Aggressors against women in prison and in the community: an exploratory study of a differential profile

Reimbursing incarcerated individuals for participation in research: A scoping review

BACKGROUND

Little is known about global practices regarding the provision of reimbursement for the participation of people who are incarcerated in research. To determine current practices related to the reimbursement of incarcerated populations for research, we aimed to describe international variations in practice across countries and carceral environments to help inform the development of more consistent and equitable practices.

METHODS

We conducted a scoping review by searching PubMed, Cochrane library, Medline, and Embase, and conducted a grey literature search for English- and French-language articles published until September 30, 2022. All studies evaluating any carceral-based research were included if recruitment of incarcerated participants occurred inside any non-juvenile carceral setting; we excluded studies if recruitment occurred exclusively following release. Where studies failed to indicate the presence or absence of reimbursement, we assumed none was provided.

RESULTS

A total of 4,328 unique articles were identified, 2,765 were eligible for full text review, and 426 were included. Of these, 295 (69%) did not offer reimbursement to incarcerated individuals. A minority (n = 13; 4%) included reasons explaining the absence of reimbursement, primarily government-level policies (n = 7). Among the 131 (31%) studies that provided reimbursement, the most common form was monetary compensation (n = 122; 93%); five studies (4%) offered possible reduced sentencing. Reimbursement ranged between $3-610 USD in total and 14 studies (11%) explained the reason behind the reimbursements, primarily researchers' discretion (n = 9).

CONCLUSIONS

The majority of research conducted to date in carceral settings globally has not reimbursed incarcerated participants. Increased transparency regarding reimbursement (or lack thereof) is needed as part of all carceral research and advocacy efforts are required to change policies prohibiting reimbursement of incarcerated individuals. Future work is needed to co-create international standards for the equitable reimbursement of incarcerated populations in research, incorporating the voices of people with lived and living experience of incarceration.

Differential psychopathological profile of male intimate partner violence perpetrators depending on Problematic alcohol use

OBJECTIVE

This study explored the differential psychopathological profile between male perpetrators of intimate partner violence (IPV) with and without problematic alcohol use (PAU).

METHOD

A sample of 981 men was recruited from a specialized IPV perpetrators treatment programme. All of them were assessed with the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R), the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory-2 (STAXI-2), and the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-III (MCMI-III). Comparisons between perpetrators with (n = 125) and without (n = 856) PAU on all the variables studied were carried out.

RESULTS

Perpetrators with PAU were less frequently employed and had higher rates of previous psychiatric history and childhood family violence. Moreover, they presented with higher levels of cognitive biases about women and violence. On a psychopathological level, participants with PAU reported significantly higher scores on the SCL-90-R, on the STAXI-2, and on almost all the MCMI-III scales than did those without PAU. The multivariate logistic regression analyses showed that the main variables related to PAU were as follows: higher levels of previous psychiatric history, distorted thoughts about women, depression, drug dependence, and various personality disorders (bipolar, dysthymia, antisocial, avoidant, borderline, and schizotypal); and lower scores on internal control, anger reaction, paranoid ideation, and schizoid personality disorders.

DISCUSSION

IPV perpetrators with PAU have a more severe psychopathological profile than those without PAU. Additionally, several variables along with PAU may have contributed to the development of IPV. Therefore, tailored interventions should be developed for those perpetrators with PAU.

Culture of honor, jealousy and distorted thoughts of men imprisoned for violence against women

In this work, we present the analysis of life stories of a group of men who are serving sentences for gender violence in Jaén II Penitentiary Institution (Andalusia, Spain), who are part of the treatment for gender aggressors. Results show some characteristics of these men, related to gender violence, are a reflection of the patriarchal system, with a traditional cultural component, such as the concept of culture of honor; the existence of gender stereotypes; jealousy or infidelity as the main justification for the crime committed; all variables directly related to gender violence. These findings represent a contribution to the fight against this serious social problema, taking into consideration the perspective of the abusive man, being a main actor.

