Adaptation of the Penal Attitudes Scale for use in Turkey.

Penal attitudes represent how people justify punishment assigned to offenders or what they perceive punishment's function to be. The purpose of this study is to adapt the Penal Attitudes Scale (PENAS) for use in Turkey in Turkish and to test the resultant psychometric properties of the translated scale. For adaptation, a translation/back-translation method was applied. Respondents (N = 389) voluntarily participated in this study and completed the PENAS, Moral Foundations Questionnaire and Perceptions Toward Criminals Scale. The results of exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses showed that the six-structure PENAS is reliable and valid in the Turkish sample. Finally, the penal attitudes scale demonstrated good construct validity, showing statistically significant correlations with moral foundations and perceptions about the morality and social networks of criminals. Ultimately, the PENAS is a reliable, valid and highly useful instrument for the Turkish population.

Understanding medical aspects of violent crimes in Sweden's region Skåne: a retrospective cross-sectional design of the ViCS project.

Introduction: While there has been a reduction in specific homicide categories in Sweden, the last decade has witnessed an increase in the overall rate. The escalation is predominantly linked to heightened gun violence associated with criminal gangs. As a result, Sweden faces an extreme rate of shootings and firearm-related homicides, constituting one of the most severe instances across Europe. However, comprehensive scientific studies on this phenomenon are lacking. This paper presents the design of the Violent Crimes in Skåne (ViCS) project, which aims to investigate violent crimes requiring hospitalization or causing death in Sweden's region Skåne from a medical, forensic, and criminological perspective. The project aims to examine the epidemiology and trends of violent crimes, injury profiles, treatments, patient outcomes, causes of death, and victim demographics. Methods and analysis: Using a retrospective cross-sectional design, ViCS will examine trauma by violent crimes from 2000 to 2019. Data will be sourced from several institutions, including hospital records from nine emergency hospitals, and the National Board of Forensic Medicine Agency. The project aims to study medical and criminological aspects of violent crimes, primarily focusing on assaults involving firearms, sharp weapons, blunt instruments, kicks, punches, and other types of assault like strangulation. Data analysis will involve descriptive and inferential statistics. Discussion: ViCS aims to contribute to the limited body of knowledge about victims of violent crimes in Sweden. The findings may inform evidence-based interventions in medical, forensic, and criminological fields, potentially enabling targeted prevention strategies and improvements in emergency care for victims.

A comparison of older and younger offenders with delusional jealousy.

We sought to determine whether or not there were differences in medical, criminological and legal factors between older and younger offenders with diagnoses of delusional jealousy by undertaking a retrospective case-file search of Australian legal databases. Our results demonstrate that older offenders were more likely to have comorbid dementia whereas younger offenders were more likely to have comorbid substance use and chronic psychotic conditions. A history of domestic violence frequently predated the index offence but we were unable to determine if this was due to psychosis or a pre-existing tendency for violence. Despite a common diagnosis, the older offenders were more likely to be made forensic patients rather than sentenced prisoners when compared with the younger offenders. Consequently, different factors might mediate the pathway to violence in older and younger people suffering from delusional jealousy and could be additional targets for clinical intervention.

Trastornos de la comunicación en el sistema penitenciario: una revisión sistemática / Communication disorders in the correctional system: a systematic review

Objetivos: La buena comunicación es fundamental para la resolución de los conflictos sociales, especialmente en una comunidad cerrada, como es el caso de las cárceles. Cuando la comunicación se interrumpe a causa de situaciones como pérdidas de audición o dificultades de coordinación, de voz, de lenguaje, de fluidez o la alteración de alguno de los diversos sistemas biológicos, la causa puede ser los denominados trastornos de la comunicación humana. Esta revisión tuvo como objetivo identificar los trastornos de comunicación más comunes entre personas privadas de libertad. Material y método: Revisión sistemática a través de bases de datos de aquellos estudios que analizan reclusos con trastornos de la comunicación en los últimos 38 años. Después de leer sus títulos y resúmenes y aplicar los criterios de elegibilidad, 25 artículos fueron seleccionados e incluidos en la revisión final. Resultados: Se evaluó una muestra de 2.188 individuos. Dos estudios se realizaron solo con poblaciones femeninas, mientras que 12 usaron muestras masculinas, y 11 artículos tuvieron una población mixta. Todos los estudios incluidos evaluaron los trastornos del lenguaje y la comunicación en general, siendo más frecuente las dificultades con el lenguaje. No hay estudios en inglés que evalúen los trastornos del lenguaje y la comunicación en personas encarceladas de países africanos, latinoamericanos o asiáticos. Discusión: Las personas privadas de libertad presentan una alta frecuencia de trastornos del lenguaje y la comunicación, por lo que terminan siendo más vulnerables dentro del sistema penitenciario. Los logopedas son miembros importantes del personal judicial, y mejoran la salud, el bienestar y la participación de las personas en contacto o en riesgo de contacto con el sistema judicial a través de la prevención, la detección temprana, la evaluación y el tratamiento de los trastornos de la comunicación. (AU)

