Capital sentencing and neuropsychiatry.

The neuropsychiatric contribution to capital sentencing proceedings has grown substantially in recent decades as the consideration of neurological and psychiatric factors in criminal behavior has been increasingly accepted as relevant to the quest for justice. This review article will focus on the legal theories underlying neuropsychiatric input into capital sentencing decisions, as well as some of the investigative techniques and resulting data which may be offered by forensic neuropsychiatrists in this context. The death penalty is unique in its severity and irreversibility, as the courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court, have noted repeatedly. "Death is different," and the recognition of this has generated a set of court decisions and statutes pertinent specifically to capital proceedings, both procedural and substantive.

Well-being in institutionalised adolescents.

BACKGROUND: For adolescents who have criminal convictions, achieving a positive progress including desistance from offending may depend on a sense of well-being. Factors associated with growth in well-being are not widely researched, but there is some work that suggests that qualities in other internal states as well as in the environment may foster well-being. AIMS: To examine the well-being of young male incarcerated offenders, and its relationship with frequency of contacts with the family, perceptions of socio-educational environment, feelings about the future and self-efficacy. METHODS: Participants were recruited from three secure education institutions in the Federal District of Brasília, Brazil, under the management of the Secretariat of Justice. They were invited to complete anonymous self-report questionnaires, which included the Psychological Well-Being Scale, the Perception of the Socio-Educational Environment Scale, the Feelings about the Future Scale and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Self-Efficacy, and to provide limited sociodemographic data. RESULTS: 195 young male offenders participated and their mean age was 16.8 years (SD = 1.58, range 14-20). There was a positive correlation between well-being and perceptions of the socio-educational environment, positive feelings about the future and self-efficacy self-ratings. Multiple linear regression analyses confirmed that the frequency of family contacts, positive perceptions of the socio-educational environment, positive feelings about the future, and self-efficacy in leisure and social activities independently contributed to the well-being of young offenders. CONCLUSION: Although well-being has been associated with desistance from committing crimes, the factors that may predispose to well-being have been researched less and never before examined among inmates in Brazil. While longitudinal work is needed to be certain of the direction of the relationship, the fact that the results are broadly consistent with a similar study carried out on the other side of the world is encouraging in terms of indicating ways forward in rehabilitation. It is necessary to develop interventions that support family relationships and promote personal relationships and personal development, not only of useful skills but also of personal confidence in those skills.

Mood disorders among adolescents in conflict with the law and in custody.

The high prevalence of psychiatric symptoms among juvenile delinquents is a well-replicated international finding. This study aimed to find the prevalence of mood disorders and their relationship with serious criminal acts in a population of adolescents in conflict with the law and in custody. A total of 123 male inmates aged 14 to 17 years were interviewed and assessed. Mood disorders were diagnosed in 15% of the sample for current episode and 31% for lifetime, making them third most prevalent after dependence disorders and disruptive disorders. The psychopathological profile of the adolescents who had committed violent crimes corroborates other studies reporting a high prevalence of mood disorders in this population. Several factors have been found to influence the formation of juvenile delinquency, including absence of family structure, social inequality, lack of quality school education, alcohol and drug abuse/addiction and disruptive disorders. The present results confirm mood disorders as another such factor.

Identifying multilevel predictors of trajectories of psychopathology and resilience among juvenile offenders: A machine learning approach.

Mental ill health is more common among juvenile offenders relative to adolescents in general. Little is known about individual differences in their long-term psychological adaptation and its predictors from multiple aspects of their life. This study aims to identify heterogeneous trajectories of probable psychiatric conditions and their predictors. Participants included 574 juvenile offenders who were first convicted for serious crimes and without detention history. The participants were assessed at 11 timepoints over seven years (2000-2010). Growth mixture modeling revealed the same three trajectories for both probable anxiety and probable depression: stable low trajectory (75.96%; 75.78%), stable high trajectory (15.16%; 10.98%), and recovery (8.89%, 13.24%). Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) logistic regression identified three multilevel predictors for memberships of different trajectories. Risk factors against stable low trajectory lay within personal (e.g., neuroticism), relationship (e.g., parental hostility), and contextual levels (e.g., chaotic neighborhood). Resilience factors for stable low trajectory included strong work orientation and low education level of father. Recovery was predicted by Black race, self-identity, high education level of father, and nonincarcerated sentencing. Our findings suggest that both psychopathology and psychological resilience could be predicted by multiple personal, relationship, and contextual factors in the social ecology of juvenile offenders.

