School-Level Economic Disparities in Police-Reported Crimes and Active Commuting to School

Perceived safety remains one of the main barriers for children to participate in active commuting to school (ACS). This ecological study examined the associations between the number of police-reported crimes in school neighborhoods and ACS. The percentage of active travel trips was assessed from a teacher tally survey collected from students across 63 elementary schools that were primarily classified as high-poverty (n = 27). Geographic Information System (GIS) was used to create a detailed measure of police-reported crimes during 2018 and neighborhood covariates that occurred within a one-mile Euclidean buffer of the schools. Statistical analyses included linear fixed effects regressions and negative binomial regressions. In fully-adjusted models, reported crime did not exhibit significant associations with ACS. Medium-poverty schools were indirectly associated with ACS when compared to high- and low-poverty schools in all models (p < 0.05). Connectivity and vehicle ownership were also directly associated with ACS (p < 0.05). Low- and medium-poverty schools were indirectly associated with all types of reported crime when compared to high-poverty schools (p < 0.05). Although reported crime was not associated with school-level ACS, differences in ACS and reported crime do exist across school poverty levels, suggesting a need to develop and promote safe and equitable ACS interventions.

Match-Fixing Causing Harm to Athletes on a COVID-19-Influenced Gambling Market: A Call for Research During the Pandemic and Beyond

Match-fixing, although not a new problem, has received growing attention during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has been reported in the media to have increased the risk of match-fixing events. Gambling is a well-documented addictive behavior, and gambling-related fraud, match-fixing, is a challenge to the world of sports. Most research on match-fixing has a judicial or institutional perspective, and few studies focus on its individual consequences. Nevertheless, athletes may be at particular risk of mental health consequences from the exposure to or involvement in match-fixing. The COVID-19 crisis puts a spotlight on match-fixing, as the world of competitive sports shut down or changed substantially due to pandemic-related restrictions. We call for research addressing individual mental health and psycho-social correlates of match-fixing, and their integration into research addressing problem gambling, related to the pandemic and beyond.

Motivational Influences and Trajectories to Violence in the Context of Major Mental Illness

Developmental trajectories regarding the age onset of violence and offending have not routinely considered the role of major mental illness (MMI). In parallel, despite several studies investigating the relationship between MMI, violence and offending, fewer have identified motivational processes that may link illness to these outcomes in a more direct and proximal manner. This study investigates whether subtypes of forensic psychiatric patients deemed Not Criminally Responsible on account of Mental Disorder (N = 91) can be identified based on the age onset of mental illness and offending behavior, and whether information on motivational influences for offending-elicited both from the patient directly and detailed collateral information-contributes to the clinical utility of this typology. Results indicated that most patients reported engaging in violence (51%) or antisocial behaviors (72%) prior to the onset of MMI, but that the index offense(s) resulting in forensic admission were predominantly psychotically motivated. In contrast to patients for whom the onset of MMI occurred prior to offending, patients exhibiting premorbid violence had higher levels of risk and criminogenic need; they were more likely to be diagnosed with personality and substance use disorders, and to have conventional (i.e., non-illness-related) motivations ascribed to their index offense. Findings are consistent with the existing literature regarding subgroups of mentally disordered offenders, but provide new information regarding proximal risk factors for violence through better identification of motivational processes.

Pilot trial of a media intervention with journalism students on news reporting of mental illness in the context of violence and crime

ISSUE ADDRESSED

News reports linking mental illness to violent crime are among the most stigmatising portrayals. These portrayals can perpetuate stereotypes of dangerousness, negatively influencing public attitudes and having a harmful impact on people with lived experience of mental illness. With the aim of improving the quality of news portrayals and mitigating harm, best-practice guidelines for media reporting on mental illness, violence and crime have been developed. To increase understanding of the guidelines' content, a 1-hour workshop based on the main principles was developed for journalism students.

METHODS

In this study, the workshop was piloted with a pre and 3-week follow-up evaluation with a cohort of journalism students (n = 29).

RESULTS

Three weeks after the workshop, there were significant improvements in attitudes towards severe mental illness, knowledge of best-practice reporting, intentions and confidence to report consistently with the best-practice guidelines and performance on an editing task designed to assess adherence to the guidelines. Belief in dangerousness/unpredictability reduced markedly, demonstrating that the workshop effectively addressed misinformation about people with severe mental illness being a risk to the public.

CONCLUSIONS

This pilot trial provides promising initial results and provides a basis for wider implementation and evaluation of media training on this topic.

SO WHAT

Improved understanding of best-practice media guidelines, as generated through this workshop, has potential to reduce stigmatising news reporting on people with mental illness, and consequently reduce public stigma.

Fear of crime is associated with loneliness among older adults in Singapore: Gender and ethnic differences

Fear of crime is a complex perception and has underlying psychological, social and health repercussions. The influence of fear of crime on psychosocial outcomes, however, may be moderated by various social factors. This study examined how fear of crime influences loneliness among low-income older adults attending a Senior Activity Centre (SAC) in multiethnic Singapore. In addition, we tested whether these associations were moderated by gender and ethnicity. We analysed cross-sectional data (N = 1,266) from The SAC Study, a survey conducted with older adults who were attending a SAC between March 2015 and August 2015. Multilevel models were used to test whether fear of crime was associated with loneliness; and whether the association was moderated by gender and ethnicity. We found that fear of crime was positively associated with loneliness, and that this association was stronger among men than women, but ethnicity did not moderate this relationship. Findings from our study suggest that fear of crime may have a stronger negative effect on men's psychological well-being, even though they report lower fear of crime. This highlights the importance of sociocultural context when examining the psychosocial implications of fear of crime in the population.

Domestic Violence in Atlanta, Georgia Before and During COVID-19

Domestic violence is known to be one of the most prevalent forms of gender-based violence in emergency contexts and anecdotal data during the COVID-19 pandemic suggest that related restrictions on movement may exacerbate such violence. As such, the purpose of this study was to measure differences in domestic violence incident reports from police data in Atlanta, Georgia, before and during COVID-19. Thirty weeks of crime data were collected from the Atlanta Police Department (APD) in an effort to compare Part I offense trends 2018-2020. Compared with weeks 1-31 of 2018 and 2019, there was a growth in Part I domestic crimes during 2020 as reported to the APD. In addition, trendlines show that 2020 domestic crimes were occurring at a relatively similar pace as the counts observed in previous years leading up to the pandemic. A spike in domestic crimes was recorded after city and statewide shelter-in-place orders. The rise of cumulative counts of domestic crimes during the COVID-19 period of 2020 compared with the previous 2 years suggests increased occurrence of domestic violence. The co-occurring pandemics of COVID-19 and domestic violence come amidst a period of racial justice reckoning in the United States; both have a disproportionate impact on Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. As the country grapples with how to deal with health and safety concerns related to the pandemic, and the unacceptable harms being perpetrated by police, a public health approach is strongly warranted to address both universal health care and violence prevention.

Ethics, Artificial Intelligence, and Risk Assessment

A considerable number of papers have been published on the ethics of artificial intelligence for the purposes of violence risk assessment. In this issue of The Journal, Hogan and colleagues argue that artificial intelligence introduces novel concerns for violence risk assessment that require consideration. While the concerns that have been raised are entirely valid and require consideration, we argue that artificial intelligence does not herald a more serious or unique challenge in these areas relative to other forms of violence risk assessment.

