Childhood maltreatment and subsequent offending behaviors in Australian women: Exploring the role of borderline personality disorder.

BACKGROUND: Childhood Maltreatment (CM) is linked to adverse outcomes, including Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and increased propensity for offending behaviors. However, research on the specific role that BPD plays between the two is limited and highly relevant given the high prevalence of CM in Australia. OBJECTIVE: The present study aimed to investigate (1) the relationship between CM and subsequent offending behaviors, (2) whether BPD mediates the relation between CM and offending behaviors, and (3) which type of CM (physical, sexual, emotional abuse, neglect, exposure to domestic violence, multitype maltreatment) predicts BPD. PARTICIPANTS: The sample comprised 106 self-identified Australian female survivors of interpersonal violent crimes. METHODS: Participants completed an online survey consisting of the Adverse Childhood Events Questionnaire, the McLean Screening Instrument for BPD, and a self-created questionnaire to measure offending behaviors. Regression, mediation analysis, and logistic regression were conducted. RESULTS: CM significantly predicted offending behaviors (path c, B = 1.39, p <. 001) with BPD partially mediating the relationship (path c', B = 1.04, 95 % CI [0.31, 1.77], p = .006; path a, B = 0.47, 95 % CI [0.12, 0.83], p = .009, path b, B = 0.34, 95 % CI [0.07, 0.61], p = .014). Emotional abuse and multitype exposure were identified as predictors of BPD symptom development (OR = 9.42, 95 % CI OR [2.58, 34.40]; OR = 3.81, 95 % CI OR [1.41; 10.28], respectively). CONCLUSION: These findings indicate the necessity of early interventions addressing CM, with a particular focus on emotional abuse and exposure to more than one type of maltreatment, to reduce the risk of developing BPD symptomatology and mitigate future offending behaviors.

Access to Care and Outcomes With the Affordable Care Act for Persons With Criminal Legal Involvement: A Scoping Review.

Importance: By expanding health insurance to millions of people in the US, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) may have important health, economic, and social welfare implications for people with criminal legal involvement-a population with disproportionately high morbidity and mortality rates. Objective: To scope the literature for studies assessing the association of any provision of the ACA with 5 types of outcomes, including insurance coverage rates, access to care, health outcomes, costs of care, and social welfare outcomes among people with criminal legal involvement. Evidence Review: The literature search included results from PubMed, CINAHL Complete, APA Psycinfo, Embase, Social Science Database, and Web of Science and was conducted to include articles from January 1, 2014, through December 31, 2023. Only original empirical studies were included, but there were no restrictions on study design. Findings: Of the 3538 studies initially identified for potential inclusion, the final sample included 19 studies. These 19 studies differed substantially in their definition of criminal legal involvement and units of analysis. The studies also varied with respect to study design, but difference-in-differences methods were used in 10 of the included studies. With respect to outcomes, 100 unique outcomes were identified across the 19 studies, with at least 1 in all 5 outcome categories determined prior to the literature search. Health insurance coverage and access to care were the most frequently studied outcomes. Results for the other 3 outcome categories were mixed, potentially due to heterogeneous definitions of populations, interventions, and outcomes and to limitations in the availability of individual-level datasets that link incarceration data with health-related data. Conclusions and Relevance: In this scoping review, the ACA was associated with an increase in insurance coverage and a decrease in recidivism rates among people with criminal legal involvement. Future research and data collection are needed to understand more fully health and nonhealth outcomes among people with criminal legal involvement related to the ACA and other health insurance policies-as well as the mechanisms underlying these relationships.

Associations Between Sexual Minority Status, Hazardous Drinking, and Discrimination Experiences Among Criminal Legal-Involved Adults in the Southern PrEP Cohort (SPECS) Study.

OBJECTIVE: Separately, individuals with criminal legal involvement (CLI) and those who identify as a sexual minority are at heightened risk for experiencing discrimination and engaging in hazardous alcohol use; however, little is known about the prevalence of these experiences and behaviors among sexual minority individuals who also have a history of CLI. METHOD: We examined experiences of discrimination and hazardous alcohol use reported by individuals with CLI and compared prevalence between those who identify as a sexual minority and those who do not. Baseline, cross-sectional data of cisgender sexual minority individuals from a multisite, prospective cohort study examining pre-exposure prophylaxis acceptability and uptake among criminal legal-involved adults were analyzed (N = 362, 14% sexual minority). RESULTS: Hazardous alcohol consumption was nearly twice as prevalent among participants who identified as a sexual minority compared to heterosexual participants, and a sexual minority identity was associated with higher discrimination scores. Additionally, hazardous drinking was more prevalent among those with higher discrimination scores. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that sexual minority individuals with a history of CLI are an especially high-risk group given the elevated rates of discrimination and hazardous alcohol use observed. More research is needed to further investigate the risk behaviors of this population and to develop interventions to intervene on their physical and mental health.

