has to neighborhood youth outcomes. This research opens the door for other scholars to begin to place greater emphasis on the understanding of neighborhood dynamics, intergenerational ties to seniors, and the well being of residents across the life course.

No description available.