Reappraising and Redirecting Research on the Victim-Offender Overlap.

The strong positive association between offending and victimization, or the victim-offender overlap, has received considerable amount of research attention in recent years. Empirical research has made important strides in unpacking the sources of the phenomenon, but important questions remain unanswered. Ambiguity surrounds the utility of certain theoretical explanations for the overlap, the nature of the phenomenon, and the methodological tools used to examine its etiology. Owing to these knowledge gaps, the scientific meaning of the victim-offender overlap is unclear. Moreover, a number of potentially important theoretical arguments are rarely subject to empirical testing in this line of research. The purpose of this article is to use a narrative review methodology to provide a critical reappraisal of the theoretical, empirical, and methodological research on the victim-offender overlap and offer directions for ways forward to develop a more comprehensive understanding of the phenomenon. This review includes critical analysis of 78 academic publications, along with a table that summarizes the key findings and conclusions from 18 critical empirical studies that have contributed to our understanding of the victim-offender overlap. We offer recommendations for the continued development of theoretical and methodological tools to better understand this complex phenomenon.

Differentiating Individuals Convicted of Sexual Offenses: A Two-Country Latent Class Analysis.

Sexual offenses are often part of a larger criminal career also encompassing nonsexual crimes. However, most sexual offending typologies focus on an individual's most recent sexual offense. We compare data from Belgian and Dutch national conviction cohorts and use latent class analysis to distinguish groups of individuals based on their history of sexual and nonsexual offenses, considering continuity and variety. The resulting classification is compared between individuals convicted of sexual offenses and individuals convicted of nonsexual offenses. Results show that four latent classes can be distinguished based on continuity and variety in criminal histories of individuals convicted of sexual offenses, and that some of these classes resemble those distinguished among individuals convicted of nonsexual offenses. We find limited overlap between these latent classes and typologies based solely on the index offense. Results show marked similarities across countries. These results challenge theories of sexual offending to incorporate patterns of nonsexual offending.

Lawsuits in health: an integrative review.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the national and international scientific evidence available in the literature on types of judicialization of health lawsuits. METHOD: Integrative review, which selected primary studies in the PubMed, LILACS, Web of Science and Scopus databases, with the. DESCRIPTORS: judicial decisions, health's judicialization, Saúde (in Portuguese), Health, and the keyword: Judicial Action. RESULTS: 30 studies were selected. In Brazil, the majority were legal claims for medicines and the other for medical errors, requests for vaccines, supplies for diabetics, food compounds, surgical procedure, examinations, among others. In international studies, lawsuits were found for medication, benefit coverage and hospitalization for psychiatric treatment. CONCLUSION: It is evident that the most demanded type of lawsuit was access to the medication at an international level. It is still more noticeable the little discussion on this subject, demonstrating that judicialization of medicines can indicate a reality of Brazil.

Lawsuits in health: an integrative review / Acciones judiciales en salud: revisión integrativa / Ações judiciais em saúde: revisão integrativa

ABSTRACT Objective: To analyze the national and international scientific evidence available in the literature on types of judicialization of health lawsuits. Method: Integrative review, which selected primary studies in the PubMed, LILACS, Web of Science and Scopus databases, with the Descriptors: judicial decisions, health's judicialization, Saúde (in Portuguese), Health, and the keyword: Judicial Action. Results: 30 studies were selected. In Brazil, the majority were legal claims for medicines and the other for medical errors, requests for vaccines, supplies for diabetics, food compounds, surgical procedure, examinations, among others. In international studies, lawsuits were found for medication, benefit coverage and hospitalization for psychiatric treatment. Conclusion: It is evident that the most demanded type of lawsuit was access to the medication at an international level. It is still more noticeable the little discussion on this subject, demonstrating that judicialization of medicines can indicate a reality of Brazil.

RESUMEN Objetivo: Analizar las evidencias científicas nacionales e internacionales disponibles en la literatura sobre los tipos de acciones de judicialización de la salud. Método: Revisión integrativa, que seleccionó estudios primarios en las bases de datos PubMed, LILACS, Web of Science y Scopus, con los Descriptores: decisiones judiciales, judicialización de la salud, Salud, Health, y la palabra clave: Judicial Action. Resultados: Se seleccionaron 30 estudios, siendo que en Brasil, la mayoría se trataba de demandas judiciales por medicamentos y las demás por acciones por error médico, solicitud por vacunas, insumos para diabéticos, compuestos alimentarios, procedimiento quirúrgico, exámenes, entre otras. En estudios internacionales, se encontraron acciones por medicamentos, cobertura de beneficios e internación para tratamiento psiquiátrico. Conclusión: Se evidencia que el tipo de acción más demandada fue el acceso al medicamento a nivel internacional. Es aún más perceptible la poca discusión sobre esta temática, demostrando que la judicialización de medicamentos puede indicar una realidad característica de Brasil.

