Murdered Native and Indigenous Women: A Comparison Study of Victim and Perpetrator Patterns and Characteristics.

INTRODUCTION: The rate of violent crimes against Indigenous people, including murder and rape, is significantly higher than national averages. Even more concerning, Indigenous women and girls represent a large proportion of murdered and missing individuals in the United States. In addition to the murder rate of Indigenous women being higher than the national average, they are significantly more likely to experience rape or other types of sexual violence. The main goal of this study was to gain a better understanding of cases involving the homicide of Indigenous women and identify patterns associated with the violence committed against them. METHODS: Cases of Indigenous women between the ages of 18 and 55 years were pulled from the database. Cases were coded and analyzed for information pertaining to victim, perpetrator, and crime characteristics. Descriptive analysis and test of association were performed. RESULTS/FINDINGS: There was a statistical association between the nature of the relationship between perpetrators and victims and whether the crime occurred on a reservation, the race/ethnicity of the perpetrator, a victim's history of domestic violence, and the method and motive of murder. DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION: Indigenous women are at an increased risk of victimization, including intimate partner violence and homicide. They also represent a group that has been marginalized, receiving little attention from the media, clinicians, researchers, and policy makers. The findings in this study highlight specific factors that may help to mitigate risk factors and/or enhance culturally competent clinical and forensic nursing practice.

Long-Term Psychological and Physiological Effects of Male Sexual Trauma.

Male sexual trauma presents multiple clinical challenges. Although the topic has received increased attention in the last couple decades, male sexual trauma continues to be underreported and underrecognized. This study aimed to investigate the long-term effects of sexual trauma for men who were victimized within an institutional environment by a person in a position of power. This study included data from 47 adult men who were victims of sexual abuse or misconduct by an assigned physician at a higher education academic institution between 1966 and 2003. A primary finding was elevated rates of intimacy and sexual problems and erectile dysfunction, which started shortly after the abuse and persisted over time. We found that there was an association between intimacy and sexual problems and difficulty maintaining employment, drug addiction, erectile dysfunction, and loss of meaningful and romantic relationships. Levels of potential psychopathology were prominently linked to loss of sexual interest or pleasure, intimacy concerns, and loss of intimate and other personal relationships. Men who experienced sexual abuse as adults within an institutional environment developed long-standing patterns of interpersonal and professional problems. This study emphasizes the need for nuanced screening, evaluation, and treatment for male sexual trauma.

The Nurse-Police Assistance Crisis Team (N-PACT): A new role for nursing.

AIM: This study aimed to gain insights into forensic nurses' perspectives and approaches to behavioural crisis situations, comparing them to disciplines traditionally involved in first-line behavioural crisis response. DESIGN: This study used a descriptive, qualitative exploratory design and was informed by Systems Theory. METHODS: The study was carried in the United States, between 2022 and 2023. Data were gathered through four focus groups: police officers (n = 12), co-response (mental health) clinicians (n = 13), sexual assault nurse examiners (n = 6) and correctional nurses (n = 4). Thematic analysis was performed. REPORTING METHOD: The Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research (SRQR) guidelines were used. RESULTS: Findings revealed temporal themes in crisis response: (1) Searching for Historical Information; (2) Safety and Acting at the Present Scene; and (3) Future Strategies and Interventions. Common priorities (e.g. safety and de-escalation) were identified across groups. Notably, nurses demonstrated a comprehensive approach, addressing physical and mental health assessments, substance involvement, and physical injury evaluation. CONCLUSION: This study proposes the creation of a novel nursing role within first-line multidisciplinary teams (MDTs) for crisis response-the Nurse-Police Assistance Crisis Team (N-PACT). Nurses bring expertise and comprehensive assessment skills to enhance crisis responses, particularly in cases involving mental health emergencies, medical crises, and drug-related incidents. IMPLICATIONS: Forensic nurses, with their diverse competencies and comprehensive training, are highly valuable assets within MDTs. Their expertise extends to proficiently conducting mental and physical assessments, ensuring safety and adeptly navigating situations that intersect with the legal system. IMPACT: The N-PACT concept can improve outcomes and streamline the allocation of resources, particularly considering the number of police calls involving behavioural crises. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: No patient or public contribution.

Manual and instrument asphyxiation/strangulation: Examining perpetrator and victim characteristics.

