Neurobiology of Female Homicide Perpetrators.

Neurobiology of female homicide perpetrators is not well understood. Data from private interviews and examinations of females were re-analyzed comparing those who committed homicide (n = 9); other violent crimes, no known homicide (n = 51); nonviolent crimes, no known violent convictions (n = 49); and noncriminals (n = 12). Homicide perpetrators suffered the most childhood sexual abuse (CSA); most recent abuse; had the most neurological histories, mainly traumatic brain injuries (TBIs); most health care access for abuse-related injuries; lowest AM and PM salivary cortisol; and greatest proportion who committed crime under the influence of alcohol. Only CSA, years since last abuse, TBI, neurological histories, and health care access for abuse-related injuries were significant. Those who committed homicide under the influence of alcohol suffered the most recent abuse and had the lowest AM cortisol and flattest diurnal cortisol slope (DCS) compared with others; though the n precludes determining significance. Amount of time since last abuse, AM cortisol and DCS progressively decreased as crime severity increased; other variables progressively increased as crime severity increased. These preliminary findings suggest that low AM cortisol, flat DCS, greater CSA frequency and severity, recent abuse, TBIs, and health care access for abuse-related injuries could be risk factors for females committing homicide. Further study is needed due to the small n of homicide perpetrators. Abuse victims may be at greater risk for alcohol use and cortisol dysregulation associated with perpetrating violence, especially homicide. Frontal lobe damage from TBIs may decrease ability to control behaviors associated with emotions from the limbic system. Health care providers released these women when their abuse-related injuries were not life-threatening; yet, they were life-threatening for victims of their subsequent homicides. Females accessing health care for abuse-related injuries present a critical opportunity for violent crime prevention interventions.

Criminalistics and the forensic nursing process.

Students learn science by actually performing science activities. The 12 laboratories described in this article assist students in applying the fundamental techniques germane to the field of forensic science to "solve" contrived cases and present "evidence" in a mock trial. Moreover, students are also confronted with some of the legal and ethical issues concerning the validity, reliability, and application of some forensic techniques. The pedagogical design of the laboratory course provides a rich, challenging, and interdisciplinary academic experience intended to augment and compliment the didactic forensic lecture portion of the course. This laboratory course was designed to engender, embody, and articulate one of the University's directive goals to support interdisciplinary teaching, research, and programming. Because we developed the laboratories on minimal funds, we demonstrated that it could be cost-effective. And thus, we recommend a laboratory science course be included as part of the curriculum of all forensic nursing students and practitioners.

Educator sexual abuse: two case reports.

Sexual abuse by educators has become an increasingly noted type of sexual abuse, especially among adolescents, for two reasons. First, there is a potential for these cases to be silent and prolonged and second, when disclosed, the forensic implications usually include both criminal and/or civil sanctions. For forensic case evaluations, developmental traumatology, or the intersection of the traumatic event(s) at a particular age of the student, is often the evaluating framework. We report on two forensic cases of a female student and a male student to emphasize the dynamics of adolescent sexual victimization, its impact on adolescent development, and evidence-based practice for symptom identification and treatment.

Comparing routes of reporting in elder sexual abuse cases.

An exploratory study of 284 cases of alleged elder sexual abuse revealed fairly equal numbers of reports to the criminal justice system (CJS) and to Adult Protective Services (APS). Comparison of these two routes of reporting indicated the following: Suspected victims reported to APS were more likely to reside in their own homes, not receive rape exams, and have cognitive disabilities. Their alleged offenders were typically spouse/partners or family members age 40 or older. Victims reported to CJS were more frequently abused in institutions, received rape exams, and were victimized by offenders under age 40 who also committed nonsexual crimes. In cases reported to the CJS, alleged offenders were less likely than those in the APS cases to be identified, but once identified, were more likely to be arrested, referred for prosecution, and convicted, or to plea bargain their case.

Cyber child sexual exploitation.