Objectives: Good communication is essential for resolving social conflicts, especially in closed communities such as prisons. When communication is interrupted by factors such as hearing loss or difficulties in coordination, voice, language, fluency, or disruption of any of the biological systems required to communicate, Human Communication Disorders can appear. This review aimed to identify the most prevalent communication disorders amongst prison inmates. Material and method: Systematic review through databases of studies that analyze individual inmates with communication disorders over the last 38 years. After reading the titles and abstracts and applying the eligibility criteria, 25 articles were selected and included in the final review. Results: A sample of 2,188 individuals was evaluated, two studies were conducted with a female population only, while twelve studied exclusively males, and 11 articles had a mixed population. All the studies included evaluated language and communication disorders in general, with language impairment being more prevalent There are no English language studies evaluating language and communication disorders in incarcerated individuals from African countries, Latin America or Asia. Discussion: Inmates have a high prevalence of language and communication disorders, and thus end up being more vulnerable within the prison system. Speech therapists are important members of the legal workforce and improve the health, well-being and participation of people in contact with or at risk of contact with the judicial system through the prevention, early detection, assessment and treatment of communication disorders. (AU)

Medical Treatment of Criminals in Premodern China Based on Qing Era Local Archives: Focusing on the Case of Ba County in the late 18th Century.

This study aimed to confirm what kind of medical treatment was given to criminals by the local governments in Qing China and the role of the government doctors in charge of the criminals' medical care. Using local administrative and historical materials, I explore the procedures and methods of medical treatment and explain the treatment processes for criminals. The findings demonstrate that, although different from modern ideals, in premodern China under the emperor's rule, there were provisions for ailing criminals to receive medical treatment. In the Qing era, the execution of actual punishments worked as a keynote of judicial policy, and the number of criminals managed by local government offices was larger than before. The government doctors took charge of the criminals' medical treatment, but it seems that their position in the Qing era was not popular due to low salaries and psychological resistance to treating guilty criminals. Moreover, the government doctors dispatched to treat criminals were required to play an additional role. They had to testify that there were no other causes of death other than disease, which demonstrates that the government doctor played a role in determining whether the death was a crime. However, their treatment practices for criminals demonstrate the use of traditional medicine from the Tang and Song era onwards. There are two reasons for this. First, unlike the private market, there was no economic incentives for doctors to use new medicines and prescriptions. Second, because of the fear of being reprimanded for the death of the criminal, using classical prescriptions was a way for doctors to defend the adequacy of their medical practice. From an institutional perspective, medical care for criminals through government doctors was guaranteed during the Qing era. However, government doctors were not selected for their medical competence, nor were they provided with adequate incentives to practice good medical care. Even some government doctors devoted themselves to medical care, the quality of care was not systematically guaranteed. This provides evidence of the poor medical environment surrounding criminals in premodern China.

Los efectos de la inteligencia emocional, la legitimidad y la disuasión en la conducta antisocial / The effects of emotional intelligence, legitimacy and deterrence on antisocial behavior