The impact of testosterone-lowering medication on recidivism in individuals convicted of sexual offenses.

INTRODUCTION: Treatment of individuals who have committed sexual offences with Testosterone-Lowering Medication (TLM) is a comparatively intrusive kind of intervention, which regularly takes place in coercive contexts. Thus, the question of efficacy, but also the question of who should be treated, when and for how long, are of great importance. METHODS: Recidivism rates of TLM-treated high-risk individuals (+TLM; n = 54) were compared with high-risk individuals treated with psychotherapy only in the same forensic outpatient clinic (-TLM; n = 79). RESULTS: Group differences suggested a higher initial risk of + TLM (e.g. higher ris-assessment, previous convictions). Despite the increased risk, after an average time at risk of six years, +TLM recidivated significantly less often and significantly later than - TLM (27.8% vs. 51.9%). Such an effect was also found for violent (1.9% vs. 15.2%), but not for sexual (5.6% vs. 10.1%) and serious recidivism (5.6% vs. 10.1%), which could be explained partly by the small number of cases. In the course of treatment, TLM proved to be a significant variable for a positive process, whereas a high risk-assessment score indicated a rather negative course. In total, n = 19 individuals had stopped their TLM treatment, of these 31.6% recidivated. CONCLUSION: The results support the efficacy of TLM, particularly in the group of high-risk offenders.

Contact sex offenders with adult and minor victims: Psychopathological and criminological differences.

BACKGROUND: Effective classification of individuals who commit sexual offences is important for their assessment, treatment, and risk management. Victim age has often been used as a distinguishing factor between perpetrators. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to analyse the distinctive psychopathological and criminological characteristics of contact sexual offenders with adult and minor victims. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: The study involved 97 adult males who were serving a prison sentence in Spain for at least one contact sexual offence against an adult or a minor. METHODS: Researchers gathered data on criminological variables concerning the offender, victim, and modus operandi from prison records and interviews. Participants completed the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-III (MCMI-III) in a second session, and between-group differences were analysed. RESULTS: Sex offenders with minor victims (SOMV) had significantly lower scores than sex offenders with adult victims (SOAV) on the Antisocial (r = -0.283, p = .005) and Sadistic (r = -0.209, p = .04) personality subscales, and on the Alcohol (r = -0.426, p < .001) and Drug dependence (r = -0.332, p = .001) syndrome subscales. SOAV were also more likely to use violence and/or intimidation, use a weapon, offend against female victims, offend against an intimate partner, commit their offences in public places, serve other ongoing prison sentences, and report a history of alcohol and substance abuse. SOMV were older and more likely to offend against family members. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that there are key differences between SOAV and SOMV that should be considered in tailored prevention programmes for each subgroup of offenders.

Eligible offender samples are missing in CODIS: A statewide approach to performing a lawfully owed DNA census.

In 2019, the Texas Department of Public Safety (TXDPS) Texas Ranger Division (TRD) identified approximately 3300 registered sex offenders (RSOs) from whom a "lawfully owed" DNA sample was missing from the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Combined DNA Index System (CODIS). Lawfully owed DNA (LODNA) is defined as a DNA sample from a qualifying offender who should have had their sample entered into CODIS, but for unknown reasons did not. As a result of those findings, TXDPS then applied for and was awarded a grant from the Bureau of Justice Assistance's Sexual Assault Kit Initiative to collect DNA specimens from these RSOs, and to perform a statewide LODNA census. TXDPS TRD sought to determine: Are the missed DNA collection problems limited to RSO's or are they occurring among individuals with a qualifying arrest or conviction as specified by state law too? What processes are used to identify individuals who are eligible for DNA sample collection? How is an individuals' DNA collection eligibility conveyed to external agencies? The findings from TXDPS' LODNA census, identified 43,245 individuals who were likely eligible for DNA collection between 1995 and 2020, therefore indicating statewide DNA collection issues. Over 4 years, collection efforts pertaining to the aforementioned lawfully owed census, have yielded 5183 LODNA sample collections, and 276 CODIS hits. This manuscript aims to create an awareness within other agencies of the importance of implementing best practices to ensure the collection and upload of LODNA from every eligible individual.