RESUMO Objetivo: Analisar as evidências científicas nacionais e internacionais disponíveis na literatura sobre os tipos de ações de judicialização da saúde. Método: Revisão integrativa, que selecionou estudos primários nas bases de dados PubMed, LILACS, Web of Science e Scopus, com os Descritores: decisões judiciais, judicialização da saúde, Saúde, Health, e a palavra-chave: Judicial Action. Resultados: Foram selecionados 30 estudos, sendo que no Brasil, a maioria se tratava de demandas judiciais por medicamentos e as demais por ações por erro médico, solicitação por vacinas, insumos para diabéticos, compostos alimentares, procedimento cirúrgico, exames, entre outras. Em estudos internacionais, foram encontradas ações por medicamentos, cobertura de benefícios e internação para tratamento psiquiátrico. Conclusão: Evidencia-se que o tipo de ação mais demandada foi o acesso ao medicamento a nível internacional. Ainda é mais perceptível a pouca discussão sobre essa temática, demonstrando que a judicialização de medicamentos pode indicar uma realidade característica do Brasil.

Childhood Maltreatment and the Risk for Criminal Justice Involvement and Victimization Among Homeless Individuals: A Systematic Review.

Homeless individuals are at higher risk of criminal justice involvement (CJI) and victimization compared to their housed counterparts. Exposure to childhood maltreatment (CM; e.g., abuse, neglect) is one of the most significant predictors of CJI and victimization among homeless populations. The aim of this systematic review was to synthesize current knowledge regarding the relationship between CM and CJI and victimization among homeless individuals. Guided by the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) methods, a systematic search was performed using PsycINFO, MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, and the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature for published studies investigating the relationship between CM and CJI and victimization among homeless samples. We identified 20 studies that met the inclusion criteria. Findings showed that across the majority of studies, CM, and in particular childhood physical (CPA) and sexual (CSA) abuse, is associated with increased risk of both CJI and victimization, regardless of various important factors (e.g., sociodemographic characteristics, psychiatric disorders, substance use). These findings support the need for prevention and treatment for "families at risk" (i.e., for intimate partner violence, child abuse and neglect) and also document the need for trauma-informed approaches within services for homeless individuals. Future research should focus on prospective designs that examine victimization and CJI in the same samples.

Showup identification decisions for multiple perpetrator crimes: Testing for sequential dependencies.

Research in perception and recognition demonstrates that a current decision (i) can be influenced by previous ones (i-j), meaning that subsequent responses are not always independent. Experiments 1 and 2 tested whether initial showup identification decisions impact choosing behavior for subsequent showup identification responses. Participants watched a mock crime film involving three perpetrators and later made three showup identification decisions, one showup for each perpetrator. Across both experiments, evidence for sequential dependencies for choosing behavior was not consistently predictable. In Experiment 1, responses on the third, target-present showup assimilated towards previous choosing. In Experiment 2, responses on the second showup contrasted previous choosing regardless of target-presence. Experiment 3 examined whether differences in number of test trials in the eyewitness (vs. basic recognition) paradigm could account for the absence of hypothesized ability to predict patterns of sequential dependencies in Experiments 1 and 2. Sequential dependencies were detected in recognition decisions over many trials, including recognition for faces: the probability of a yes response on the current trial increased if the previous response was also yes (vs. no). However, choosing behavior on previous trials did not predict individual recognition decisions on the current trial. Thus, while sequential dependencies did arise to some extent, results suggest that the integrity of identification and recognition decisions are not likely to be impacted by making multiple decisions in a row.

Large area imaging of forensic evidence with MA-XRF.