Resumen Investigaciones previas sugieren que las conductas antisociales y delictivas son más prevalentes en individuos que presentan una baja inteligencia emocional, así como en aquellos que perciben una baja probabilidad de sanción y una nula legitimidad de las autoridades. El objetivo de esta investigación rue analizar los efectos de la inteligencia emocional, la disuasión (específicamente la percepción de probabilidad de recibir sanción) y la legitimidad de las autoridades en la conducta antisocial en reclusos en comparación con un grupo control. El grupo de reclusos estuvo compuesto por 105 sujetos provenientes de un Centro de Reinserción Social de una ciudad del noroeste de México, con una media de edad de 32.03 años (DE = 8.986); y el grupo control, por 105 adultos sin antecedentes penales, con una media de edad de 32.08 años (DE= 10.094). Ambas muestras seleccionadas por conveniencia. Los resultados mostraron diferencias significativas en las escalas de inteligencia emocional (t = -4.14, p < .001), legitimidad (t = -3.09, p < .01) y probabilidad de castigo (t = -4.66, p < .001): específicamente, la d de Cohen indicó que la muestra control presentó mayor inteligencia emocional (d=-0.81), mayor percepción de legitimidad (d=-0.60) y mayor percepción de probabilidad de sanción (d=-0.90) en contraste con la muestra de reclusos. Dentro del modelo de ecuaciones estructurales, las variables de inteligencia emocional y percepción de probabilidad de castigo influyeron en el comportamiento antisocial, lo cual indica que posiblemente las competencias emocionales podrían repercutir sobre el temor de recibir alguna sanción ante la comisión de determinadas conductas antisociales.

Abstract Previous research suggests that antisocial and criminal behaviors are more prevalent in individuals with low emotional intelligence, as well as in those who perceive a low probability of punishment and no legitimacy of authorities. The aim of this research was to analyze the effects of emotional intelligence, deterrence (specifically, the perception of the probability of receiving a sanction), and the legitimacy of authorities on antisocial behavior in inmates compared to a control group. The group of inmates was composed of 105 adults from a Social Reinsertion Center in a city in northwestern Mexico, with a mean age of 32.03 years (SD = 8.986); and the control group was composed of 105 adults with no criminal record, with a mean age of 32.08 years (SD = 10.094). Both samples were selected by convenience. Significant differences were detected in the scales of emotional intelligence (t = -4.14, p <.001), legitimacy (t = -3.09, p <.01), and probability of punishment (t = -4.66, p <.001). The control group presented higher emotional intelligence (d = -0.81), higher perception of legitimacy (d = -0.60), and higher perception of probability of punishment (d = -0.90) in contrast to the inmate sample. A Structural Equations Model (SEM) showed that emotional intelligence and perceived probability of punishment influenced antisocial behavior, which indicates that emotional competences may have an impact on the fear of being sanctioned when committing certain antisocial behaviors.

Propofol abuse among healthcare workers: an analysis of criminal cases using the database of the Supreme Court of South Korea's judgments.

BACKGROUND: Due to its abuse potential, propofol has been classified as a controlled substance since February 2011 in South Korea. Healthcare workers are exposed to propofol abuse considering their easy access to this substance in hospitals. Therefore, we aimed to investigate propofol abuse among healthcare workers through the database of the Supreme Court in South Korea. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed adjudicated criminal cases related to propofol abuse among healthcare workers from January 1, 2013, to December 31, 2020, using the database of the Supreme Court of South Korea's judgments. We collected the clinical characteristics and punishment-related information of healthcare workers who abused propofol. RESULTS: Of the 194 cases collected using the search term 'propofol,' 20 were included in the final analysis. The most common healthcare workers who abused propofol were nursing aides (n = 15). Among them, 40% (n = 8) of the defendants had previously been punished for substance abuse, and 35% (n = 7) had a history of psychological disease. Of the defendants, 65% (n = 13) self-administered propofol more than twice, and the median number of self-administrations was three. Except for two, the defendants were sentenced to imprisonment, including suspended sentences, and the median values of their duration of prison and probation were 9 months and 24 months. CONCLUSIONS: Despite propofol being strongly regulated as a controlled substance in South Korea, its abuse among healthcare workers remains. Healthcare workers should be vigilant against its abuse among themselevs.

The Facilitators and Barriers Faced When Transitioning Back into the Community Following a Prison Sentence.

This qualitative study explored ex-offender's community reintegration experiences following a prison sentence. Fourteen ex-offenders from the Offender Alumni Association participated in an in-person in-depth individual interview regarding their current roles, daily routines, living situation, activity participation, and current and future plans. A phenomenological approach using thematic analysis was employed for data collection and interpretation. The emerged themes were categorized under facilitators and barriers that influence healthy community reintegration. The facilitators included visualizing and committing to an ideal future, establishing a daily routine, upholding life balance, and discovering and connecting to external supports. The barriers included impediments to employment opportunities, lack of financial resources, social stigma, regulations imposed by the judicial system, disconnection from social advancements, and addiction to drugs and alcohol. The themes identified from the interviews suggest that current reintegration strategies and programs need to be improved in order to benefit ex-offenders seeking these services.