Neighborhood Built Environment Impacts Park Use of Diverse, Low-Income Mothers With Their Children

Built environment features, including parks, often exacerbate health disparities. We examined built environment perceptions and park use among a population at high risk for negative physical health outcomes: racially diverse, low-income mothers across the United States. Perceived safety from crime and living near a park were associated with more frequent park use for mothers with their children, and neighborhood walkability was linked to longer park visits. However, only 40% of mothers lived within a 10-minute walk of a park, and overall perceptions of walkability and safety from crime were low. To enhance physical activity and health of low-income mothers with their children, investments are needed to close disparities in park access and improve neighborhood safety.

U.S. News Coverage of Transgender Victims of Fatal Violence: An Exploratory Content Analysis

Media portrayals of crime help shape public perceptions of victims and the demographic groups to which they belong. For transgender people, who already face heightened disparities and stigma, news coverage may reinforce negative stereotypes and minimize the wider context of transphobic violence. The present study, a content analysis of news articles (n = 316) pertaining to 27 transgender people killed in the United States in 2016, addresses positive and negative depictions of victims, use of language affirming and delegitimizing transgender identities, and framing of transphobia as a systemic problem. Themes, implications, and future research directions are discussed.

A comparison of trajectories of offending among people with psychotic disorders, other mental disorders and no mental disorders: Evidence from a whole-of-population birth cohort study

BACKGROUND

Trajectory analysis has been used to study long-term offending patterns and identify offender subgroups, but few such studies have included people with psychotic disorders (PDs) and these have been restricted to adult offenders.

AIMS

To compare offending trajectories among 10-26-year-olds with PDs with those with other mental disorders (OMDs) or none (NMD) and identify associated risk factors.

METHODS

This is a record-linkage study of 184,147 people born in Western Australia (WA) 1983-1991, drawing on data from WA mental health information system, WA corrective services and other state-wide registers. Group-based trajectory modelling was used to identify offending trajectories.

RESULTS

Four offender groups were identified in each mental health status group: G1-no/negligible offending; G2-early onset, adolescent, desisting by age 18; G3-early onset, low rate, offending into early adulthood; and G4-very early onset, high rate, peaking at age 17, continuing into early adulthood. The PDs group had the lowest proportion of individuals with no or negligible offending histories-84% compared with 88.5% in the OMDs group and 96.6% in the no mental disorder group. Within mental health status offender groups, the PDs group was characterised by early or very early onset offending persisting into adulthood, accounting for 5.4% and 3.7% of the group respectively (OMD: 3.8%, 1.5%; NMD: 1.0%, 0.5%). Gender, indigenous status, substance use problems, childhood abuse and parental offending were generally associated with trajectory group membership, although among those with PDs childhood abuse and parental offending were only significant in the early onset-life-course-persistent group.

CONCLUSIONS

While most people with PDs never offend, some are disproportionately vulnerable from a particularly early age. If the offending subgroup is to be helped away from criminal justice involvement, interventions must be considered in childhood.

Crime under lockdown: The impact of COVID-19 on citizen security in the city of Buenos Aires

RESEARCH SUMMARY

This paper studies the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown on criminal activity in the City of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Following quarantine restrictions, we find a large, significant, robust, and immediate decline in property crime reported to official agencies, police arrests, and crime reported in victimization surveys. We observe no significant change in homicides, and a significant increase in arrests for "resistance to authorities". The decrease in criminal activity was greater in business and transportation areas, but still large in commercial and residential areas (including informal settlements). After the sharp and immediate fall, crime recovered but, by the end of 2020, it had not reached its initial levels. The arrest data additionally shows a reduction in the distance from the detainee's address to the crime location, and a fall in the number of detainees from outside the City of Buenos Aires. Crime became more local as mobility was restricted.

POLICY IMPLICATIONS

We find no evidence that the reduction in the number of detainees from outside the City of Buenos Aires led to a displacement of crimeto suburban areas. This result aligns with the hypothesis that focalized place-based interventions have the potential to reduce overall crime rates. Moreover, the increase in arrests for "resistance to authorities" at the checkpoints set up during the lockdown shows that the enforcement of mobility restrictions can cause frictions between citizens and police, negatively affecting police's legitimacy. We also find that the increased government presence for the provision of health and social services in informal settlements during the pandemic led, as a positive externality, to an additional decrease in crime.

Mental and Physical Health of Older Incarcerated Persons Who Have Aged in Place in Prison

This study describes physical and mental health of incarcerated males aged ≥50 years who spent at least 20 consecutive years in prison, comparing those with life sentences ("lifers") with those expected to be released/paroled. Data included demographics, chronic medical conditions, self-reported and objective disabilities, depressive symptoms, suicidal ideation (SI), and social support. The 65 participants (M_age = 56.9, SD = 6.6) were racially diverse (40% White, 51% Black, 9% Hispanic/Other), incarcerated for M = 26.6 (SD = 4.5) years, and 34 (52%) were lifers. Among the 39 (60%) of participants with visitors, lifers had lower social support scores (p = .005). After controlling for age, race, and chronic conditions, lifers reported disability in a higher number of activities (p < .001), and had higher depressive symptoms (p = .08) and SI scores (p = .04). Health-related differences between lifers and those expected to be released have implications for prison systems including staff training, advance care planning, and need for expanding prison-based hospice programs.

Comparison of personality profile of prison criminals in the Yasooj Central Penitentiary and noncriminals based on 16 personality factors

AIMS

The study was conducted to examine the personality profile of prisoners in the Yasooj Central Penitentiary (YCP) according to Cattell's 16 Personality Factors (PFs) Model.

SETTINGS AND DESIGN

In doing so, 50 prisoners were selected from among all 20-35-year-old male prisoners at YCP. Moreover, 50 people were selected from the nonprison community to match with the prisoner group.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

In a causal-comparative study, both groups were matched and were evaluated using two questionnaires: demographic information and Cattell's 16-PF questionnaires.

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED

The statistical method used to predict the distinguishing personality traits of the two groups, prisoners and nonprisoners, was discriminant analysis.

RESULTS

The results indicated that from among Cattell's 16 factors, only 7 factors in the two groups were discriminant and predicting crime: Conservative, sober, expedient, self-control, imaginative, reserved, and tough mindedness.

CONCLUSIONS

According to the results, 16 main factors of personality have the ability to predict crime.

Criminal Behavior in the Four Years Preceding Diagnosis of Neurocognitive Disorder: A Nationwide Register Study in Finland

OBJECTIVE

To explore the criminality of patients with subsequent diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD), frontotemporal dementia (FTD), or Lewy body dementias (LBD) in the four years preceding diagnosis.

DESIGN

Nationwide register study.

SETTING

Data on Finnish patients were collected from the discharge register and data on criminal offending from the police register. Research findings were compared with the same-aged general population.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 92,191 patients who had received a diagnosis of AD (N = 80,540), FTD (N = 1,060), and LBD (N = 10,591) between 1998 and 2015.

MEASUREMENTS

Incidences and types of crimes, the standardized criminality ratio (number of actual crimes per number of expected crimes), and the numbers of observed cases and person-years at risk counted in five-year age groups and separately for both genders and yearly.

RESULTS

At least one crime was committed by 1.6% of AD women and 12.8% of AD men, with corresponding figures of 5.3% and 23.5% in FTD, and 3.0% and 11.8% in LBD. The first crime was committed on average 2.7 (standard deviation 1.1) years before the diagnosis. The standardized criminality ratio was 1.85 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.43-2.37) in FTD women and 1.75 (95% CI 1.54-1.98) in FTD men, and in AD 1.11 (95% CI 1.04-1.17) and 1.23 (95% CI 1.20-1.27), respectively. Traffic offences and crimes against property constituted 94% of all offences.