This study introduces the use of macroscopic X-ray fluorescence (MA-XRF) for the detection, classification and imaging of forensic traces over large object areas such as entire pieces of clothing and wall paneling. MA-XRF was sufficiently sensitive and selective to detect human biological traces like blood, semen, saliva, sweat and urine on fabric on the basis of Fe, Zn, K, Cl and Ca elemental signatures. With MA-XRF a new chemical contrast is introduced for human stain detection and this can provide a valuable alternative when the evidence item is challenging for conventional techniques. MA-XRF was also successfully employed for the chemical imaging and classification of gunshot residues (GSR). The full and non-invasive elemental mapping (Pb, Ba, Sr, K and Cl) of intact pieces of clothing allows for a detailed shooting incident reconstruction linking firearms and ammunition to point of impact and providing information on the shooting angle. In high resolution mode MA-XRF can even be used to provide information on the shooting order of different ammunition types. Finally, by using the surface penetration of X-rays we demonstrate that the lead signature of a bullet impact can be easily detected even if covered by multiple layers of wall paint or human blood.

The scaling of crime concentration in cities.

Crime is a major threat to society's well-being but lacks a statistical characterization that could lead to uncovering some of its underlying mechanisms. Evidence of nonlinear scaling of urban indicators in cities, such as wages and serious crime, has motivated the understanding of cities as complex systems-a perspective that offers insights into resources limits and sustainability, but that usually neglects details of the indicators themselves. Notably, since the nineteenth century, criminal activities have been known to occur unevenly within a city; crime concentrates in such way that most of the offenses take place in few regions of the city. Though confirmed by different studies, this concentration lacks broad analyses on its characteristics, which hinders not only the comprehension of crime dynamics but also the proposal of sounding counter-measures. Here, we developed a framework to characterize crime concentration which divides cities into regions with the same population size. We used disaggregated criminal data from 25 locations in the U.S. and the U.K., spanning from 2 to 15 years of longitudinal data. Our results confirmed that crime concentrates regardless of city and revealed that the level of concentration does not scale with city size. We found that the distribution of crime in a city can be approximated by a power-law distribution with exponent α that depends on the type of crime. In particular, our results showed that thefts tend to concentrate more than robberies, and robberies more than burglaries. Though criminal activities present regularities of concentration, we found that criminal ranks have the tendency to change continuously over time-features that support the perspective of crime as a complex system and demand analyses and evolving urban policies covering the city as a whole.

Evidencias físicas y perfilación criminológica perspectiva médico legal / Physical evidence and criminological profiling legal medical perspective

ResumenLa perfilación criminológica es una polémica técnica de investigación que utiliza, entre otros elementos, las evidencias físicas y psicológicas para descifrar crímenes en los que se desconoce el autor. Tales evidencias son aportadas por los peritos científicos de los servicios médico-forenses y de Criminalística.Los peritajes representan parte del fundamento científico de la novedosa técnica y es por eso que deben practicarse de acuerdo a protocolos y estándares de buenas prácticas, avalados internacionalmente.Para la correcta interpretación y valoración de los resultados de los análisis de las pruebas científicas, al equipo encargado de elaborar el perfil criminológico deben integrarse, entre otros, médicos forenses, psicólogos y psiquiatras forenses.

AbstractCriminological profiling is a controversial technique that uses, among other elements, physical and psychological evidences for unsolved crimes investigation. Such evidences are contributed by the scientific experts of forensic services. The forensic results represent a fundamental part of the scientific basis of profiling and they should be done according to protocols and standards of good practices, endorsed internationally. For the correct interpretation and assessment of the results coming from scientific evidence, in the team responsible for developing criminological profile should be integrated, among others, medical examiners, psychologists and forensic psychiatrists.

Investigator Sensitivity to Alibi Witness Inconsistency after a Long Delay.

In two studies, mock investigators conducted a computer-based investigation of a crime involving an alibi witness who varied in the consistency of his statements taken 5 years apart. Investigators showed evidence of skepticism of alibi witness statements in which major contradictions (activity, location) were present, and some skepticism of statements in which minor (activity) details were contradictory. Entirely consistent statements were judged favorably, and reduced perceptions of suspect guilt (Study 2). The age of the alibi witness did not impact judgments of suspect guilt when children (6 years) and adults (25 years) were compared (Study 1, N = 254), or when children of different ages were compared (6, 8, 11 years; Study 2, N = 234). The present data suggest that investigators were relatively more sensitive to considerations of accuracy than honesty. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Social penalty promotes cooperation in a cooperative society.

Why cooperation is well developed in human society is an unsolved question in biological and human sciences. Vast studies in game theory have revealed that in non-cooperative games selfish behavior generally dominates over cooperation and cooperation can be evolved only under very limited conditions. These studies ask the origin of cooperation; whether cooperation can evolve in a group of selfish individuals. In this paper, instead of asking the origin of cooperation, we consider the enhancement of cooperation in a small already cooperative society. We ask whether cooperative behavior is further promoted in a small cooperative society in which social penalty is devised. We analyze hawk-dove game and prisoner's dilemma introducing social penalty. We then expand it for non-cooperative games in general. The results indicate that cooperation is universally favored if penalty is further imposed. We discuss the current result in terms of the moral, laws, rules and regulations in a society, e.g., criminology and traffic violation.