DEPRIVATION OF REPRODUCTIVE RIGHT OF SEX OFFENDERS: SOCIAL OPINION AND LEGISLATIVE REGULATION.

OBJECTIVE: The aim: The purpose of this article is to illustrate the social demand for the need to discriminate against perpetrators of sexual crimes by depriving them of reproductive rights. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Materials and methods: The authors of the research used the legislation of various world countries, scientific papers, caselaw, the provisions of international legal acts, in particular, the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. The authors of the research used a complex set of general and special methods of cognition such as dialectical, comparative, analytical, generalization method, statistical and sociological method (questionnaire method). RESULTS: Results: The survey conducted by the authors highlights the attitude of physicians and law enforcement officials (100 people) to the sterilization of criminals as a measure necessary to prevent the commission of sexual crimes both by such persons and by others who are prone to committing such crimes but will refrain from their commission due to the fear of sterilization. The questionnaire shows the gap between awareness and recognition of natural human rights such as the right to reproduce and the desire to deprive a certain deviant category of people of this right for their safety. CONCLUSION: Conclusion: Based on the conducted analysis, the authors have formulated that there is currently a great social demand for radical measures to prevent the commission of sexual crimes by sterilizing those who committed such crimes. At the same time, the legislation of some countries also embodies such a desire of society in the relevant norms and provides the use of sterilization of criminals for special and general prevention of crimes against sexual freedom and inviolability. The research also demonstrates the erroneousness of this approach and proves the inadmissibility and medical inexpediency of depriving perpetrators of sexual crimes of their reproductive rights.

"My God, here is the skull of a murderer!" Physical appearance and violent crime.

Over the centuries, people have tried to determine character traits from a person's appearance, beginning with the physiognomic efforts of the Greek philosophers Socrates (ca. 470-399 bce) and Aristotle (384-322 bce) and still continuing today. In this quest, the discovery of criminal tendencies from someone's face always received special attention. This was also an important issue for physician Franz Joseph Gall (1758-1828). Gall maintained that a criminal's skull had a different shape than that of a law-abiding person. Phrenologists, as well as criminologists, including Cesare Lombroso (1835-1909), further propagated Gall's ideas and investigated countless heads of violent and petty criminals. This line of investigation led to much discussion and criticism. Were Gall, the phrenologists who followed him, and Lombroso sufficiently objective? Were these men really onto something, or were they led by prejudices? After Lombroso's time, physiognomy and cranioscopy were discredited. However, in the last decades, some researchers are again trying to find out whether people are indeed able to distinguish violent criminals from nonviolent criminals on the basis of their faces.

Disposición a la delincuencia juvenil y creencias irracionales de jóvenes en conflicto con la ley y en riesgo delictivo en Monterrey, México / Disposition to juvenile delinquency and irrational beliefs of young people in confl ict with the law and at criminal risk in Monterrey, Mexico / Disposição à delinquência juvenil e crenças irracionais de jovens em confl ito com a lei e em risco delitivo em Monterrey, México

Resumen En el objetivo del presente estudio fue determinar la relación de la disposición de delincuencia juvenil, desde sus dimensiones de aceptación del crimen, consumo de drogas y amistades delictivas y medidas judiciales anteriores con las creencias irracionales de justificiación de la violencia, autoconcepto desde la violencia y evitación de problemas en jóvenes en conflicto de ley en comparación con jóvenes en riesgo delictivo. La muestra aleatorizada estuvo conformada por 597 jóvenes de 12 a 22 años de edad de los cuales 237 eran hombres jóvenes en conflicto con la ley y 194 hombres jóvenes en riesgo delictivo. Se utilizó un diseño no experimental, correlacional, por medio del SPSS se elaboraron modelos de regresión lineal múltiple y prueba T para la comparación de los grupos. Los principales hallazgos muestran que existen diferencias entre los grupos comparados, siendo los jóvenes en conflicto con la ley quienes conservan mayores puntajes de disposición a la delincuencia (M=32.48; t=11.08; p=.000) y creencias irracionales (36.17; t=5.68;p=.000). Por otro lado, existe una relación entre la disposición a la delincuencia y la justificación de la violencia, el autoconcepto desde la violencia y la evitación de problemas (R 2= .471, gl=3; F=72.8; p=.000) de los jóvenes en conflicto de ley. En los jóvenes en riesgo delictivo esta relación de variables se mantiene y solamente la evitación de problemas no refleja relación con la disposición a delinquir (R 2= .337, gl=3; F=45.07;p=000).