CONCLUSION

Criminal acts may occur several years prior to the diagnosis of dementia. If novel criminality occurs later in life, it may be associated with neurocognitive disorder.

Proteomics: A prospective new tool in forensic investigations

Over the last few decades, DNA evidence has become a very powerful tool in forensics, but it also has its limitations. DNA, being a very fragile molecule, can be easily damaged and contaminated. It can be very challenging to find enough DNA in an investigation to really make a breakthrough in certain types of evidence samples. For instance, about half of all rape kits do not yield sufficient genetic information to determine the perpetrator's DNA profile. This is where proteomics, the modern concept of protein analysis, steps in. By observing the amino acid sequence of protein fragments, researchers can work backward to conclude the DNA sequence used to make proteins. Proteomics methods can be used to classify and explain the circumstances that produced the biological samples. This article provides a conceptual overview on the different proteomics applications in forensics, including human identification using hair samples and fingermarks, species determination utilizing teeth and bones, and the determination of postmortem intervals.

The Neighborhood Environment and Hispanic/Latino Health

PURPOSE

Hispanic/Latino adults on the Texas-Mexico border have high rates of chronic disease. Neighborhoods can influence health, though there is a limited research on neighborhood environment and health in Hispanics/Latinos. The purpose of this study was to assess the relation of neighborhood environment with health variables in Hispanic/Latino adults, including physical activity [PA], depression, anxiety, and lab-assessed conditions (type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and chronic inflammation).

METHODS

Participants were randomly-selected from a Hispanic/Latino cohort on the Texas-Mexico border. Neighborhood environment, self-reported PA, anxiety, and depression were assessed through questionnaires. Laboratory values determined Type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and C-reactive protein (CRP). We conducted multivariable linear and logistic regression analyses to assess the associations of neighborhood environment and health variables, controlling for covariates.

RESULTS

Participants (n = 495) were mostly females, without insurance. After controlling for covariates, crime (Adjusted Odds Ratio [AOR] = 1.59 (95%CI 1.06-2.38), no streetlights (AOR = 1.65, 95%CI 1.06-2.57), and traffic (AOR = 1.74, 95%CI 1.16-2.62) were all significantly associated with anxiety. Only traffic was significantly associated with depression (AOR = 1.61, 95%CI1.05-2.47). A lack of nearby shops (AOR = 0.57, 95%CI 0.38-0.84) and no one out doing PA (AOR = 0.53, 95% CI 0.34-0.83) were both significantly associated with lower odds of meeting PA guidelines. A lack of nearby shops was associated with a 26% increase in the CRP value (β = 0.26, 95%CI 0.04-0.47).

DISCUSSION

Several neighborhood environment variables were significantly associated with mental health, PA and CRP, though estimates were small. The neighborhood environment is a meaningful contextual variable to consider for health-related interventions in Hispanic/Latino adults, though more study is needed regarding the magnitude of the estimates.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

NCT01168765.

Fear of Crime Among Caribbean Women in University: A Qualitative Exploration Using the Free Association Narrative Method

Women attending university are generally at a heightened risk of victimization. As such, there is an emerging body of literature exploring fear of crime among them. Although several studies have explored this phenomenon quantitatively, relatively few have investigated fear of crime among this group of women in their own words. Using a sample of women at the University of the West Indies, this study seeks to address this gap. The study reveals strong support for the shadow of sexual assault theory as the women interviewed overwhelmingly describe their fear of crime against the background of their perceived vulnerability to rape.

Neighborhood Socioeconomic Resources and Crime-Related Psychosocial Hazards, Stroke Risk, and Cognition in Older Adults

Living in neighborhoods with lower incomes, lower education/occupational levels, and/or higher crime increases one’s risk of developing chronic health problems including cardiovascular disease risk factors and stroke. These cardiovascular health problems are known to contribute to cognitive decline and dementia. The purpose of this study was to determine the association of neighborhood socioeconomic resources and crime-related psychosocial hazards on stroke risk and cognition, hypothesizing that cardiovascular health would mediate any relationship between the neighborhood-level environment and cognition. The study evaluated 121 non-demented Chicago-area adults (~67 years; 40% non-Latino White) for cardiovascular health problems using the Framingham Stroke Risk Profile 10-year risk of stroke (FSRP-10). The cognitive domains that were tested included memory, executive functioning, and attention/information processing. Neighborhood socioeconomic resources were quantified at the census tract level (income, education, and occupation); crime-related psychosocial hazards were quantified at the point level. Structural equation modeling (SEM) did not show that the FSRP-10 mediated the relationship between neighborhood characteristics and domain-specific cognition. The SEM results did suggest that higher crime rates were associated with a higher FSRP-10 (β(105) = 2.38, p = 0.03) and that higher FSRP-10 is associated with reduced attention/information processing performance (β(105) = −0.04, p = 0.02) after accounting for neighborhood socioeconomic resources. Clinicians may wish to query not only individual but also neighborhood-level health when considering cognition.

How Experiences of Child Abuse Pediatricians and Lessons Learned May Inform Health Care Providers Focused on Improving Elder Abuse Geriatrics Clinical Practice and Research

The experience of physicians and other health care providers in child abuse pediatrics in the last six decades includes successes and failures, which can offer critical insights to inform the growing field of health care providers focusing on elder abuse clinical practice and research. We identify and describe in detail relevant lessons learned, including balancing an urgent call to action with a need for robust evidence to support clinical conclusions. We discuss solutions to research challenges, including the lack of a uniform gold standard for abuse diagnosis and how to ethically recruit subjects who may have cognitive impairment and also be crime victims. We offer recommendations on recruiting and training a specialized health care workforce. We make suggestions for health care providers about how to navigate the legal world including issues with expert testimony and also how to participate in policymaking and development of rational systems. We emphasize the importance of developing and supporting partnerships within the field, with allied fields inside and outside medicine, and internationally. We also highlight the value of connecting researchers and clinicians focused on different types of family violence.

The Influence of Alcohol Consumption on Fighting, Shoplifting and Vandalism in Young Adults

Experimental studies support the conventional belief that people behave more aggressively whilst under the influence of alcohol. To examine how these experimental findings manifest in real life situations, this study uses a method for estimating evidence for causality with observational data-'situational decomposition' to examine the association between alcohol consumption and crime in young adults from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children. Self-report questionnaires were completed at age 24 years to assess typical alcohol consumption and frequency, participation in fighting, shoplifting and vandalism in the previous year, and whether these crimes were committed under the influence of alcohol. Situational decomposition compares the strength of two associations, (1) the total association between alcohol consumption and crime (sober or intoxicated) versus (2) the association between alcohol consumption and crime committed while sober. There was an association between typical alcohol consumption and total crime for fighting [OR (95% CI): 1.47 (1.29, 1.67)], shoplifting [OR (95% CI): 1.25 (1.12, 1.40)], and vandalism [OR (95% CI): 1.33 (1.12, 1.57)]. The associations for both fighting and shoplifting had a small causal component (with the association for sober crime slightly smaller than the association for total crime). However, the association for vandalism had a larger causal component.

Forgiveness therapy in a maximum-security correctional institution: A randomized clinical trial

OBJECTIVE

Forgiveness Therapy is proposed as a novel approach to rehabilitation for men in a maximum-security correctional institution to alleviate psychological compromises.