Intimate partner violence against women in Spain: A medico-legal and criminological study

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a significant worldwide problem whose magnitude and risk factors vary across different settings and cultures. Nowadays, it is a priority to improve the knowledge on this issue in order to formulate better evidence-based policy responses. This study aims to contribute to a better understanding of non-fatal IPV against women in Spain. A retrospective analysis of IPV cases with a final judicial decision was carried out. The period under study extended from January 2005 to December 2012, with a total of 582 files included in the investigation. Most IPV victims were young adult women of Spanish origin, either married or single, with children, unemployed and with a low family income level. The majority of alleged perpetrators were young adults, employed, with a middle-low income level, a history of alcohol consumption/abuse, but no criminal records. Most victims had previous history of IPV, were engaged in a long-term relationship with their abuser and lived with him at the time of assault. The combination of psychological and physical abuse was the most frequent form of violence. The most common mechanisms of assault consisted in minor acts of physical violence, which resulted in mild injuries, most of them in the upper limbs and face. Nearly half of women sought medical care, but physician's injury report was only made in about a quarter of these cases, even though it is mandatory for health professionals. The majority of criminal proceedings were initiated by the victim's report and ended in conviction, most of them being considered occasional mistreatment. This study confirms the heterogeneity of the phenomenon of intimate partner violence. The importance of adopting standard IPV concepts and promoting the recognition and assessment of this form of violence amongst health care professionals, criminal investigators and forensic personnel is emphasized.

Impact of a court-referred psychological treatment program for intimate partner batterer men with suspended sentences

In this article, the impact of a court-mandated psychological treatment program for men who had committed an offense of intimate partner violence is tested. The sample consisted of 235 men who received a suspended sentence after being charged and sentenced for an offense in relation to intimate partner violence. The success rate in the posttreatment period was 37.4%, and the improvement rate was 48.1%. Therefore, in 85.5% of cases, the treatment program was effective. Results after 12 months of follow-up were almost identical. Moreover, there was a significant decrease in associated psychopathological symptoms. Regarding prediction of therapeutic results, batterers who were older, who had more distorted thoughts about violence, and who had not been victims of childhood abuse were at a significantly greater risk of treatment failure.

From violence to hope: the construction of professional knowledge in treating imprisoned male batterers in Israel

The treatment of incarcerated batterers has not been as thoroughly studied as that of men who take part in community treatment programs. The current study describes and analyzes the “practice wisdom” of professionals in a special unit that focuses on treating batterers in an Israeli prison. The analysis is based on in-depth semistructured interviews aimed at facilitating a self-reflective process among the participating social workers. In understanding the construction of tacit knowledge by the social workers, we observe four major dialectical themes in their construction of their practice knowledge: (a) the dialectics of behavior modification and psychodynamic change, (b) the paradoxical use of authority in the service of treatment, (c) the multiple meanings of gender, and (d) the question of change--what really makes the difference? While such opposites might never be fully reconciled, the tension and changes can contribute to construction of professional knowledge.

Male Abuser: Type of Violence and Perception of the Relationship with the Victim

This article explores violent behavior within a relationship from the male abuser's perspective. A systemic approach was used, combining qualitative and quantitative information in two parallel studies. The first (Study 1) is a descriptive analysis of a group of men ( N = 220) who participated in a program to address violence within the couple. In the second (Study 2), a subgroup of 8 participants was interviewed in-depth for describing and analyzing their perceptions of violence. The data analysis suggest that relationship violence (a) begins in the early stages of the relationship, (b) is long-term, (c) rarely includes serious physical aggression, (d) is dominated by a growing hostility and isolation, (e) is characterized by a lack of awareness and responsibility for the violent behavior, and (f) includes intentional and strategic use of violent behavior.

Batterer Men in Prison and in Court-Referred Treatment Programmes: What is the Difference?

This paper describes the demographic, gender violence and psychopathological characteristics of 399 men in a specialized treatment programme for gender violence. Furthermore, a comparison of all the variables studied among the subjects referred by the court to the treatment programme (n= 276) and those who were imprisoned (n= 123) was conducted. The results showed the existence of numerous statistically significant differences between groups, primarily in psychopathological variables and in cognitive bias about women and violence use. In general, imprisoned batterers showed more irrational beliefs both about women and about violence as a strategy to cope with everyday difficulties. Moreover, batterers in prison had significantly higher scores on all psychopathological symptoms as assessed by SCL-90-R, as well as in most of STAXI-2 subscales. According to these results, batterers in prison showed a higher severity in variables studied than those who were referred by the court to the treatment programme. Implications of these results for further research and clinical practice are also commented on.