Abstract The objective of the current study was to determine the relation of the disposition of juvenile delinquency, from its dimensions of acceptance of crime, drug use and criminal friendships and previous judicial measures with the irrational beliefs of justification of violence, self-concept from violence and problem avoidance in young people in conflict with the law compared to young people at criminal risk. The randomized sample consisted of 597 young people aged 12 to 22, of whom 237 were young men in conflict with the law and 194 young men at criminal risk. A non-experimental, correlational design was used, through the SPSS, multiple linear regression and T-test models were developed for the comparison of the groups. The main findings show that there are differences between the groups compared, with young people in conflict with the law who maintain higher scores of disposition to crime (M=32.48; t=11.08; p=.000) and irrational beliefs (36.17; t=5.68; p=.000). On the other hand, there is a relationship between the disposition to crime and the justification of violence, self-concept from violence and avoidance of problems (R2= .471, gl=3; F=72.8; p=.000) of young people in conflict with law. In young people at criminal risk this relation of variables is maintained and only the avoidance of problems does not reflect a relation to the willingness to committing crimes (R2= .337, gl=3; F=45.07; p=000).

Resumo O objetivo do presente estudo foi determinar a relação da disposição de delinquência juvenil, desde as suas dimensões de aceitação do crime, consumo de drogas eamizades delitivas e medidas judiciais anteriores com as crenças irracionais de justificação da violência, autoconceito desde a violência e prevenção de problemas em jovens em conflito de lei em comparação com jovens em risco delitivo. A amostra aleatorizada esteve conformada por 597 jovens de 12 a 22 anos de idade dos quais 237 eram homens jovens em conflito com a lei e 194 homens jovens em risco delitivo. Foi utilizado um design não experimental, correlacional, por meio do SPSS foram elaborados modelos de regressão linear múltipla e teste T para a comparação dos grupos. Os principais achados amostram que existem diferenças entre os grupos comparados, sendo os jovens em conflito com a lei quem conservam maiores pontuações de disposição à delinquência (M=32.48; t=11.08; p=.000) e crenças irracionais (36.17; t=5.68;p=.000). Por outro lado, existe uma relação entre a disposição à delinquência e a justificação da violência, o autoconceito desde a violência e a prevenção de problemas (R2= .471, gl=3; F=72.8; p=.000) dos jovens em conflito de lei. Nos jovens em risco delitivo esta relação de variáveis se mantém e somente a prevenção de problemas não reflete relação com a disposição à delinquir (R2= .337, gl=3; F=45.07;p=000).

The consequences of traumatic brain injury from the classroom to the courtroom: understanding pathways through structural equation modelling.

Purpose: Paediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI) can have resultant ongoing significant impairments which can impact life outcomes. The primary aim of this research was to explore whether TBI contributes to the relationship between poor educational outcomes and offending trajectories.Materials and methods: Through analysis of a dataset consisting of self-reported health, educational, and offending histories of 70 incarcerated young males, structural equation modelling was used to explore the mediation of educational outcomes and patterns in offending behaviour by chronic symptoms following TBI.Results: Symptoms related to TBI significantly mediated the relationship between decreased educational attainment and more frequent convictions. It did not mediate any relationships involving age at first conviction.Conclusions: Traumatic brain injury appears to have more influence over frequency of offending patterns than age at first conviction. However, TBI remains a pervasive factor in both higher rates of offending and poorer educational attainment. In order to tackle this effect on adverse social outcomes, greater attention to the impact of TBI is required in education and criminal justice systems.IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATIONHighlights traumatic brain injury as a contributory factor in some education to offending pathways, suggesting that greater focus on rehabilitation within the education and criminal justice systems is required.Reinforces that greater understanding of educational pathways post-injury is needed to better facilitate rehabilitation within the school system.