METHOD

In a two-tiered study, volunteer participants within a correctional institution (N = 103) were asked to report past experiences of abuse and unjust treatment prior to their first crime and were measured on anger, anxiety, depression, hope and forgiveness. Twenty four of the most clinically compromised participants were selected from this initial assessment, with pairs first matched on certain characteristics and then randomly assigned to either experimental or control group interventions followed by a cross-over design (N = 9 in each group at the study's end). Experimental participants received 24 weeks of Forgiveness Therapy. Control group participants received 24 weeks of an alternative treatment followed by Forgiveness Therapy. Dependent variables included anger, anxiety, depression, forgiveness, hope, self-esteem and empathy.

RESULTS

Ninety percent of 103 participants reported moderate to severe abuse in childhood or adolescence. Data showed an inverse relationship between forgiveness and anger, anxiety and depression. In the Forgiveness Therapy, anger, anxiety, depression, empathy and forgiveness were statistically significant favouring both experimental groups. These results remained at the 6-month follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS

Forgiveness Therapy is shown to be effective for correctional rehabilitation in healing clinical psychological compromise and in promoting positive psychological well-being in men within a maximum-security facility.

Associations between individual antipsychotics and the risk of arrests and convictions of violent and other crime: a nationwide within-individual study of 74 925 persons

BACKGROUND

Individuals diagnosed with psychiatric disorders who are prescribed antipsychotics have lower rates of violence and crime but the differential effects of specific antipsychotics are not known. We investigated associations between 10 specific antipsychotic medications and subsequent risks for a range of criminal outcomes.

METHODS

We identified 74 925 individuals who were ever prescribed antipsychotics between 2006 and 2013 using nationwide Swedish registries. We tested for five specific first-generation antipsychotics (levomepromazine, perphenazine, haloperidol, flupentixol, and zuclopenthixol) and five second-generation antipsychotics (clozapine, olanzapine, quetiapine, risperidone, and aripiprazole). The outcomes included violent, drug-related, and any criminal arrests and convictions. We conducted within-individual analyses using fixed-effects Poisson regression models that compared rates of outcomes between periods when each individual was either on or off medication to account for time-stable unmeasured confounders. All models were adjusted for age and concurrent mood stabilizer medications.

RESULTS

The relative risks of all crime outcomes were substantially reduced [range of adjusted rate ratios (aRRs): 0.50-0.67] during periods when the patients were prescribed antipsychotics v. periods when they were not. We found that clozapine (aRRs: 0.28-0.44), olanzapine (aRRs: 0.46-0.72), and risperidone (aRRs: 0.53-0.64) were associated with lower arrest and conviction risks than other antipsychotics, including quetiapine (aRRs: 0.68-0.84) and haloperidol (aRRs: 0.67-0.77). Long-acting injectables as a combined medication class were associated with lower risks of the outcomes but only risperidone was associated with lower risks of all six outcomes (aRRs: 0.33-0.69).

CONCLUSIONS

There is heterogeneity in the associations between specific antipsychotics and subsequent arrests and convictions for any drug-related and violent crimes.

Psychopathy and Associated Factors Among Newly Admitted Prisoners in Correctional Institution Located in Bench Sheko and West Omo Zone, South West Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background

Psychopathy is an emerging health and behavioral problem worldwide. Psychopathy is linked to risk substance use, maltreatment, violence, crime, and reoffending, but little is known about psychopathy in low income countries like Ethiopia. Therefore, we assessed the prevalence and factors associated with psychopathy among newly-admitted prisoners in Bench Sheko and West Omo zone correctional center, Mizan Aman, Ethiopia.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted from April 20 to July 19, 2019, among 411 (N=422) newly-admitted Bench Sheko and West Omo zone correctional center prisoners by using a consecutive sampling technique. A semi-structured and interviewer administered psychopathy checklist revised tool was used for screening psychopathy. WHO, ASSIST tool was used for screening risk use of khat, tobacco, and alcohol. Trauma, maltreatment, and social support were assessed with a life event checklist, adverse life experience screening tool, and Oslo social support scale, respectively. In addition, Criminal and clinical history of the prisoner was also assessed. The data was entered into Epi-data 3.1 and exported to Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) Version 21 for statistical analysis. A logistic regression model was used. Variables with a p-value less than 0.05 in the final fitting model were declared as independent predictors of psychopathy.

Results

The prevalence of psychopathy was 24.3%. Childhood maltreatment (AOR=6, 95% CI=2.2–17.5), risky khat use (AOR=4.6, 95% CI=2.4–8.7), poor social support (AOR=3.5, 95% CI=1.9–6.6), family history of imprisonment (AOR=3, 95% CI=1.5–6), history of trauma (AOR=2.3, 95% CI=1.1–4.8), and reoffending (AOR=2, 95% CI=1.1–3.8) were positively associated variables with psychopathy.

Conclusion

Psychopathy is highly prevalent among newly-admitted prisoners. Integrated efforts involving relevant stakeholders are needed to design strategies for early screening of psychopathy to prevent reoffending, and management of risk substance use at admission is crucial.

A silver bullet? The role of radiology information system data mining in defining gunshot injury trends at a South African tertiary-level hospital

Background

South Africa (SA) has no national injury surveillance system, and hence, non-fatal gunshot injuries are not routinely recorded. Most firearm-related injuries require multi-detector computer tomography (MDCT) assessment at a tertiary-level facility. MDCT scanning for victims with gunshot injuries thus provide an indication of the societal burden of firearm trauma. The potential of the modern radiology information system (RIS) to serve as a robust research tool in such settings is not fully appreciated.

Objective

The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of institutional RIS data in defining MDCT scanning trends for gunshot victims presenting to a tertiary-level SA hospital.

Method

A single-institution, retrospective, comparative study was conducted at the Tygerberg Hospital (TBH) Trauma Unit for the years 2013 and 2018. Using data-mining software, customised RIS searches for information on all gunshot-related emergency computed tomography scans in the respective years were performed. Demographic, temporal, anatomical and scan-protocol trends were analysed by cross tabulation, Chi-squared and Fisher’s exact tests.

Results

Gunshot-related emergency MDCT scans increased by 62% (546 vs. 887) from 2013 to 2018. Lower-limb CT angiography was the commonest investigation in both periods. A higher proportion of victims in 2018 sustained thoracic injuries (12.5% vs. 19.8%; p < 0.01) and required imaging of more than two body parts (13.1% vs. 19.2%; p < 0.01).

Conclusion

By using RIS data to demonstrate the increasing gunshot-related MDCT workload in the review period, as well as a pattern of more complex and potentially life-threatening injury, this study highlights the burden of firearm trauma in the society and the potential role of the modern RIS as a robust research tool.

The Effect of Social Connectedness on Crime: Evidence from the Great Migration

This paper estimates the effect of social connectedness on crime across U.S. cities from 1970 to 2009. Migration networks among African Americans from the South generated variation across destinations in the concentration of migrants from the same birth town. Using this novel source of variation, we find that social connectedness considerably reduces murders, rapes, robberies, assaults, burglaries, and motor vehicle thefts, with a one standard deviation increase in social connectedness reducing murders by 21 percent and motor vehicle thefts by 20 percent. Social connectedness especially reduces murders of adolescents and young adults committed during gang and drug activity.