Patterns and correlates of health service contact prior to serious offences by people with severe mental illness.

BACKGROUND: Contact with health services prior to offences committed by people with mental illness is an opportunity for intervention and prevention. This study examines the pattern and correlates of health service contact by people with severe mental illness before a serious offence. METHOD: Linkage of a cohort of 477 Forensic Patients found not guilty due to mental illness between 1990 and 2016, and statewide databases of contact with emergency departments, hospital admission and outpatient mental health services in the state of New South Wales, Australia. RESULTS: A total of 84% of the sample had contact with any health service and 76% had contact with an outpatient mental health service prior to the index offence. About two-thirds of the sample had contact with a mental health service in the year before the offence. Factors independently associated with the absence of contact at any point prior to the index offence were non-English-speaking background, being engaged in employment or study, and an absence of childhood abuse or neglect. Although nearly every Forensic Patient had a psychotic illness at the time of the index offence, psychosis was not diagnosed at the time of 61/106 (57.5%) emergency department presentations, in 54/174 (31.0%) hospital admissions and 149/222 (67.1%) attendances at outpatient mental health services prior to the offence. CONCLUSIONS: Most Forensic Patients had contact with health services prior to their offences but many were not identified as having a psychotic illness. Although the symptoms of psychosis may have emerged in the period between contact and the offence, the findings suggest that emerging or underlying psychosis were missed or attributed to other conditions.

Childhood maltreatment, shame, and self-esteem: an exploratory analysis of influencing factors on criminal behavior in juvenile female offenders.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the relationships between childhood maltreatment, shame, and self-esteem among juvenile female offenders and to explore the potential influencing factors on their criminal behavior. METHODS: Using a stratified cluster sampling method, 1,227 juvenile female offenders from 11 provinces in China were surveyed using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), Self-Esteem Scale (SES), and a self-developed Shame Questionnaire for Juvenile Offenders. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, chi-square tests, t-tests, and structural equation modeling with mediation analysis. RESULTS: (1) Childhood maltreatment have a significant potential influencing factors on criminal behavior; (2) Childhood maltreatment was positively correlated with self-esteem(ß = 0.351, p < 0.001); (3) shame (ß = 0.042, p < 0.001) mediate the relationship between Childhood maltreatment and self-esteem (childhood maltreatment → shame → self-esteem (95% Cl: 0.033, 0.052)). CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that childhood maltreatment is a significant predictor of criminal behavior among juvenile female offenders. childhood maltreatment can directly influence of self-esteem, which can also affect juvenile female offenders'self-esteem indirectly through shame. The findings suggest that shame are important variables that mediate the effect of the juvenile female offenders'childhood maltreatment on their self-esteem.

Trends in violent offending among people with schizophrenia: A 10-year ecological study.

Violent offending committed by people with schizophrenia has been a public concern. The present study aims to examine the incidence of violent offending among people with schizophrenia and its correlations with mental health resources and economic factors. In this study, an examination of violent offending by people with schizophrenia and those identified as not criminally responsible on account of mental disorder (NCRMD) between 2010 and 2019 in China's Hunan province was undertaken. Principal component analysis (PCA) and regression analyses were used to explore the association of violent offending in people with schizophrenia and those identified as NCRMD with violent offending in the general population, mental health medical resources, and provincial GDP. Between 2010 and 2019, a total of 2,093 people with schizophrenia committed violent offending in Hunan province, including 1,374 (65.6%) cases identified as NCRMD. Over the period, the incidence of violent offending in people with schizophrenia and those identified as NCRMD has been decreasing. The incidences were positively correlated with the incidence of violent offending in the general population and negatively associated with mental health resources and provincial GDP. These findings may be valuable in helping to develop strategies for violence prevention and risk management for people with schizophrenia.

Comparing child and adult sexual homicides in Australia and New Zealand: A retrospective study.

The present study examined distinctions between child (n = 30) and adult (n = 212) sexual homicide offenders (SHOs) in Australia and New Zealand, contributing to the limited international research on the subject. Data, primarily sourced from judges' sentencing comments on AustLII and New Zealand Legal Information Institute, revealed significant differences. Child SHOs displayed elevated rates of pedophilia, sexual deviance, and adverse childhood experiences, including sexual abuse. They were more likely to be married, cohabitate, and target familial victims. Their crimes were more often committed during daylight and outdoors, involving tactics such as victim conning, restraints, strangulation, and hiding victim's bodies. No significant group differences emerged regarding offenders' psychopathy or sexual sadism scores. Results were interpreted in line with child SHOs' deviant sexual preferences and the routine activity theory. The study, as the first investigating child sexual homicides in Australia and New Zealand, sets the foundation for an evidence-based approach to policy and practice.