Robert Alden Fales, the fifteen-year-old criminal chloroformist.

An ex-employee of a Newark straw hat factory, 15-year-old Robert Alden Fales battered the factory's cashier Thomas Haydon on the head multiple times with a wooden staff. Fales then applied a chloroform-soaked handkerchief to Haydon's nose until the cashier stopped moving. Arrested and convicted of murder, Fales had his death sentence commuted to life imprisonment. At 23 years of age, the criminal chloroformist died in jail from tuberculosis.

Sexual Assault: A Descriptive Study of Victims Attending a Public Hospital in Ipoh

@#Introduction: Sexual assault continues to be a significant issue globally. It has a profound effect on the physical and emotional wellbeing of the victims. Methods: This is a retrospective study based on data collected from the ‘‘OneStop Crisis Centre’’ at Hospital Raja Permaisuri Bainun for the duration of 4 years from January 2011 to December 2014 aiming to highlight the pattern and prevalence of sexual assault in the city of Ipoh, Malaysia. Results: Ninety-six cases were reported with the age of the victims ranging from 4 to 63 years old. All the victims were female except for one. Forty-six of the victims were in the young adults category (19-30 years old) and six were above 30 years old. The mean (SD) age of the victims was 19.8 (7.9) years. Sixty-seven cases involved rape (69.8%) and 12 cases involved gang rape. Twelve cases were allegedly committed by relatives of the victim, 57 cases involved persons known to the victim and 27 cases (28.1%) were allegedly perpetrated by strangers. Most cases were reportedly committed at the victim’s’ own house (n=32). Conclusion: This study highlights the salient fact that most perpetrators were known by the victim. Rape was the commonest type of sexual assault and most victims were between the age of 19-30. The comprehensive recommendations for prevention of sexual violence put forward by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention should be implemented by all relevant parties.

Medicalizing delinquents or turning the mad into criminals?: Practices of alienation and legal medicine in Colombia in the early the 20th century. / ¿Medicalizar al delincuente o hacer del loco un criminal?: Prácticas de alienismo y medicina legal en Colombia a comienzos del siglo XX.

This article analyzes medical-legal associations between madness and criminality in department of Antioquia (Colombia) during the three first decades of 20th century. The analysis was oriented by two overlapping axes: discourses and practices. The ideas of four doctors, generated between 1917 and 1925, were examined in order to identify the theoretical debates that delimited and defined mental illnesses in legal cases. The use of qualified knowledge and their place as experts were analyzed in a judicial case, initiated in 1921, in which theoretical confrontations surfaced among the doctors that debated the possible insanity of the defendant.

Este artículo analiza algunas asociaciones médico-jurídicas entre locura y criminalidad en el departamento de Antioquia (Colombia), en las primeras tres décadas del siglo XX. El análisis se orientó por dos ejes imbricados: el de los discursos y el de las prácticas. Se examinaron las ideas de cuatro médicos, planteadas entre 1917 y 1925, para identificar los debates teóricos desde los cuales se delimitaban y definían las enfermedades mentales en casos judiciales. La puesta en escena del saber de los peritos y su lugar como expertos se analizaron en un caso judicial, que inició en 1921, y en cuyo desarrollo afloraron las confrontaciones teóricas entre los médicos que debatieron sobre la posible locura del acusado.

Attitudes toward rehabilitating inmates among occupational therapy students in the United States.

PURPOSE: This study was to examine occupational therapy (OT) students' attitudes toward rehabilitating inmates and validate an instrument used to measure their attitudes. METHODS: OT students (n=128) from one university in Alabama, United States, completed an online survey exploring their attitudes toward rehabilitating inmates, which was assessed using the Rehabilitation Orientation Scale (ROS), a 7-point scale. Dimensional structure, internal consistency reliability, construct validity, and relations to other variables of the ROS was evaluated using factor analyses, Cronbach's alpha, known-groups method, and univariable correlations, respectively. RESULTS: Unidimensionality of the ROS was confirmed with an alpha coefficient of .90. The mean ROS score of the respondents was 5.1; a score toward 7 indicated a more supportive attitude. About 60% of the respondents reported supportive attitudes (i.e., an ROS score ≥5). Respondents' ROS scores were significantly higher than those of the public and criminal justice professionals. Female students reported a more supportive attitude than males. Multiple regression analysis indicated that respondents' consideration of working in prison settings after graduation and their perception that OT has a role in prison settings were significantly associated with support for rehabilitating inmates, after controlling for gender and an acquaintance with someone who has been incarcerated. CONCLUSION: Results indicated that the ROS demonstrated adequate psychometric properties as it applied to this population. The majority of respondents reported supportive attitudes toward rehabilitating inmates. Consideration of working in prison settings after graduation and the perception that OT has a role in prison settings were two independent factors associated with respondents' attitudes toward rehabilitating inmates.

