Psychopathy continues to receive increased attention due to the negative outcomes, including recidivism, violence, and poor treatment amenability. Despite the vast amount of attention psychopathy has received, research on its applications to mentally disordered offenders remains sparse. The current study explored the relationship between psychopathy, depression, anxiety, and psychotic disorders. It also investigated the comparative fits of two and three-factor models of the PCL-R with mentally disordered offenders. Participants consisted of 96 inmates placed in the mental health pod at Tarrant County Jail. A Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) with testlets found the three-factor PCL-R model had excellent fit (Robust Comparative Fit Index = 1.00). Psychopathy was found to be a construct independent of mental disorders. Two exceptions were (a) a modest correlation between anxiety and Impulsive and the Irresponsible Lifestyle factor of the PCL-R (r = 0.20) and (b) a modest negative correlation between Deficient Affective Experience of the PCL-R and mania (r = -.37). Based on the current data, treatment programs for mentally disordered offenders are suggested that focus on both behavioral and personality aspects of psychopathy.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work / L. Susan Williams / A major public concern is what to do with sex offenders. This seven-year study utilizes first-hand accounts from sex offenders who pursue children, exploring recruitment methods – that is, how they find and gain access to victims. Much public perception about sex offender recruitment is based on well-publicized cases such as that of Polly Klaas, Megan Kanka, and Jaycee Dugard – young girls who were abducted and, in the case of Klaas and Kanka, murdered, by strangers. Legislative efforts responded with laws such as “three strikes” and sex offender registries. Scientific studies have found such laws to be ineffective, yet heightened media exposure persists, perception of “stranger danger” prevails, and untried legislative initiatives continue. The most recent is “buffer zone” laws that limit where sex offenders live. To better inform perception and policy, this study investigates two samples of sex offenders concerning child recruitment. The first sample targeted a general population of sex offenders in state custody with a determinate sentence. The second focused on a population of sexually violent predators (SVP), as defined by Kansas law, constituting repeat offenders with a long history of sex offenses and/or those deemed legislatively as unfit for release into the community. The bulk of data came through interviews addressing activities that surrounded the offense(s), details of child recruitment, and, pertaining to the SVP sample, how offending corresponded with certain life events. Theoretically, the study is informed by Routine Activities Theory (RAT) and Life-Course Theory (LCT). RAT is based on a rational choice perspective of motivation and opportunity – an individualistic approach – while LCT sees offending episodes as strongly influenced by structural position. These two seemingly divergent theories represent a unique framework referred to here as conditioned activities, demonstrating how routine activities are altered by certain life events, or turning points, which, in turn, influence persistence or desistence in offending. It was discovered that child victim recruitment varies across the life course, specifically tied to changes in the offender’s social position. Age of the offender interacts with both position and life events.

D. Litt. et Phil. / This study is an exploration of the experiences of crisis and identity. It looks specifically at these experiences from within the context of imprisonment from the concrete to the abstract. Imprisonment is not merely looked at from the physical point of view, but also the metaphorical. This means that the sense of imprisonment is not only limited to people who are serving out sentences imposed by the courts of law. We can all experience the sense of being imprisoned at some level or another, whether though a sense of isolation, being labelled and controlled, or experiencing restriction in various forms. The post-modern worldview that underlies this study is social constructionist theory. From this perspective, our sense of what is real is communally created within specific cultural and historical contexts. Language is used as the vehicle through which our meanings are constructed between people. The social constructionist view of people holds that we are open systems so that our sense of self is not only impacted by perturbing “others”, but is also shaped and transformed in relationship. The shaping of identity takes place through language processes and is circumscribed by particular contextual constraints. Identity is not viewed as a constant entity, but as an ever-evolving narrative (story) and a product of interaction with others in the world. Whereas the modern definition of “crisis” underscores the idea that it is, at best, “something” to be avoided, social constructionists describe it as a boundary experience that is communally constructed. Furthermore, if we draw on chaos theory, crisis can also be seen as a bifurcation point. This means that it is a moment in our experiences in which we are moved to make decisions and potentially proceed into new directions. Therefore, crisis holds transformational potential. The notion of exploring the transformative potential of crisis and the construction of identity sprung from a personal crisis experience around the discomfort of progressing into a professional identity. My practical training within the Johannesburg Female Prison provided a context fertile with stories of imprisonment, crisis and how these impact on identity construction. Therefore, the context of this study is prison, so that a discussion around constructions of criminality and its treatment is important to paint a fuller picture. These are discussed from the perspectives of modern criminology theories, as well as post-modern impressions of criminality and its treatment as embedded in historical and social contexts. Since this study underscores an intervention-action research approach, the implications of crisis as a potential catalyst for therapeutic change is also considered. The social constructionist understanding of therapeutic practice is that it is a relational process. Therapy is a co-creation between the client and therapist so that new ways of moving forward is a collective, not an individual achievement. This study, as a form of action research, was born out of a one and a half-year long therapeutic endeavour with a group of women offenders in the Johannesburg Female Prison. The theoretical principles of Appreciative Inquiry were used to guide the process of inquiry. Three levels of participants were involved in the collection of data: A diverse mix of women incarcerated in the Johannesburg Female Prison, the core group of women participating in the “Who am I?” therapeutic group, as well as myself. Information was in the form of written personal texts, interviews (conducted by the core group) and a newsletter. Thematic analysis was used to scrutinise the information and the following themes were identified: Loss and gain, power and helplessness, hope and despair, differentness and sameness as well as connection and disconnection. Typical character types (identities) and whether there were progressive, regressive or stable narrative plots (directionality of stories) were considered in the various themes as points of crisis. Finally, the findings are integrated with the theory by exploring social constructionist ideas about identity as being ever-changing, multiple and created in our togetherness. The principles of first and second order cybernetics are also used as systemic explanatory models of identity transformation and/or “stuckness”. The creation of therapeutic communities was explored as a tool to facilitate the reconstruction of crisis and the transformation of healing identities of women in prison. / Dr. C.J. Oosthuizen