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder as a Risk Factor for the Development of Risky Behavior Among Adolescent Offenders: A Systematic Review.

The purpose of this research study was to obtain greater insight into the associations of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and trauma-exposed experiences with the development of offending behavior in adolescents. Using the PubMed and Scopus databases, we performed a systematic review of recent cross-sectional studies between 2016 and 2022, investigating the associations of PTSD and trauma with the social and mental behavior of adolescents. Fifty-three articles were initially identified. Due to duplication, eight articles were excluded, leaving 45 remaining articles. In addition, 34 articles were excluded due to year of publication, review, abstract, or irrelevant title. Seven articles were included in this systematic review after excluding the remaining due to different study types or samples. Included studies primarily examined the associations of PTSD symptomatology and expression of externalizing symptoms with risky behavior and the commission of a crime. The strongest outcomes were increased levels of violent behavior, violent delinquency, and total risk in correlation with PTSD symptoms, emotional numbing, use of drugs, and in some cases maltreatment. The results of the systematic review suggest that PTSD symptoms and risky behavior, which can be also fueled by maltreatment activities in the family circle, are associated with criminal behavior. Future research is needed to confirm these findings.

The 40-year debate: a meta-review on what works for juvenile offenders.

Objectives: This meta-review integrates the findings of meta-analyses and systematic reviews to explore the effect of intervention programs on recidivism for juvenile offenders. Methods: The systematic literature search gathered 48 meta-analyses and systematic reviews from 53 research reports, contributing 56 independent effect sizes for analysis. These effect sizes were statistically integrated, and five moderators of theoretical and methodological importance were tested using meta-regression. Results: On average, intervention programs are associated with a significant reduction in recidivism (r Φ = -0.09, p < 0.001) for juvenile offenders who participate in a program compared to those who do not. However, reductions in recidivism significantly vary between the levels of criminal justice system, characteristics of juvenile offenders, types of program modalities, and methodological quality. Conclusions: Results indicate that intervention programs can be an effective approach to reducing recidivism for juvenile offenders, especially when combined with a rehabilitative program modality. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11292-021-09472-z.

Traumatic Brain Injury and Related Antisocial Behavioral Outcomes: A Systematic Review.

Background and Objectives: Higher level of aggression and antisocial behavior have been found in the period following head trauma. These changes are attributable to specific brain alterations that generally involved frontal lobe, insula and limbic system. A descriptive review was conducted on the specificity of aggressive behavior in relation to traumatic brain injury by evaluating numerous variables, focusing on age at the time of trauma and neuroimaging studies. Materials and Methods: We searched on PubMed and the Web of Science databases to screen references of included studies and review articles for additional citations. From an initial 738 publications, only 27 met the search criteria of describing the relationship between aggression, brain alterations and traumatic brain injury. Results: These findings showed that traumatic brain injury (TBI) is related to changes in behavior, personality and mood. Conclusions: The development of aggressive and criminal behavior is associated with multiple factors, including the etiology of injury, environmental, psychosocial and personality factors and age at the time of trauma.

The Relationship Between Age at Incarceration and Lifetime Suicide Attempt Among a Nationally Representative Sample of U.S. Adults.

To examine the association between age at incarceration and lifetime suicide attempt (SA), and whether it differs by gender. Lifetime prevalence of SA was compared between respondents with no incarceration, juvenile, and adult incarceration who completed the 2012-2013 National Survey of Alcohol and Related Conditions-III (N = 36,107). We compared the odds of SA, adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics, psychiatric disorders, and childhood adverse experiences, and stratified the results by gender. Adjusted odds ratio (AOR) of SA relative to no incarceration history was 1.66 (95% Confidence Interval [CI] 1.32-2.07) for adult incarceration and 2.00 (95% CI 1.49-2.70) for juvenile incarceration. AOR of SA relative to no incarceration history was 2.14 (95% CI 1.56-2.93) for adult and 2.15 (95% CI 1.38-3.35) for juvenile incarceration in women; it was 1.73 (95% CI 1.14-2.60) in juvenile incarceration relative to no incarceration history in men. A history of incarceration may increase SA, particularly among juvenile and women offenders.