Tracking methods and retention for a longitudinal sample of alcohol- and drug-involved women on probation and parole.

Attrition, or the progressive loss of individuals from a sample, poses a major problem in fields that carry out research to inform policy and program design. Attrition reduces statistical power by reducing sample size and compromises the external validity of findings by introducing sampling bias. If sampling bias results from disadvantages that act as barriers to research participation, then it promotes social injustice by excluding disadvantaged groups from the study. This study describes strategies used to retain participants in a longitudinal study of experiences of women under community supervision (probation or parole). It uses quantitative methods to examine sampling bias and qualitative methods to elicit accounts of participants' explanations for being hard to reach and their recommendations for retention in future research. For participants who were and who were not retained, there were no statistically significant differences on several common quantitative predictors of retention. Hard-to-reach women identified residential mobility, low income, and busy lifestyles as main reasons research staff had difficulty contacting them and recommended repeated attempts at contact through multiple means. The article ends with recommendations for limiting attrition of disadvantaged, justice-involved women in studies, and for steps to be taken when women are especially difficult to contact.

Cognitive functioning and aggressive antisocial behaviors in young violent offenders.

Studies have shown that offenders have impaired cognitive abilities yet it is unclear if cognitive dysfunction per se contributes to aggressive antisocial behaviors. Our aims were to (1) determine associations between cognitive functioning and different forms of aggressive antisocial behaviors, (2) describe prevalence of, and covariates to, uneven intellectual profiles, and (3) investigate associations between cognitive functioning and age at onset of aggressive antisocial behaviors. A cohort (n = 269) of 18-25 years old male violent offenders were assessed for general intellectual functioning with the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scales-third edition, and for executive functions with the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery. Only one measure of cognitive functioning - slower reaction times in a response inhibition test - was significantly correlated with higher occurrence of aggressive, but not exclusively antisocial, behaviors. Furthermore, offenders with even intellectual profiles showed more aggressive antisocial behaviors than offenders with uneven intellectual profiles. Finally, increased errors in tests of cognitive flexibility and slower reaction times in a response inhibition test were associated with a younger age at onset of general, but not exclusively violent, criminality. Overall, effect sizes were small. The findings emphasize the need of research investigating how cognitive functioning in offenders affects susceptibility to treatment interventions.

¿Medicalizar al delincuente o hacer del loco un criminal?: Prácticas de alienismo y medicina legal en Colombia a comienzos del siglo XX / Medicalizing delinquents or turning the mad into criminals?: Practices of alienation and legal medicine in Colombia in the early the 20th century

RESUMEN Este artículo analiza algunas asociaciones médico-jurídicas entre locura y criminalidad en el departamento de Antioquia (Colombia), en las primeras tres décadas del siglo XX. El análisis se orientó por dos ejes imbricados: el de los discursos y el de las prácticas. Se examinaron las ideas de cuatro médicos, planteadas entre 1917 y 1925, para identificar los debates teóricos desde los cuales se delimitaban y definían las enfermedades mentales en casos judiciales. La puesta en escena del saber de los peritos y su lugar como expertos se analizaron en un caso judicial, que inició en 1921, y en cuyo desarrollo afloraron las confrontaciones teóricas entre los médicos que debatieron sobre la posible locura del acusado.

ABSTRACT This article analyzes medical-legal associations between madness and criminality in department of Antioquia (Colombia) during the three first decades of 20th century. The analysis was oriented by two overlapping axes: discourses and practices. The ideas of four doctors, generated between 1917 and 1925, were examined in order to identify the theoretical debates that delimited and defined mental illnesses in legal cases. The use of qualified knowledge and their place as experts were analyzed in a judicial case, initiated in 1921, in which theoretical confrontations surfaced among the doctors that debated the possible insanity of the defendant.