The development and validation of the Youth Actuarial Care Needs Assessment Tool for Non-Offenders (Y-ACNAT-NO).

BACKGROUND: In The Netherlands, police officers not only come into contact with juvenile offenders, but also with a large number of juveniles who were involved in a criminal offense, but not in the role of a suspect (i.e., juvenile non-offenders). Until now, no valid and reliable instrument was available that can be used by Dutch police officers for estimating the risk for future care needs of juvenile non-offenders. In the present study, the Youth Actuarial Care Needs Assessment Tool for Non-Offenders (Y-ACNAT-NO) was developed for predicting the risk for future care needs that consisted of (1) a future supervision order as imposed by a juvenile court judge and (2) future worrisome incidents involving child abuse, domestic violence/strife, and/or sexual offensive behavior at the juvenile's living address (i.e., problems in the child-rearing environment). METHODS: Police records of 3,200 juveniles were retrieved from the Dutch police registration system after which the sample was randomly split in a construction (n = 1,549) and validation sample (n = 1,651). The Y-ACNAT-NO was developed by performing an Exhaustive CHAID analysis using the construction sample. The predictive validity of the instrument was examined in the validation sample by calculating several performance indicators that assess discrimination and calibration. RESULTS: The CHAID output yielded an instrument that consisted of six variables and eleven different risk groups. The risk for future care needs ranged from 0.06 in the lowest risk group to 0.83 in the highest risk group. The AUC value in the validation sample was .764 (95% CI [.743, .784]) and Sander's calibration score indicated an average assessment error of 3.74% in risk estimates per risk category. CONCLUSIONS: The Y-ACNAT-NO is the first instrument that can be used by Dutch police officers for estimating the risk for future care needs of juvenile non-offenders. The predictive validity of the Y-ACNAT-NO in terms of discrimination and calibration was sufficient to justify its use as an initial screening instrument when a decision is needed about referring a juvenile for further assessment of care needs.

Positive criminology in practice.

The discourse regarding offender rehabilitation has been criticized by various scholars who have claimed that reducing negative causes and managing risk will not automatically prompt positive human development and elements that are associated with desistance. Positive criminology is an innovative concept that challenges the common preoccupation with negative elements, by placing emphasis on human encounters and forces of inclusion that are experienced positively by target individuals and that can promote crime desistance. However, as the concept is relatively new, there are still no guiding principles for the practice of positive criminology that could direct research and the criminal justice system. This article attempts to fill that gap by providing principles that could be practiced by criminal justice personnel and examples of different interventions that reflect positive criminology. The article also provides ideological explanations for adopting the concept of positive criminology in practice.

Neurocriminology: implications for the punishment, prediction and prevention of criminal behaviour.

Criminal behaviour and violence are increasingly viewed as worldwide public health problems. A growing body of knowledge shows that criminal behaviour has a neurobiological basis, and this has intensified judicial interest in the potential application of neuroscience to criminal law. It also gives rise to important questions. What are the implications of such application for predicting future criminal behaviour and protecting society? Can it be used to prevent violence? And what are the implications for the way offenders are punished?

[Ideal type and history--a critical review of applied criminology]. / Idealtyp und Geschichte--Zur Kritik der Angewandten Kriminologie.

Applied Criminology describes an established criminological school in the German-speaking area, which was founded by Hans Göppinger and Michael Bock, criminologists at Tübingen, in the 1980s and has meanwhile published a number of comprehensive basic methodological papers. The conceptual centrepiece with interdisciplinary approach is the formation and application of concepts referring to the so-called ideal type, which has been essentially inspired by the epistemology of Max Weber. However, the result of a critical reconstruction of these fundamentals is that the claimed interdisciplinary approach comes into conflict with a second much more phenomenological approach of Applied Criminology which is unable to comply with the political implications of criminological research and thus disavows the necessary historical relationality of the ideal type concepts.