A 2-year review of 285 child cyber crime cases reported in the newspaper revealed how the Internet offenders were apprehended, the content of child pornography, and crime classification. A subsample of 100 cases with data on offender occupation revealed 73% of cases involved people in positions of authority. The dynamics of child cyber crime cases direct the implications for nursing practice in terms of evidence-based suspicion for reporting, categorizing the content of Internet images, referral of children for counseling, and treatment of offenders.

Management of elder sexual abuse cases in critical care settings.

Elder sexual abuse remains a silent and often invisible crime in persons who have limited cognitive abilities. On occasion, physical injury to elders is serious enough to require hospitalization and at that point, critical care nurses swing into action. In addition to providing acute care interventions, nurses can collect important forensic evidence through documenting and photographing injuries and reporting suspected cases to proper authorities.

Sexually motivated child abductors: forensic evaluation.

1. Forensic nursing evaluations of perpetrators require (at minimum) information on the crime, crime scene photographs (if possible), victim statements, official records, and perpetrator interviews. 2. If multiple crime scenes exist, each needs to be detailed for an evaluation report. 3. Sexually motivated crimes are usually committed based on a well-defined fantasy.

Age-based factors in femicide.

Homicide is a topic of interest not only because of its severity but because it is a fairly reliable barometer of all violent crime, especially as it affects women. This exploratory study compared a group of murdered women over age 60 with a group of murdered women 30-59 and included age-based factors for both groups. Discussion focuses on forensics as insight to crime scene dynamics and homicidal behavior.

Children's adjustment 15 years after daycare abuse.

This follow-up study of 42 children abused in daycare suggests that even very small children confirm through their behavior and/or language that something distressing happened to them. Interviews with parents 15 years after the abuse suggest there are periods when children's recollection is persistent as well as times when it is unclear how much the child remembers. Results showed after 15 years, 40% of the children had made a satisfactory adjustment, 40% had made a marginal adjustment, and 20% had made a problematic adjustment.

Physical and sexual abuse, salivary cortisol, and neurologic correlates of violent criminal behavior in female prison inmates.

BACKGROUND: Both physical and emotional traumas have been related to neurologic and neuroendocrine abnormalities that may be associated with violent behavior. METHODS: A modified case-control design was used for blinded comparison of 113 female inmates convicted of violent and nonviolent crimes. History of having been physically or sexually abused, neurologic history and physical examination, basal salivary cortisol levels, and associated variables were investigated to identify possible risk factors for violent compared to nonviolent criminal convictions. RESULTS: Of all inmates studied, 95% had neurologic histories predating the current crime and/or neurologic examination abnormalities. Logistic regression revealed morning cortisol levels, number of years since last abuse, number of prior suicide attempts, and traumatic brain injuries with loss of consciousness to be significantly associated with current violent convictions, with a mean of two brain injuries with loss of consciousness per subject in the violent group. CONCLUSIONS: A greater number of traumatic brain injuries with loss of consciousness and suicide attempts, more recent abuse, and low morning basal salivary cortisol levels could be associated with dangerous violent criminal behavior, including murder, in female prison inmates. Future research should investigate neuroendocrine challenges, more psychiatric and violence measures, and different populations with longitudinal designs.

Child sex initiation rings.

The workings of child sex initiation rings are outlined in a study of 36 prepubescent children involved in six such rings. Organizational factors include the adult capitalizing on a legitimate role in the children's lives and programming them to provide sexual services in exchange for psychological, social, monetary, and other rewards; operational factors include peer group pressures and secrecy. Symptoms noted in the children prior to disclosure, and affective and cognitive response by parents upon disclosure, are discussed.

Rape: sexual disruption and recovery.

In a longitudinal study of 81 adult rape victims reinterviewed four to six years later, effects of the rape on subsequent sexual functioning are analyzed. Most victims who had been sexually active were found to experience changes in frequency of sexual activity and in sexual response. Interview responses of victims are reported, and suggestions are offered for the counseling of rape victims and their sexual partners.