Research in the field of sexual aggression often assumes escalation in the criminal careers of sexual offenders. Sexual offenders are thought to begin their criminal careers with non-contact sexual offenses or non-sexual offenses and then escalate to more serious crimes, specifically sexual violence. The commission of one crime in particular-burglary-has been found to be a predictor of future violence in sexual offenders.
The present study investigated the nature and extent of escalation in the criminal histories of 161 sex offenders who committed at least two burglaries. Six types of escalations were considered: type of burglary, occupancy, violence, weapon, frequency, and the victim-offender relationship. Escalators and non-escalators were compared, differences between the groups were reviewed, and the cumulative effect of various forms of escalation was analyzed. Results indicated that escalators and non-escalators could be differentiated on a number of important dimensions that might assist in the earlier detection of subsequently more dangerous offenders.
Via: http://ht.ly/S86TW
By: Pedneault A1, Harris DA2, Knight RA3.
- 1Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada ameliep@sfu.ca.
- 2San Jose State University, CA, USA.
- 3Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, USA.
Little is known about adult outcomes of males who as adolescents sought treatment for alcohol misuse or drug use, and who additionally were engaging or not engaging in other forms of delinquency. Since the rates of negative outcomes vary in the general population, the study determined whether the sub-groups of clinic attendees fared differently as compared to males of the same age who had not sought treatment for substance misuse from age 21 to 45.
Adolescent males who consulted the only substance misuse clinic in a Swedish city between 1968 and 1971 were divided into four groups: ALCOHOL no drug use, no criminal offending (n=52); ALCOHOL+D no drug use, plus criminal offending (n=105); DRUG use, no criminal offending (n=92); and DRUG+D plus criminal offending (n=474). These four groups were compared to a general population sample (GP) of males matched on age and birthplace, who did not seek treatment for SM in adolescence. National Swedish registers provided data on death, hospitalizations for substance misuse (SM), mental and physical disorders, and criminal convictions.
Compared to the GP, and after controlling for co-occurring adult outcomes:
- ALCOHOL showed elevated risks for SM hospitalization and convictions for violent crimes, and DRUG showed elevated risks for SM hospitalization, convictions for non-violent crimes, and hospitalization for psychosis.
- ALCOHOL+D and DRUG+D showed increased risk for SM hospitalization, violent and non-violent convictions, and DRUG+D additionally, for death, and hospitalizations for psychosis and physical illness.
- Misuse of alcohol without drug use or other delinquency in adolescence was associated with increased risk for convictions for violent crimes during the subsequent 25 years, in addition to SM, while adolescent drug use without other forms of delinquency was associated with increased risks for convictions for non-violent crimes, hospitalizations for SM, and non-affective psychosis.
- Cannabis use, with and without delinquency, was associated with subsequent hospitalization for non-affective psychosis.
Consistent with contemporary studies, most adolescents treated for SM from 1968-1971 presented delinquency that was associated with an increase in risk of all adverse outcomes to age 45.
Via: http://ht.ly/S0wpi
By: Larm P1, Silva TC2, Hodgins S3.
- 1Maria Ungdom Research Centre, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm County Council, Stockholm, Sweden; Centre for Clinical Research Västerås, Uppsala University, Västmanland County Hospital Västerås, Västerås, Sweden. Electronic address: peter.larm@ltv.se.
- 2Center for Developmental Research, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden.
- 3Maria Ungdom Research Centre, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm County Council, Stockholm, Sweden; Département de Psychiatrie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Canada.