Perfilación criminológica: una revisión de la literatura y su aplicación en la investigación criminal en Colombia / Forensic pro ling: a review of the relevant literature and its application in criminal investigation in Colombia / Avaliação criminológica pelo perfil: uma revisão da literatura e da sua aplicação na investigação criminal na Colômbia

El estudio tuvo como objetivo realizar una revisión teórica de los aspectos más importantes de la perfilación criminológica, así como las condiciones bajo las cuales se utiliza esta técnica en Colombia, los resultados que se han obtenido tras utilizarla y los desafíos que representa en este país. Tras realizar la revisión de la literatura sobre el tema, se encontró que pese al creciente desarrollo de la perfilación en países como Estados Unidos, el Reino Unido y España, en Colombia la perfilación criminológica es una técnica de investigación escasamente utilizada, y desconocida tanto por los profesionales de salud mental como por los operadores de justicia. Existen deficiencias en la recolección de información para el desarrollo del perfil, y grandes carencias de investigaciones empíricas que soporten la validez de la técnica. Sin embargo, deben reconocerse adelantos en cuanto al uso práctico que se da de esta técnica, tal como se presenta en un análisis de caso realizado por el Grupo de Ciencias del Comportamiento y Perfilación Criminal (CICOP) de la Policía Nacional. Al final se discuten los desafíos que representan los conocimientos generados respecto a la perfilación criminológica para la investigación criminal en Colombia.

O estudo teve como objetivo realizar uma revisão teórica dos aspectos mais importantes da avaliação criminológica pelo perfil, assim como as condições nas quais se utiliza esta técnica na Colômbia, os resultados obtidos após sua utilização e os desafios que representa nesse país. Após ter feito a revisão da literatura no assunto, achou-se que apesar do desenvolvimento crescente da avaliação pelo perfil nos países como os Estados Unidos, Reino Unido e Espanha, na Colômbia a avaliação criminológica pelo perfil é uma técnica da investigação escassamente utilizada, e desconhecida pelos profissionais da saúde mental e pelos operadores da justiça. Têm deficiências na coleta das informações para o desenvolvimento do perfil, e as grandes carências das investigações empíricas que suportam a validez da técnica. Não obstante, é fundamental reconhecer avanços sobre o uso prático desta técnica, como se apresenta em uma análise de caso feita pelo Grupo de Ciências do Comportamento e Avaliação do Perfil Criminoso (CICOP) da Polícia Nacional. No final os desafios que representam o conhecimento gerado a respeito da avaliação criminológico pelo perfil são discutidos para a investigação criminal na Colômbia.

The purpose of this study has been to carry out a theoretical review of the most important aspects envisaged in forensic profiling together with the conditions in which this technique is used in Colombia and the results having been obtained here from its use, as well as the challenges posed. After having completed the review of the related literature, it was found that despite the growing experience gained in the development of profiling in countries like the United States, the United Kingdom and Spain, a still poorly used investigation technique prevails in Colombia, almost unknown to both mental health professionals and justice operators. There are some deficiencies in the collection of information required for profiling, as well as a notorious lack of empirical researches and investigations serving to support the validity of this technique; nevertheless, some advances should be acknowledged with regard to its practical use as shown in a case study analysis carried out by the National Police “CICOP” (Behavior Sciences and Criminal Profiling Group). To conclude, the challenges posed by knowledge obtained with regard to forensic profiling for criminal investigation in Colombia are discussed.

Offending by people with intellectual disabilities in community settings: a preliminary examination of contextual factors.

BACKGROUND: While several validated measures of the life circumstances of people with intellectual disabilities (ID) have been developed, this stream of research has not yet been well integrated with environmentally oriented criminological theory to explain offending among people with ID. In this study, we attempt to provide a preliminary integration through an investigation of the relationship between contemporary life experiences, well-being, choice and offending among people with ID, exploring the relevance of two classic criminological theories (theories of strain and social control). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Questionnaire measures were used to compare a range of 'ordinary' life experiences [the 'Life Experiences Checklist' (LEC)], subjective well-being (the 'Personal Well-being Index - ID') and the extent of choice (the 'Choice Questionnaire'), between offenders (N = 27) and non-offenders (N = 19) with ID recruited through integrated (NHS and Local Authority) multi-disciplinary teams (community teams for adults with learning disabilities). RESULTS: Using regression analyses to explore the strength of associations with offending, it was found that an indicator of impoverished personal relationships, from the LEC provided the best predictor of offending. This finding appears to favour criminological explanations based on social control. CONCLUSIONS: Existing measures of life circumstances can be used to explore environmentally oriented criminological theories, bringing benefits to our understanding and treatment of offenders with ID living in community settings.