Reoffending after convictions related to child sexual exploitation material: Data from the German Federal Central Criminal Register.

BACKGROUND: As digitalization has made it easier to produce, copy, and distribute child sexual exploitation material (CSEM), the possession and distribution of child sexual abuse images has become more widespread. Thus, the need to assess the risk of subsequent sex offenses - above all, sexual abuse of children by individuals who have been convicted of CSEM offenses - becomes more and more important. OBJECTIVE: The main objective of this paper is to contribute to the understanding of the respective size of two groups of offenders: first, offenders who commit CSEM offenses without ever crossing the line to sexual abuse of children, and second, so-called crossover offenders, that is, individuals who commit CSEM offenses and engage in child sexual abuse. Identification of differences between these two groups facilitates analyzing the risk that someone convicted of a CSEM offense might in the future sexually assault children. METHOD: We used data from the German Federal Central Criminal Register (Bundeszentralregister), a data set that includes information about all persons convicted of any criminal offense, including "child pornography" offenses, by a court in Germany. RESULTS: For persons convicted of CSEM offenses only, with no additional concurring sex offenses, the rate of subsequent convictions for child sexual abuse is very low (1.1 % after a six-year follow-up period, adult offenders). This risk is even lower if offenders are older than 30 years of age, and it is slightly higher for offenders with previous offense-specific convictions (i.e., previous sex offenses). CONCLUSIONS: The mere existence of a conviction for a CSEM offense is not an indication that the convicted person poses a significant risk of committing child sexual abuse. To pinpoint such a risk more accurately, the following factors should be examined: the existence of offense-specific prior records, the presence of crossover-offending in the form of concurring offenses, and the age of the offender.

The burden for clinical services of persons with an intellectual disability or mental disorder convicted of criminal offences: A birth cohort study of 14,605 persons followed to age 64.

BACKGROUND: Intellectual disability (ID), schizophrenia spectrum disorder (SSD), bipolar disorder (BD), substance use disorder (SUD), and other mental disorders (OMDs) are associated with increased risks of criminality relative to sex-matched individuals without these conditions (NOIDMD). To resource psychiatric, addiction, and social services so as to provide effective treatments, further information is needed about the size of sub-groups convicted of crimes, recidivism, timing of offending, antecedents, and correlates. Stigma of persons with mental disorders could potentially be dramatically reduced if violence was prevented. METHODS: A birth cohort of 14,605 persons was followed to age 64 using data from Swedish national health, criminal, and social registers. RESULTS: Percentages of group members convicted of violence differed significantly: males NOIDMD, 7.3%, ID 29.2%, SSD 38.6%, BD 30.7%; SUD 44.0%, and OMD 19.3%; females NOIDMD 0.8%, ID 7.7%, SSD 11.2%, BD 2.4%, SD 17.0%, and OMD 2.1%. Violent recidivism was high. Most violent offenders in the diagnostic groups were also convicted of non-violent crimes. Prior to first diagnosis, convictions (violent or non-violent) had been acquired by over 90% of the male offenders and two-thirds of the female offenders. Physical victimization, adult comorbid SUD, childhood conduct problems, and adolescent substance misuse were each associated with increased risks of offending. CONCLUSION: Sub-groups of cohort members with ID or mental disorders were convicted of violent and non-violent crimes to age 64 suggesting the need for treatment of primary disorders and for antisocial/aggressive behavior. Many patients engaging in violence could be identified at first contact with clinical services.

A pilot study regarding the feasibility and efficacy of an outpatient treatment program for young adult high-risk offenders (YAHOP).