Swedish rape offenders - a latent class analysis

Sweden has witnessed an increase in the rates of sexual crimes including rape. Knowledge of who the offenders of these crimes are is therefore of importance for prevention. We aimed to study characteristics of individuals convicted of rape, aggravated rape, attempted rape or attempted aggravated rape (abbreviated rape+), against a woman ≥18 years of age, in Sweden. By using information from the Swedish Crime Register, offenders between 15 and 60 years old convicted of rape+ between 2000 and 2015 were included. Information on substance use disorders, previous criminality and psychiatric disorders were retrieved from Swedish population-based registers, and Latent Class Analysis (LCA) was used to identify classes of rape+ offenders. A total of 3 039 offenders were included in the analysis. A majority of them were immigrants (n = 1 800; 59.2%) of which a majority (n = 1 451; 47.7%) were born outside of Sweden. The LCA identified two classes: Class A — low offending class (LOC), and Class B — high offending class (HOC). While offenders in the LOC had low rates of previous criminality, psychiatric disorders and substance use disorders, those included in the HOC had high rates of previous criminality, psychiatric disorders and substance use disorders. While HOC may be composed by more “traditional” criminals probably known by the police, the LOC may represent individuals not previously known by the police. These two separated classes, as well as our finding in regard to a majority of the offenders being immigrants, warrants further studies that take into account the contextual characteristics among these offenders.

Key points

Rape, aggravated rape, attempted rape or attempted aggravated rape (rape+) are increasing in Sweden.

The majority of those convicted of rape+ are immigrants.

LCA identifies two classes of rape+ offenders: LOC and HOC.

Testing the Role of Emotion Dysregulation as a Predictor of Juvenile Recidivism

The current study proposed to determine whether adolescent emotion regulation is predictive of the amount and type of crime committed by adolescent juvenile offenders. Despite evidence in the literature linking emotion regulation to behaviour problems and aggression across the lifespan, there is no prior longitudinal research examining the predictive role of emotion regulation on adolescent recidivism, nor data regarding how emotion regulation relates to the occurrence of specific types of crimes. Our primary hypothesis was that poor emotion regulation would positively and significantly predict re-offending among adolescents. We tested our hypothesis within a binary logistic framework utilizing the Pathways to Desistance longitudinal data. Exploratory bivariate analyses were conducted regarding emotion regulation and type of crime in the service of future hypothesis generation. Though the findings did not indicate a statistically significant relation between emotion regulation and reoffending, exploratory findings suggest that some types of crime may be more linked to emotion regulation than others. In sum, the present study aimed to examine a hypothesized relation between emotion regulation and juvenile delinquency by identifying how the individual factor of dysregulated emotion regulation may have played a role. This study’s findings did not provide evidence that emotion regulation was a significant predictor of recidivism over time but did suggest that emotion regulation is related to participation in certain types of crime one year later. Directions for future research that build upon the current study were described. Indeed, identifying emotion regulation as a predictor of adolescent crime has the potential to enhance current crime prevention efforts and clinical treatments for juvenile offenders; this is based on the large amount of treatment literature, which documents that emotion regulation is malleable through treatment and prevention programming.

Multiresolution Analyses of Neighborhood Correlates of Crime: Smaller Is Not Better

Population analyses of the correlates of neighborhood crime implicitly assume that a single spatial unit can be used to assess neighborhood effects. However, no single spatial unit may be suitable for analyses of the many social determinants of crime. Instead, effects may appear at multiple spatial resolutions, with some determinants acting broadly, others locally, and still others as some function of both global and local conditions. We provide a multiresolution spatial analysis that simultaneously examines US Census block, block group, and tract effects of alcohol outlets and drug markets on violent crimes in Oakland, California, incorporating spatial lag effects at the 2 smaller spatial resolutions. Using call data from the Oakland Police Department from 2010-2015, we examine associations of assaults, burglaries, and robberies with multiple resolutions of alcohol outlet types and compare the performance of single (block-level) models with that of multiresolution models. Multiresolution models performed better than the block models, reflected in improved deviance and Watanabe-Akaike information criteria and well-supported multiresolution associations. By considering multiple spatial scales and spatial lags in a Bayesian framework, researchers can explore multiresolution processes, providing more detailed tests of expectations from theoretical models and leading the way to more effective intervention efforts.

Social Defeat, Psychotic Symptoms, and Crime in Young Caribbean Immigrants to Rotterdam

Background: The negative experience of being excluded from the majority group (social defeat) may be associated with psychosis in immigrants. The social defeat hypothesis is supported by the high frequency of perceived discrimination and acculturation problems in psychotic immigrants. In addition, social defeat may lead to crime through social problems such as unemployment, school dropout, a broken family structure, or psychotic symptoms. Methods: We assessed the association between social defeat and acculturation on the one hand and broadly defined psychotic symptoms and crime on the other in Caribbean immigrants to Rotterdam who are aged 18-24 years. The municipality of Rotterdam provided data about Caribbean immigrants to Rotterdam. Acculturation, social defeat (perceived discrimination, sense of control, and evaluation of self and others), psychotic symptoms, and crime were assessed using online questionnaires. Results: Social defeat was associated with psychotic symptoms in women (β = 0.614, p < 0.001). This relation applied particularly to the negative self-perception domain of social defeat. Acculturation was associated with neither social defeat nor psychotic symptoms or crime and did not mediate the association between social defeat and psychosis. Conclusion: The social defeat hypothesis of psychosis may be gender-specific valid but does not extend to crime.

Analysis on mental-insanity and cessation-of-dangerousness examinations in three Brazilian custodial institutions: a retrospective cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

In Brazil, the right to healthcare and the incorporation of best scientific evidence in public health are universally guaranteed by law. However, the treatment offered to patients with mental disorders in custodial hospitals in this country has not been rigorously evaluated.

OBJECTIVES

To analyze the psychiatric diagnoses and treatments implemented in three Brazilian custodial institutions.

DESIGN AND SETTING

This was a retrospective, cross-sectional and descriptive study on patients held in custody in three Brazilian institutions, as judicially-determined safety measures due to their mental disorders, and the tools used in diagnoses and treatments. These institutions are in Rio de Janeiro and the Federal District.

METHODS

The data from medical and judicial records that were made available were assessed regarding the diagnoses that were made and the instruments that were used.

RESULTS

None of these inpatients were evaluated using validated tools, and only a few medical records presented clear descriptions of the cases. No patient with substance involvement had undergone laboratory toxicological assays. It was not possible to verify the adequacy of treatments because the procedures were inadequately described in the records.

CONCLUSIONS

No standardized protocols or instruments for diagnosing mental health disorders or assessing use of psychoactive substances had been applied among the inpatients at these custodial institutions in Rio de Janeiro and the Federal District. The treatments that were prescribed to these inpatients consisted mainly of drugs.

Psychiatric hospital admission and later crime, mental health, and labor market outcomes

Most OECD countries have downsized treatment capacity at psychiatric hospitals substantially. We investigate consequences of these reductions by studying how the decision whether to admit individuals in mental distress to a psychiatric hospital affects their subsequent crime, treatment trajectories, and labor market outcomes. To circumvent nonrandom selection into admission, we use a proxy of occupancy rates prior to a patient's first contact with a psychiatric hospital as an instrument. We find that admissions reduce criminal behavior, likely due to incapacitation, and predominantly for males and those with a criminal record. Furthermore, admission lowers patients' subsequent labor market attachment, likely because a psychiatric hospital admission is an eligibility criterion for welfare benefits.