Asphyxiation and strangulation are predominant murder methods, with ligature and hands being common weapons in such attacks. This study examines a broad sample with the goal of establishing statistical significance between manual and instrument asphyxiation/strangulation and both victim and offender characteristics. Two hundred cases of perpetrators who strangled or asphyxiated at least one victim on or after 1970 were randomly selected from the Radford-FGCU Serial Killer Database. Descriptive analysis and association tests were performed for characteristics of the perpetrators, victims and crimes. In 68% of the cases, perpetrators only targeted women. The primary murder motives were sadism (36%) and intense emotions (22%), which were statistically associated with the perpetrators' relationship with their victims, serial killing and motive of asphyxiation. There was a relationship between the perpetrators' favoring the use of manual or ligature strangulation/asphyxiation and their ethnicity, prior history of abuse and the victims' racial/ethnic group. Findings highlight the variety of contexts in which strangulation takes place, ranging from sexually or sadism motivated homicide and intimate partner violence. Moreover, the predominance of manual or ligature asphyxiation/strangulation among different racial/ethnic groups may have implications in legal processes, as well as in risk and threat assessments.

Female murderers who mutilate or dismember their victims: An exploration of patterns and sex differences.

Attributes and behavioral patterns of female homicide offenders have been less explored than those of males, particularly in crimes that involve aggravating factors such as dismemberment and mutilation. This study explored the patterns of female murderers who engage in postmortem dismemberment and/or mutilation of victims, contrasting these with the patterns of males who display these same behaviors. Cases were obtained from Radford-Florida Gulf Coast University Database and public sources, and then analyzed for specific characteristics of the crimes. An informational form was used to derive quantitative parameters. Statistical significance between sex and variables such as motive, dismemberment/mutilation style, and level of organization during the crime were examined. The majority of the cases were consistent with a defensive style. However, 23% of the cases involving females followed an offensive style compared to 33% among males. The nature of prior relationships between offenders and their victims was noteworthy, with the victims of males being largely strangers and the victims of females being primarily known to them. In comparison to males, females were markedly organized. These differences may emphasize aspects of psychological drives and pleasure-seeking that was more commonly seen among men, who often targeted strangers and were motivated by sadism in 25% of the cases. Dismemberment perpetrated by women primarily followed a defensive style that aimed to dispose of evidence, which would be congruent with the assumption that the murder occurred within a prior background of interpersonal partner violence toward the female perpetrator or other family members.

Death and Dying in Prison: An Integrative Review of the Literature.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this integrative review was to synthesize and explore the qualitative research literature that describes the experience of being terminally ill while incarcerated, in order to inform future inquiry when it comes to the end-of-life (EOL) needs of incarcerated persons. BACKGROUND: Mass incarceration has been a major issue in the United States, with rates sharply increasing since the 1970s. In the past two decades, the number of older incarcerated persons has grown by 500%, highlighting the importance of EOL care and decisions among this demographic. METHODS: The search terms included prison OR incarceration AND "death and dying" OR "end of life." Primary research articles were considered in the search parameters. The Joanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal checklist for qualitative research was coupled with ConQual to score the quality of the selected qualitative studies. RESULTS: Searches yielded 233 articles published after 2000. Following screening, 29 full-text articles were assessed for eligibility, and 7 qualitative studies met criteria and were included in the review. The ConQual scores of the synthesized findings were determined to be either "low" or "moderate." DISCUSSION: Five main categories were observed across the themes elicited by the studies: EOL services in prison, social contact and human interactions, thoughts of death and fear of dying, wishes and decision-making, and guilt and coping. Many of these themes may be considered by correctional nurses who provide supportive "good death" care for incarcerated persons who are dying.

Dismemberment and Mutilation: A Data-Driven Exploration of Patterns, Motives, and Styles.

Classification of violent behavior, including dismemberment and mutilation, has become increasingly more significant. This study uses a data-driven classification system based upon knowledge drawn from the pertinent literature, and examination of cases of offenders who have dismembered or mutilated their victims. The latter were extracted from the Serial Killer Database, as well as media sources, and assessed for characteristics of the perpetrators and victim(s). An informational form was developed and used to establish quantitative parameters and objectively extract pertinent information that could be used for comparison and pattern analysis. Motives and styles, as well as the organized/disorganized dichotomy for murder and dismemberment/mutilation, were examined for each case. The majority of cases demonstrated defensive styles (60%), with the second most common being offensive styles (26%), which differs from previous studies that do not exclude older cases. Additionally, 68% of cases reflected organized patterns for both murder and the acts of dismemberment or mutilation. The results support a data-driven classification system that may serve as a foundational model for the investigation of specific motives of this type of deviant behavior in future research.