This pilot study examines whether the Young Adult Habitual Offender Program (YAHOP), an intensive and outpatient program, is related to a reduction in the general risk of recidivism, common forensic symptomology as well as cognitive distortions. The program integrity (PI) was assessed, with the intent to explore the relationship between the level of PI and any changes in several outcome variables. Additionally, the study examines whether participants with a migration background benefitted equally from YAHOP compared to participants with a native Dutch background. The sample comprised n = 90 high-risk young adult offenders. Results show a decrease in general risk of recidivism. The dynamic risk factors delinquent social network, insufficient impulse control, and dysfunctional problem-solving skills also show a decrease, as well as the forensic symptoms of aggression and anger. Effect sizes are small, except for anger, which has a medium effect size. We found no change in cognitive distortions and problematic substance use. YAHOP shows to be responsive and culturally sensitive, as the participants with a migration background show a significant decrease in general risk of recidivism. No moderator analysis was conducted due to an overall low level of program integrity. After improving program integrity, full-scale quantitative research is needed as YAHOP has the potential as a promising desistance program for high-risk offenders, as in this study the 56 non-completers were also included.

Sexual homicide offenders as repeat and nonrepeat offenders: An empirical study of sexual homicide cases in Mainland China.

The comparative examination of different groups of sexual homicide offenders (SHOs) is currently limited. To expand our understanding of Chinese sexual homicides, this study aimed to distinguish between the modus operandi (MO) characteristics of repeat (i.e., with previous arrest and/or conviction) and nonrepeat (i.e., without previous arrest and/or conviction) offenders. Data were gathered from police arrest records, court documents, and published case reports in mainland China, covering a 31-year period (1988-2018). A sample of 86 male SHOs (31 repeat and 55 nonrepeat offenders) was identified and the offenders' MO characteristics were examined. Compared with nonrepeat offenders, repeat offenders were significantly more likely to commit sexual murder in outdoor locations, approach their victims initially using a non-surprise approach, engage in nonvaginal penetration of their victims, use a personal weapon to kill their victims, and move their victims' bodies away from the crime scene. However, repeat offenders were less likely to be arrested immediately after committing the murder. The findings have practical implications for police investigative strategies, such as suspect prioritization.

Intervention Program Dropout Among Perpetrators of Intimate Partner Violence: A Meta-Analysis of Correlated Variables.

Dropout in perpetrator intervention programs (PIPs) is extensively documented in the literature, yet findings across various studies exhibit global inconsistency. This meta-analysis aimed to identify dropout rates among individuals attending PIPs and examine sociodemographic, violence-related, intrapersonal, interpersonal, and external variables related to dropout. A search was conducted across six databases, encompassing studies published between 2010 and 2022 in English, Spanish, or Portuguese. Thirty manuscripts, comprising data from 31 independent samples, were included. Dropout rates varied from 9% to 67%. Bivariate analysis results indicated that younger age (OR = 0.69), non-White ethnicity (OR = 1.54), unemployment (OR = 1.78), offender typology other than family only (OR = 2.45), substance abuse (OR = 1.78), presenting a personality disorder (OR = 1.21), engaging in problematic leisure activities (OR = 1.28), possessing a greater criminal history (OR = 1.47), and experiencing more adversity in childhood (OR = 1.44) were significantly correlated with dropout. Additionally, the inclusion of motivational strategies in treatment (OR = 0.44) significantly decreased the likelihood of dropout. Results from multivariate analyses revealed that younger age (OR = 0.63), presenting a personality disorder (OR = 1.73), and experiencing more adversity in childhood (OR = 2.16) were significantly associated with dropout. Notably, intimate partner violence characteristics established a significant negative relation with dropout (OR = 0.59). Findings indicate that variables associated with dropout align with those related to general and intimate partner violence recidivism, suggesting that individuals requiring more intensive intervention are those who derive less benefit from it.

A systematic review of literature on homicide followed by suicide and mental state of perpetrators.

BACKGROUND: Homicide followed by suicide is rare, devastating and perpetrated worldwide. It is commonly assumed that the perpetrator had a mental disorder, raising concomitant questions about prevention. Though events have been reported, there has been no previous systematic review of the mental health of perpetrators. AIMS: Our aims were twofold. First, to identify whether there are recognisable subgroups of homicide-suicides in published literature and, secondly, to investigate the relationship between perpetrator mental state and aspects of the incident. METHODS: We conducted a systematic review of published literature on studies of homicide followed within 24 h by suicide or serious suicide attempt that included measures of perpetrator mental state. RESULTS: Sixty studies were identified, most from North America or Europe. Methodologically, studies were too heterogeneous for meta-analysis. They fell into three main groups: family, mass shooter, and terrorist with an additional small mixed group. There was evidence of mental illness in a minority of perpetrators; its absence in the remainder was only partially evidenced. There was no clear association between any specific mental illness and homicide-suicide type, although depression was most cited. Social role disjunction, motive, substance misuse and relevant risk or threat behaviours were themes identified across all groups. Pre-established ideology was relevant in the mass shooter and terrorism groups. Prior trauma history was notable in the terrorist group. CONCLUSION: Research data were necessarily collected post-incident and in most cases without a standardised approach, so findings must be interpreted cautiously. Nevertheless, they suggest at least some preventive role for mental health professionals. Those presenting to services with depression, suicidal ideation, relationship difficulties and actual, or perceived, changes in social position or role would merit detailed, supportive assessment over time.