The Relationship Between Khat Use Disorder and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Among Prisoners with Life Time Trauma Exposure in Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional Study

BACKGROUND

Problematic khat use is an emerging health problem worldwide. Trauma experience, crime, and substance misuse is closely related. However, there is lack of evidence whether post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and life time trauma exposure has a relationship with problematic khat use among prisoners in our country Ethiopia, or elsewhere. Therefore, this study assessed the relationship between PTSD and life time trauma exposure with khat use disorder among newly admitted prisoners in Bench Shako and West Omo zone correctional institution, Mizan Aman, Ethiopia.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted among 411 (N=422) prisoners from April 20 to July 19, 2019, by using a consecutive sampling technique. Trauma exposure and post-traumatic stress disorder were assessed with a life event check list and Post-traumatic stress disorder - civilian version (PCL-C), respectively. The WHO ASSIST tool was used to assess khat, alcohol, and tobacco use disorder. Antisocial personality disorder, criminal, and clinical history were also assessed. The data were entered into Epi-data version 3.1 and then exported to Statistical Package for Social Science version 21. A logistic regression model was used and variables with a p-value less than 0.05 in the final fitting model were stated as independent predictors of PTSD.

RESULTS

Nearly one out of four prisoners exposed to life time trauma exposure developed PTSD, and the prevalence of khat use disorder among prisoners with life time trauma exposure and PTSD was 45% and 85%, respectively. Prisoners with khat use disorder had more than 5 times higher odds of association with PTSD than their counterparts (AOR=5.3, 95% CI=2.4-11.8). In addition, antisocial personality disorder (AOR=2.8, 95% CI=1.6-5.5), criminal recidivism (AOR=2.5, 95% CI=1.5-4.3), and being a driver (AOR=2, 95% CI=1.2-3.3) were positively associated with PTSD.

CONCLUSION

Khat use disorder was higher among prisoners with life time trauma exposure and PTSD, and khat use disorder was positively associated with PTSD.

Comparing crime rates between undocumented immigrants, legal immigrants, and native-born US citizens in Texas

Despite its centrality to public and political discourse, we lack even basic information on fundamental questions regarding undocumented immigrants and crime. This stems largely from data constraints. Going beyond existing research, we utilize data from the Texas Department of Public Safety, which checks and records the immigration status of all arrestees throughout the state. Contrary to public perception, we observe considerably lower felony arrest rates among undocumented immigrants compared to legal immigrants and native-born US citizens and find no evidence that undocumented criminality has increased in recent years. Our findings help us understand why the most aggressive immigrant removal programs have not delivered on their crime reduction promises and are unlikely to do so in the future.

We make use of uniquely comprehensive arrest data from the Texas Department of Public Safety to compare the criminality of undocumented immigrants to legal immigrants and native-born US citizens between 2012 and 2018. We find that undocumented immigrants have substantially lower crime rates than native-born citizens and legal immigrants across a range of felony offenses. Relative to undocumented immigrants, US-born citizens are over 2 times more likely to be arrested for violent crimes, 2.5 times more likely to be arrested for drug crimes, and over 4 times more likely to be arrested for property crimes. In addition, the proportion of arrests involving undocumented immigrants in Texas was relatively stable or decreasing over this period. The differences between US-born citizens and undocumented immigrants are robust to using alternative estimates of the broader undocumented population, alternate classifications of those counted as “undocumented” at arrest and substituting misdemeanors or convictions as measures of crime.

The Helicopter Pilot-Swedish Hot-Area Policing From Above

Hot spot policing is an established concept that is proven to reduce crime. It is mostly done through foot patrol or car patrols. In the present study it is tested whether helicopters can produce a deterrent policing effect to reduce the amount of vehicle arsons in Sweden on larger hot areas. Sweden tends to have elevated levels of vehicle arsons in August, with about 20% of police districts responsible for 50% of the cases. The risk narrative revolves around youth congregating in public places in deprived neighborhoods to generate disturbances, and the disruption of the risk narrative tested here is based on providing deterrence through helicopter police presence. During 6 weeks in August and September of 2019 police helicopters patrolled four police districts in Sweden to attempt to prevent vehicle arsons. Our data comprise police reports of vehicle arson, and time stamped satellite data over the location for police helicopters. The evaluation considers whether there is an intention to treat effect from this project, in addition to whether there is an effect of actual helicopter presence. The study finds no significant effect of intention to treat, nor of actual dosage.

Towards a Situated Spatial Epidemiology of Violence: A Placially-Informed Geospatial Analysis of Homicide in Alagoas, Brazil

This paper presents an empirically grounded call for a more nuanced engagement and situatedness with placial characteristics within a spatial epidemiology frame. By using qualitative data collected through interviews and observation to parameterise standard and spatial regression models, and through a critical interpretation of their results, we present initial inroads for a situated spatial epidemiology and an analytical framework for health/medical geographers to iteratively engage with data, modelling, and the context of both the subject and process of analysis. In this study, we explore the socioeconomic factors that influence homicide rates in the Brazilian state of Alagoas from a critical public health perspective. Informed by field observation and interviews with 24 youths in low-income neighbourhoods and prisons in Alagoas, we derive and critically reflect on three regression models to predict municipal homicide rates from 2016-2020. The model results indicate significant effects for the male population, persons without elementary school completion, households with reported income, divorced persons, households without piped water, and persons working outside their home municipality. These results are situated in the broader socioeconomic context, trajectories, and cycles of inequality in the study area and underscore the need for integrative and contextually engaged mixed method study design in spatial epidemiology.

Use of anabolic-androgenic steroids and other substances prior to and during imprisonment - Results from the Norwegian Offender Mental Health and Addiction (NorMA) study

BACKGROUND

Anabolic-androgenic steroid (AAS) use is associated with health problems and substance use. Substance use is common among inmates. This study aims to estimate lifetime and prison use of AAS and other substances, compare characteristics of groups of inmates, and describe factors associated with AAS use in a national prison population.

METHODS

Data from the Norwegian Offender Mental Health and Addiction (NorMA) Study, a cross-sectional survey of people in prisons, included sociodemographic variables and lifetime and prison use of AAS and other substances. Altogether 1,499 inmates, including 96 (6.4%) women, were divided into three mutually exclusive groups according to lifetime AAS use, non-AAS substance use and no substance use.

RESULTS

Lifetime AAS use was reported by 427 (28.5%) inmates; 6 women and 421 men. Non-AAS substance use was reported by 593 (39.6%) and 479 (31.9%) had never used AAS or non-AAS substances. Compared to the non-AAS substance group, the AAS group reported younger debut ages for nearly all non-AAS substances, higher mean number of non-AAS substances used in their lifetime (8.9, 6.6, p < 0.001), during the six months prior to incarceration (5.2, 3.1, p < 0.001), and during (2.3, 1.3, p < 0.001) imprisonment. Although 120 (8.0%) inmates used AAS during the six months prior to incarceration, only ten continued during imprisonment.

CONCLUSIONS

Lifetime AAS use is common among inmates and may be an indicator of more severe substance use problems. Screening for previous and present AAS use at incarceration and increased staff awareness are needed to tailor treatment approaches appropriately.

Making Sense of Misdemeanors: Fine Only Offenses in Convivial Court Rooms

This paper investigates how the complexity of and everyday interactions within the criminal legal system sow confusion about the causes and consequences of low-level misdemeanor, or fine only, legal entanglements. Drawing on data from 62 interviews with people assessed legal debt and 240 hours of ethnographic observation in courtrooms, we describe inconsistencies between the design of the criminal legal system and the organization of defendants' lives that undermine the ability of defendants to satisfactorily or summarily resolve their legal cases. We also consider how interpersonal interactions within courts undermine the power of defendants to challenge legal authority, court norms, and established criminal legal processes. These findings illustrate a mismatch between expectations about and experiences with misdemeanor charges that place undue burden on disadvantaged defendants and highlight the scale and impact of fine only misdemeanors as a central inequality generating feature of the contemporary criminal legal system.