[Violence against women in mental health departments: Is it relevant for mental health professionals?]

INTRODUCTION

Violence against women (VaW) directly influences their quality of life and mental health. Unfortunately, its influence may be ignored or underestimated by professionals attending these women.

OBJECTIVES

To describe a hospitalized sample of women suffering from emergent VaW who visited the mental health department for other reasons. To evaluate the degree of knowledge about VaW and interventions for VaW taken by health professionals.

METHODS

We performed an observational, prospective study with systematic data collection on all cases of emergent and/or urgent VaW at the Corporació Sanitària Parc Taulí (Sabadell, Spain) from January-December 2004 and January-December 2006. The reference population consisted of 390,000 inhabitants, mostly urban and from the industrial and service economic sectors. A descriptive statistical analysis was performed.

RESULTS

In the two study periods, 218 and 194 women, respectively, were attended for emergent and/or urgent VaW resulting in severe injures and/or medical and/or social assistance. Of these, up to 53 received or had received specialized mental health treatment. Most of these women (69.7%) withdrew from follow-up. We detected a high rate of comorbid abuse or dependence on alcohol (27.3%), benzodiazepines (33.3%) or other drugs of abuse and a high rate of suicide attempts (41.9%) and successful suicides in these periods. VaW was explicitly registered in only 51.1% of the cases and a specific intervention for VaW was documented in only 15.2% of the cases.

CONCLUSIONS

The prevalence of psychiatric and/or psychological disorders was very high in our sample, but the presence of VaW was not always specifically documented or treated.

Assessing risk markers in intimate partner femicide and severe violence: a new assessment instrument

The aim of this study is to develop a scale to predict intimate partner femicide and severe violence. The sample consists of 1,081 batterer men who were reported to the police station. First, the most significant differences between the severe violence group (n = 269) and the less severe violence group (n = 812) in sociodemographic variables are determined. Both aggressors and victims of the severe violence group have a higher rate of immigration. Second, the proposed 20-item scale is derived from a larger 58-item scale, where only the most discriminative items between severe and nonsevere intimate partner violence are taken into account. Psychometric properties of reliability and validity are rather good. Cutoff scores have been proposed according to sensitivity and specificity. This easy-to-use tool appears to be suitable to the requirements of criminal justice professionals and is intended for use in safety planning. Implications of these results for further research are discussed.

Male batterers with and without psychopathy: an exploratory study in Spanish prisons

The aim of this study was to analyze the differential profile of male batterers in prison with and without psychopathy. The sample consisted of 162 perpetrators sentenced for a serious offence against their intimate partner. The prevalence of psychopathy or psychopathic traits, established according to the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised, was about 12%. The psychopathic batterers were younger, more impulsive, more suspicious, and less empathetic and had lower self-esteem than nonpsychopathic batterers. However, the psychopathic batterers were not engaged in intimate femicide more often than were the nonpsychopathic batterers. The severity of the crime was similar in both groups, so it may be attributed to other variables (e.g., substance abuse, intoxication at the time of the offence, violence history, jealousy, etc.). Implications of these results for further research and clinical practice are discussed.

Psychological treatment of men convicted of gender violence: a pilot study in Spanish prisons

In this article, the effectiveness of a psychological treatment program for men who are in prison for committing a serious offence of gender violence is tested. The sample consisted of 52 men who were imprisoned in eight Spanish prisons. The psychological treatment was a cognitive-behavioral program, in a group format, with 20 weekly sessions that lasted for 8 months. The results showed a significant improvement of irrational beliefs, about both women and violence, as a strategy to cope with everyday difficulties and a significant decrease of psychopathological symptomatology, anger, and hostility. On the other hand, results indicated that the only difference between the patients who dropped out of treatment and those who completed it was the level of initial motivation for treatment. Implications of this study for clinical practice and future research in this field are discussed.