In spite of recent modest decreases, the epidemic of crime that began in the United States in the early 1960s has left us with a rate of violent crime that is still some 300% higher than it was 40 years ago. The usual...
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In spite of recent modest decreases, the epidemic of crime that began in the United States in the early 1960s has left us with a rate of violent crime that is still some 300% higher than it was 40 years ago. The usual suspects-poverry, the easy availability of street drugs and handguns, violent television programs-cannot account for this ominous trend. The fact that African Americans are responsible for nearly half of this violence, although they constitute only about one-eighth of the U.S. population, is the principal reason why the great improvement in race relations made over the past half-century has reached an asymptote. White fears, and Black resentment of these fears, are a grave threat to further progress. It is argued here that the main reason for this epidemic of crime and violence is the rapid recent increase in the proportion of the young people aged 15 to 24 who have grown up unsocialized. It is argued Further that most of these feral youngsters are sociopaths, defined as genetically normal children whose failure of socialization was due to their being domiciled with an immature, overburdened, unsocialized, or otherwise incompetent parent or parents.
David Lykken's target article assesses the causes of crime and advocates a controversial "cure"-parental licensure. Although Lykken gets many of the facts about criminals right, ultimately the disease me...
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David Lykken's target article assesses the causes of crime and advocates a controversial "cure"-parental licensure. Although Lykken gets many of the facts about criminals right, ultimately the disease metaphor breaks down. Crime requires three things-motivated offenders ("criminals"), suitable targets or victims, and the absence of capable guardians to prevent the act. Typical of medical model approaches, failure to consider the convergence in time and space of the three necessary elements for crime results in a misdiagnosis. In this invited commentary, I briefly note three reasons why Lykken's cure, along with the medical model in general, is unlikely to bear fruit.
There are at present no published data on criminal conviction following discharge from medium-secure psychiatric facilities in the United Kingdom. The results of an audit at the Kent Forensic Psychiatry Service found ...
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There are at present no published data on criminal conviction following discharge from medium-secure psychiatric facilities in the United Kingdom. The results of an audit at the Kent Forensic Psychiatry Service found a 7% rate for serious offences in an average follow-up period of three years and five months, a figure similar to high-security hospital studies. Only one serious offence was unknown to the clinical team. Reports on larger samples are awaited.
The delinquent behaviour of a sample of 150 Dutch adolescent to young adult juveniles was examined. These juveniles were arrested because of status offences and delinquency. Arrested adolescent juveniles reported more...
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The delinquent behaviour of a sample of 150 Dutch adolescent to young adult juveniles was examined. These juveniles were arrested because of status offences and delinquency. Arrested adolescent juveniles reported more delinquent behaviour than adolescents in the normal youth population. At the onset of adulthood the number of previously arrested youth reporting serious delinquent behaviour had substantially dropped. This developmental pattern is comparable to the pattern found in the general population of normal adolescents. It suggests that the delinquency of many arrested juveniles is largely adolescence-limited, similar to the delinquency of normal youth. However, about one-third of the arrested juveniles continued to engage in delinquent behaviour into young adulthood. A longitudinal analysis of factors predicting continued violence into adulthood revealed that serious delinquency during adolescence, as well as increased parental control and decreased parental support, were associated with increased delinquency in early adulthood. (C) 1999 The Association for Professionals in Services for Adolescents.
The complete population of adolescents in a residential and day-treatment program over a 4-year-period, 532 youths, served in two studies. Along With residential and day-treatment settings, predictive variables of int...
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The complete population of adolescents in a residential and day-treatment program over a 4-year-period, 532 youths, served in two studies. Along With residential and day-treatment settings, predictive variables of interest were the number of hours spent in group, individual, and family therapy. A total of 227 adolescents qualified for Study 1 which found a reduction of rates of criminal charges from pre- to posttreatment Study 1 also found that hours in group therapy explained the most variance in the reduction in rates of criminal charges,followed closely by hours in individual therapy. Hours in family therapy was not a significant predictor. A total of 430 adolescents qualified for Study 2, which found that residential treatment was associated with greater reductions in adult correctional commitments than day treatment. Implications stress the need for further research examining the relationships between therapeutic components of residential treatment and behavioral outcomes.
This study reports on an evaluation of the effects of street lights on crime in several Indianapolis neighborhood. Crime was measured in terms of calls for police service (CFS).. Using a quasiexperimental design, we p...
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This study reports on an evaluation of the effects of street lights on crime in several Indianapolis neighborhood. Crime was measured in terms of calls for police service (CFS).. Using a quasiexperimental design, we performed analyses on four multiblock areas, three intersections, and two aggregated address groups. Two control areas were matched to two multiblock areas that received enhanced lighting. Of the nine target areas, six showed evidence of lower CFS volumes after more lighting. We analyzed the mean weekly CFS in the pre- and postinstallation periods. Two lighted areas had a lower mean weekly CFS after installation. The more illuminated target area experienced a greater reduction in average CFS for property and miscellaneous crimes than did the control area.
The success of traditional suicide prevention efforts is evaluated and found wanting. Some encouraging recent developments are noted, and it is suggested that suicidologists might also profitably consider the strategi...
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The success of traditional suicide prevention efforts is evaluated and found wanting. Some encouraging recent developments are noted, and it is suggested that suicidologists might also profitably consider the strategies used by professionals dealing with other public health and social problems, such as drug abuse and delinquency.
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