Evaluating the causal impact of individual alcohol licensing decisions on local health and crime using natural experiments with synthetic controls

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Given the costs of alcohol to society, it is important to evaluate whether local alcohol licensing decisions can mitigate the effects of alcohol misuse. Robust natural experiment evaluations of the impact of individual licensing decisions could potentially inform and improve local decision-making. We aimed to assess whether alcohol licensing decisions could be evaluated at small spatial scale by using a causal inference framework.

DESIGN

Three natural experiments.

SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

Three English local areas of 1000-15 000 people each.

INTERVENTION AND COMPARATOR

The case study interventions were (i) the closure of a nightclub following reviews; (ii) closure of a restaurant/nightclub following reviews and (iii) implementation of new local licensing guidance (LLG). Trends in outcomes were compared with synthetic counterfactuals created using Bayesian structural time-series.

MEASUREMENTS

Time-series data were obtained on emergency department admissions, ambulance call-outs and alcohol-related crime at the Lower or Middle Super Output geographical aggregation level.

FINDINGS

Closure of the nightclub led to temporary 4-month reductions in antisocial behaviour (-18%; 95% credible interval - 37%, -4%), with no change in other outcomes. Closure of the restaurant/nightclub did not lead to measurable changes in outcomes. The new licensing guidance led to small reductions in drunk and disorderly behaviour (nine of a predicted 21 events averted), and the unplanned end of the LLG coincided with an increase in domestic violence of two incidents per month.

CONCLUSIONS

The impact of local alcohol policy, even at the level of individual premises, can be evaluated using a causal inference framework. Local government actions such as closure or restriction of alcohol venues and alcohol licensing may have a positive impact on health and crime in the immediate surrounding area.

Subjective Environmental Experiences and Women's Breastfeeding Journeys: A Survival Analysis Using an Online Survey of UK Mothers

Local physical and social environmental factors are important drivers of human health and behaviour. Environmental perception has been linked with both reproduction and parenting, but links between subjective environmental experiences and breastfeeding remain unclear. Using retrospective data from an online survey of UK mothers of children aged 0-24 months, Cox-Aalen survival models test whether negative subjective environmental experiences negatively correlated with any and exclusive breastfeeding (max n = 473). Matching predictions, hazards of stopping any breastfeeding were increased, albeit non-significantly, across the five environmental measures (HR: 1.05-1.26) Hazards for stopping exclusive breastfeeding were however (non-significantly) reduced (HR: 0.65-0.87). Score processes found no significant time-varying effects. However, estimated cumulative coefficient graphs showed that the first few weeks postpartum were most susceptible to environmental influences and that contrary to our predictions, mothers with worse subjective environmental experiences were less likely to stop breastfeeding at this time. In addition, the hazard of stopping exclusive breastfeeding declined over time for mothers who thought that littering was a problem. The predicted increased hazards of stopping breastfeeding were only evident in the later stages of any breastfeeding and only for mothers who reported littering as a problem or that people tended not to know each other. Perceived harsher physical and social environmental conditions are assumed to deter women from breastfeeding, but this may not always be the case. Women's hazards of stopping breastfeeding change over time and there may be particular timepoints in their breastfeeding journeys where subjective environmental experiences play a role.

Sanctuary policies reduce deportations without increasing crime

The US government maintains that local sanctuary policies prevent deportations of violent criminals and increase crime. This report tests those claims by combining Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) deportation data and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) crime data with data on the implementation dates of sanctuary policies between 2010 and 2015. Sanctuary policies reduced deportations of people who were fingerprinted by states or counties by about one-third. Those policies also changed the composition of deportations, reducing deportations of people with no criminal convictions by half-without affecting deportations of people with violent convictions. Sanctuary policies also had no detectable effect on crime rates. These findings suggest that sanctuary policies, although effective at reducing deportations, do not threaten public safety.

Lithium in drinking water and crime rates in Japan: cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

In pharmacological doses, lithium successfully treats bipolar disorder and it can reduce violent crimes committed by individuals with this disorder.

AIMS

To investigate whether naturally occurring lithium in drinking water lowers rates of violent crime in the general population.

METHOD

We examined lithium levels in the drinking water of the 274 municipalities of Kyushu Island in Japan and compared these with the crime rates in each municipality.

RESULTS

We found that lithium levels were significantly and inversely associated with crime rates in 2009.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings suggest that even very low levels of lithium in drinking water may play a role in reducing crime rates in the general population.

Changing self-control: Promising efforts and a way forward

Researchers have long known that self-control, or impulse control, is important for a variety of life outcomes, including health, education, and behavior. In criminology, the most popular perspective on self-control argues that it is a multidimensional trait that is relatively stable after about age 8. Some work, however, has shown that in fact, self-control may not be as stable as originally thought. This article examines the evidence on interventions seeking to enhance self-control and subsequently to reduce delinquent or criminal behavior. The evidence is growing but still in need of development. Implications for future research and practice are discussed in the conclusion.

Greater Neurobiological Resilience to Chronic Socioeconomic or Environmental Stressors Associates With Lower Risk for Cardiovascular Disease Events

BACKGROUND

Chronic exposure to socioeconomic or environmental stressors associates with greater stress-related neurobiological activity (ie, higher amygdalar activity [AmygA]) and higher risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE). However, among individuals exposed to such stressors, it is unknown whether neurobiological resilience (NBResilience, defined as lower AmygA despite stress exposure) lowers MACE risk. We tested the hypotheses that NBResilience protects against MACE, and that it does so through decreased bone marrow activity and arterial inflammation.

METHODS

Individuals underwent 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography; AmygA, bone marrow activity, and arterial inflammation were quantified. Chronic socioeconomic and environmental stressors known to associate with AmygA and MACE (ie, transportation noise exposure, neighborhood median household income, and crime rate) were quantified. Heightened stress exposure was defined as exposure to at least one chronic stressor (ie, the highest tertile of noise exposure or crime or lowest tertile of income). MACE within 5 years of imaging was adjudicated. Relationships were evaluated using linear and Cox regression, Kaplan-Meier survival, and mediation analyses.

RESULTS

Of 254 individuals studied (median age [interquartile range]: 57 years [46-67], 36.7% male), 166 were exposed to at least one chronic stressor. Among stress-exposed individuals, 12 experienced MACE over a median follow-up of 3.75 years. Among this group, higher AmygA (ie, lower resilience) associated with higher bone marrow activity (standardized β [95% CI]: 0.192 [0.030-0.353], P=0.020), arterial inflammation (0.203 [0.055-0.351], P=0.007), and MACE risk (standardized hazard ratio [95% CI]: 1.927 [1.370-2.711], P=0.001). The effect of NBResilience on MACE risk was significantly mediated by lower arterial inflammation (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Among individuals who are chronically exposed to socioeconomic or environmental stressors, NBResilience (AmygA <1 SD above the mean) associates with a >50% reduction in MACE risk, potentially via reduced arterial inflammation. These data raise the possibility that enhancing NBResilience may decrease the burden of cardiovascular disease.