Co-Occurring Alcohol Misuse and Criminal Offending in Adolescence: Is It a Matter of Similarity, Severity, or Accumulation of Risk Factors?

OBJECTIVE: Alcohol misuse and criminal offending often co-occur, and although previous studies indicate an overlap in risk factors, this evidence originates from studies focusing on either alcohol misuse or criminal offending. Co-occurrence might also stem from the severity or accumulation of risk factors. The aim of the following study was to examine whether risk factors for developing co-occurring alcohol misuse and criminal offending in adolescence are similar or unique, and to examine whether risk factors are more severe or accumulative compared with alcohol misuse only and criminal offending only. METHOD: Data were used from the prospective longitudinal project Futura01, consisting of 4,013 randomly selected adolescents in Sweden (males: n = 1,798). Outcomes and a wide variety of risk factors were measured by self-report at two time points. Logistic regression analysis was carried out on groups of (a) no behavior (reference), (b) alcohol misuse only, (c) criminal offending only, and (d) co-occurring behaviors. RESULTS: The findings indicated that similar factors predicted co-occurring behaviors for alcohol misuse only and criminal offending only. Regarding severity, only more severe sensation seeking was associated with co-occurring behaviors compared with alcohol misuse and criminal offending only. Instead, an accumulation of risks (i.e., more risk factors present) increased the probability of co-occurring behaviors compared with alcohol misuse only and criminal offending only. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicated that the risk factors for developing co-occurring alcohol misuse and criminal offending in adolescence are similar rather than unique and that it is the accumulation of the risk factors, as opposed to their severity, that is associated with co-occurring behaviors when comparing with alcohol misuse and criminal offending only.

COVID-19 amplified racial disparities in the US criminal legal system.

The criminal legal system in the USA drives an incarceration rate that is the highest on the planet, with disparities by class and race among its signature features1-3. During the first year of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the number of incarcerated people in the USA decreased by at least 17%-the largest, fastest reduction in prison population in American history4. Here we ask how this reduction influenced the racial composition of US prisons and consider possible mechanisms for these dynamics. Using an original dataset curated from public sources on prison demographics across all 50 states and the District of Columbia, we show that incarcerated white people benefited disproportionately from the decrease in the US prison population and that the fraction of incarcerated Black and Latino people sharply increased. This pattern of increased racial disparity exists across prison systems in nearly every state and reverses a decade-long trend before 2020 and the onset of COVID-19, when the proportion of incarcerated white people was increasing amid declining numbers of incarcerated Black people5. Although a variety of factors underlie these trends, we find that racial inequities in average sentence length are a major contributor. Ultimately, this study reveals how disruptions caused by COVID-19 exacerbated racial inequalities in the criminal legal system, and highlights key forces that sustain mass incarceration. To advance opportunities for data-driven social science, we publicly released the data associated with this study at Zenodo6.

Serious Mental Illness and Sexual Offending in Forensic Psychiatric Patients.

The role of serious mental illness among those who sexually offend is not well understood. We investigated clinical and risk-related areas of difference between male forensic psychiatric patients with (n = 86) and without (n = 245) a sexual offense history, including the age at which indications of mental disorder and criminal offending first emerged, from a registry of Ontario patients adjudicated Not Criminally Responsible on account of Mental Disorder (NCRMD) from 1999-2012. We further explored motivations for offending among a subset of patients deemed NCRMD for a sexual offense specifically (n = 41). While no differences were found in the age onset of illness or offending across those with and without a sexual offending history, the former group was rated as having higher levels of historical/static risk for violence. Forensic patients with a sexual offense history were also more likely to offend against a stranger, and less likely to offend against a family member. Sexual index offenses were psychotically-motivated in the majority of cases, but with a meaningful proportion appearing to reflect criminogenic motivations, especially substance use and paraphilic interests. Results suggest greater similarity than difference among forensic patients with and without a sexual offense history, but also highlight an important divergence from the literature showing that victims of sexual offenses are frequently known to the individual committing them.