The purpose of the study was to explore juvenile offenders' perceptions of the counseling relationship. Eight juvenile offenders who were on probation under the jurisdiction of a juvenile court participated in the study. Using a phenomenological methodology, two interviews with each participant were conducted in order to obtain participants' full descriptions of the phenomenon of the counseling relationship. The main research question was: What are juvenile offenders' perceptions of the counseling relationship? Sub-questions were: (a) What are the themes and qualities that account for how feelings and thoughts connected to the counseling relationship are aroused?, (b) What are the underlying conditions that account for juvenile offenders' perceptions of the counseling relationship?, (c) What are the universal structures (e.g. time, space, bodily concerns, physical substance, causality, relation to self or others ) that precipitate feelings and thoughts about the experience of the counseling relationship?, and (d) What are the unique qualities of the experience that facilitate a description of the "counseling relationship" as it is experienced by juvenile offenders? Participants' descriptions provided a range of descriptions that were summarized in three thematic categories: Themes Related to Participants, Themes Related to Counselors, and Themes Related to the Process of Counseling Relationships. In addition, a composite textural-structural description of participants' experiences provided a holistic description of the phenomenon as lived by participants. Participants' experiences provided a greater depth of understanding of the counseling relationship with this challenging population from the perspective of juvenile offenders. Implications for juvenile offender counselors and counselor educators are discussed. Implications for phenomenological methodology are also discussed.

No description available.

A RESEARCH REPORT PRESENTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL WORK SCHOOL OF HUMAN AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT FACULTY OF HUMANITIES UNIVERSITY OF THE WITWATERSRAND JOHANNESBURG IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENT FOR THE MASTERS OF ARTS IN SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT MARCH, 2016 / The cases of children involved in criminal activities are on the increase all over the world, including in South Africa. Offering services to all children and youth, whilst upholding the rights of children, is one of the fields of practice in social work. South Africa has adopted a restorative approach that aims to rehabilitate and return children in conflict with the law back into their communities. At the heart of applying restorative approaches as intervention with children in conflict with the law are social workers. The study attempts to explore the experiences of social workers regarding their intervention strategies with young sexual offenders. The study applied a qualitative approach and narrative research design. Non-probability purposive sampling was used to select 12 research participants from organisations that facilitate diversion programmes for child sex offenders. To ensure trustworthiness of the research, three prosecutors were also interviewed. Semi-structured interview schedules were utilised to conduct in-depth telephonic interviews with the participants. The data was transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic analysis. The main finding which emerged from the study was that social workers’ challenges with diversion are mainly associated with external factors such as poor parental co-operation. The study concludes that diversion contributes to reducing the level of recidivism with child sex offenders and is a necessary form of intervention for children in conflict with the law. Key words: Children in conflict with the law, Diversion, Rehabilitation, Sexual offences, Child sex offenders, Social workers.

No description available.

The family serves as the primary socializing institution and a key predictor for the involvement of deviant activities for youths (Hoeve et al., 2011). Bonds between parent and child serve many purposes such as providing healthy attachment necessary to living a life without crime. Without bonds and feelings of love, deviant behaviors may ensue in children. The current study examined the impact of parental warmth on the prediction of desistance from crime among serious juvenile offenders using a cross sectional design. The sample of 14 to 17-year-old male and female offenders (N =1354) was composed primarily of ethnic minority youths. Results indicate that maternal warmth is a significant predictor for desistance across total, income and aggressive offending. However, paternal warmth is found to be a significant predictor for the income offending variety type only. These finding highlight the need for added supports for parents of juvenile offenders throughout the rehabilitation process. Advocacy, community resources and training efforts are needed to promote healthy parental/guardian relationships which will in return help juvenile offenders become successful desisters in the community. Additional research is needed to explore the changing dynamics of the family in society today as its impact on desistance from crime.

This thesis presents an analysis of seventeen contemporary blockbuster films in which women kill people. The purpose of the analysis is to discover the "frames" with which film producers, directors, scriptwriters and actors portray women in film. The thesis first establishes the model in use in the analysis: Entman's model of frame analysis. Frame analysis posits that rhetors use frames, or lenses, through which they create, explain and solve problems, especially in a news cast. These frames are accepted, consciously or subconsciously, by the audience. Entman's model is integrated with Naylor's six categories of popular news portrayal of female killers, which suggests that the news portrays these women as witches, non-women, unmotherly, etc. Next, the thesis reviews previous literature on feminist film analysis, framing theory, and historical empirical and anecdotal evidence on female killers. This foundation, along with Entman's model, is then used to analyze seventeen films, chosen by gross, date and storyline, in which female characters kill. The conclusions are that the news and films portray women similarly, with one exception. Films allow for an extra category: the heroine. Further research should include a comparison of female and male killers in film and an historical review of female killers in film throughout the twentieth century to investigate transitions in frames. / Graduation date: 2000

Thesis (M.A. (MW))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2005.