The Impact of Parental Incarceration on Psychopathy, Crime, and Prison Violence in Women

There is a growing interest in understanding the consequences of parental incarceration. Unfortunately, research exploring the long-term criminological and personality effects in female offspring is limited, particularly among second-generation female offenders. In a sample of 170 female offenders, we first assessed the correlations between psychopathy facets, prison violence, and types of crime. Next, we tested the association between childhood exposure to paternal and/or maternal incarceration on adulthood psychopathic traits, criminal offending, and prospective prison violence over 12 months. Correlations showed the interpersonal facet was positively correlated with fraud-related crime and prison violence. The affective facet was positively correlated with violent crime and prison violence. The behavioral facet was associated with prison violence and drug-related crime. Multinomial logistic regressions showed higher interpersonal facet scores were associated with an increased likelihood of having experienced paternal incarceration. Higher affective facet scores, violent crime, and prison violence were associated with an increased likelihood of having experienced maternal incarceration, regardless of if the father had been incarcerated or not. It is evident that having any parent incarcerated during childhood can be harmful to daughters; however, our findings dovetail with prior research showing that maternal incarceration leads to more detrimental outcomes for women.

Datasets of demographic profile and perpetrator experience in committing crime among young offenders in Malaysia

The datasets in this article provides supplementary information related to: (1) demographic profile of young offenders and (2) perpetrator experience in committing a crime. A quantitative approach based on a cross-sectional survey design was employed to collect data among 306 young offenders undergoing Community Service Order initiated by the Malaysian Social Welfare Department. The resultant data were analysed descriptively using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). The result stipulates that the majority of respondents are consist of male young offenders aged 20 years old, Malays, single in marital status, and unemployed. Based on the crime involvement aspect, the result indicates that young offenders involved in stealing (26.1%), does not carry any weapons while committing a crime (50.0%), and entangled in criminal activity due to peer influence (40.0%). Moreover, unfavorable luck contributes to the failure in executing crime (52.6%) which subsequently leads them to be arrested by the police (52.0%).

Testing If Primal World Beliefs Reflect Experiences-Or at Least Some Experiences Identified ad hoc

Do negative primal world beliefs reflect experiences such as trauma, crime, or low socio-economic status? Clifton and colleagues recently suggested that primals-defined as beliefs about the general character of the world as a whole, such as the belief that the world is safe (vs. dangerous) and abundant (vs. barren)-may shape many of the most-studied variables in psychology. Yet researchers do not yet know why individuals adopt their primals nor the role of experience in shaping primals. Many theories can be called retrospective theories; these theories suggest that past experiences lead to the adoption of primals that reflect those experiences. For example, trauma increases the belief that the world is dangerous and growing up poor increases the belief that the world is barren. Alternatively, interpretive theories hold that primals function primarily as lenses on experiences while being themselves largely unaffected by them. This article identifies twelve empirical tests where each theory makes different predictions and hypothesizes that retrospective theories are typically less accurate than interpretive theories. I end noting that, even if retrospective theories are typically inaccurate, that does not imply experiences do not shape primals. I end by offering a conceptual architecture-the Cube Framework-for exploring the full range of human experience and suggest that, though psychologists have historically focused on negative, externally imposed experiences of short-duration (e.g., trauma), positive, internally driven, and longer-term experiences are also worth considering.

Narration and Legacy of Important Chemical Spot Tests in Forensic Investigation

Chemical spot tests are one of the oldest and simplest presumptive methods of analytical chemistry. They are an integral part of the schematic analysis of different types of substances in various pure and applied scientific disciplines including forensic science. The role of spot tests has remained eternal utility in different branches of forensic science to analyze various types of physical or trace evidences. Forensic experts need to have an absolute understanding of the foundation and technicality behind complex reactions of customary spot tests. Forensic science literature dwells in the diversity of spot tests but an informative and comprehensive compendium of such prose remains occasional and limited in general. Keeping in view the ample history and legacy of spot test, the current review was constructed from a core of historical literature to recapitulate trending applications, chemistry, and limitations of notable "Griess test", "Luminol test", "Kastle-Meyer test", "Phenolphthalein test", "Ninhydrin test", and "Spy dust" in forensic science. The aim of this review article was to describe the outlook and likely impact of these tests on the expansion of scientific investigation. The anticipated output of this review is supposed to impart compatible knowledge in the attentive readers interested in understanding legacy and technical details of selected spot tests used in solving crime.

Park Proximity and Use for Physical Activity among Urban Residents: Associations with Mental Health

Increasing global urbanization limits interaction between people and natural environments, which may negatively impact population health and wellbeing. Urban residents who live near parks report better mental health. Physical activity (PA) reduces depression and improves quality of life. Despite PA's protective effects on mental health, the added benefit of urban park use for PA is unclear. Thus, we examined whether park-based PA mediated associations between park proximity and mental distress among 3652 New York City residents (61.4% 45 + years, 58.9% female, 56.3% non-white) who completed the 2010-2011 Physical Activity and Transit (PAT) random-digit-dial survey. Measures included number of poor mental health days in the previous month (outcome), self-reported time to walk to the nearest park from home (exposure), and frequency of park use for sports, exercise or PA (mediator). We used multiple regression with bootstrap-generated 95% bias-corrected confidence intervals (BC CIs) to test for mediation by park-based PA and moderation by gender, dog ownership, PA with others, and perceived park crime. Park proximity was indirectly associated with fewer days of poor mental health via park-based PA, but only among those not concerned about park crime (index of moderated mediation = 0.04; SE = 0.02; 95% BC CI = 0.01, 0.10). Investment in park safety and park-based PA promotion in urban neighborhoods may help to maximize the mental health benefits of nearby parks.

Single-digit fingerprint analysis for hand determination: A study of twinned loops

In fingerprint analysis, the determination of hand (right or left) is one of the keys to resolving questions regarding the identity of the donor of the print. It is rare to encounter a complete set of 10-digit fingerprints from the scene of a crime. Although vital and imperative, except for a few studies on whorl patterns, the use of single-digit prints and patterns to ascertain the hand of the donor is scarcely reported in the literature. This research describes a novel approach whereby an analysis of twinned loops was carried out to identify the various parameters that may be helpful in ascertaining the hand of the donor. Bilateral rolled fingerprints from 180 healthy consenting adults belonging to a heterogeneous population of central India were collected. Out of the total of 1800 prints taken, 100 twinned loops (50 on the right hand and 50 on the left hand) were analysed. The following six parameters were considered: the slope of the flow of the apex ridges, the distance between the left delta and the ascending core, the distance between the right delta and the ascending core, mid-core position, the position of the loop and ridge tracing. On applying the chi-square test, the results were found to be statistically significant. Therefore, these parameters were found suitable for the determination of the hand from a single twinned-loop print.

The face validity of an initial sub-typology of people with autism spectrum disorders detained in psychiatric hospitals

Autistic adults who have a history of committing crimes present a major problem for providers of services in terms of legal disposal options and possible interventions, and greater understanding of this group and their associated needs is required. For this reason, we aimed to investigate the face validity of a proposed sub-typology of autistic adults detained in secure psychiatric hospitals in the United Kingdom. Initially, a focus group was completed with psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, healthcare workers, family members and autistic adults who had been detained in hospital, leading to revisions of the sub-typology. Following this, a consensus rating exercise of 10 clinical vignettes based on this sub-typology with three rounds was completed with 15 psychiatrists and clinical psychologists; revisions to the vignettes to improve clarity were made following each round. The findings indicated that these subtypes possess face validity and raters were able to classify all 10 clinical case vignettes into the sub-typology, and percentage of agreement ranged from 96% to 100% for overall subtype classification. This study suggests that the further validity of the sub-typology should be investigated within a larger study, as these subtypes have the potential to directly inform the hospital care pathway such that length of stay can be minimised.