Distinctiveness of Reactive and Proactive Aggression from a Variable- and Person-based Approach in Juvenile Offenders and Community Youth.

The goal of this study was to examine the distinctiveness of reactive aggression (RA) and proactive aggression (PA) from a variable- and person-based approach, their psychosocial correlates and behavioral outcomes, and analyze their replicability across two samples of adolescents. The forensic sample was composed of 231 juvenile offenders and the community sample included 321 youth. At a variable-based level, the results of the factor analysis supported the original two-factor model of aggression, and RA and PA showed differential associations with a set of psychosocial correlates and behavioral outcomes. At a person-based level, three subgroups were identified, namely low aggression, moderate RA, and mixed aggression. The mixed aggression group showed the most severe profile in both samples. These results support the distinctiveness of RA and PA at a variable-based level but lead to consider PA as a severity marker rather than a distinct subgroup at a person-based level.

Perceptions of Legal Authorities in a Longitudinal Study of Adjudicated Youth.

While perceptions of the legitimacy of formal authority have been found to influence offending, little is known about the extent to which such perceptions influence the related outcome of victimization. This study addressed this gap by examining how changes in legitimacy affected victimization both within- and between-individuals. This study used 7 waves of the Pathways to Desistance data (n = 1310; 13.85% female; age range 14-22). Youth who have committed serious offenses were surveyed at 6-month intervals during the transition from adolescence to young adulthood. In the full sample, the effects of legitimacy on both victimization and offending remained largely stable over time within individuals. Sensitivity analyses revealed that more positive perceptions of legitimacy significantly reduce offending for boys and reduce victimization for girls during the developmental period under study. Consistent with prior research, between-individual differences appear to be more important than within-individual change for explaining both offending and victimization. The implications of the results for theory, future research, and early intervention for high-risk youth are discussed.

Schooling while incarcerated as a turning point for serious juvenile and young adult offenders.

INTRODUCTION: Attending school and working are consistently associated with positive outcomes for juvenile offenders returning to the community. METHODS: Using longitudinal data from the Pathways to Desistance Study, we used structural equation modeling to test whether better school experiences while incarcerated was positively connected to adjustment upon release among serious juvenile offenders (91% male) in the U.S. Adjustment was assessed as attending school for 310 legal minors (<18 years), and engaging in work for 259 emerging adults (≥18 years), as well as self-reported delinquency for all participants. RESULTS: Accounting for incarceration and school history, results showed that facility school attachment, but not grades, was associated with decreased delinquency 12 months after release across sex in both age groups. Additionally, facility school attachment predicted engagement in school for returning minors. However, facility school experience was not related to engaging in work for returning emerging adults. CONCLUSIONS: Results indicate that facility school climate matters for all juvenile offenders returning to their communities and that correctional education done right presents an important opportunity to reconnect returning minors with school, an important normative context of development. Conversely, results suggest that returning offenders who have 'aged out' of high school are a separate vulnerable group who may need additional support for successful reentry.

Early Life Poly-Victimization and Differential Development of Anxiety as Risk Factors for the Continuity of Substance Dependence in Adulthood.

Background: Abuse of psychoactive substances may lead to physical and/or physiological dependence on said substances. While a great deal of research has focused on risk factors predicting onset, there has been little research focused on risk factors influencing continued dependence on substances in adulthood following onset early in life. Purpose/Objectives: The present study examined poly-victimization and developmental patterns of anxiety as predictors of continued substance dependence problems. Methods: The Pathways to Desistance data were used in the present study. A subset of this sample was used in analyses comprising 261 juvenile offenders who reported lifetime drug and/or alcohol dependence at baseline. Firth logistic regression was used to estimate the impact that covariates had on the odds that individuals in this subsample had continued substance dependence in adulthood. Results: Results indicated that increased poly-victimization score pertaining to direct victimization at baseline was associated with increased odds of continued substance dependence problems in adulthood. Further, presentation of high and chronic anxiety symptomatology during adolescence was associated with increased risk for continued dependence. Conclusions/Importance: Drug dependent adolescents who demonstrate chronic anxiety and/or have experienced polyvictimization are at-risk for continuity of dependent in adulthood. Youth should be screened for these issues and targeted with treatment.

Binge Drinking in Adolescence and Early Adulthood: The Salience of PTSD and PTSD-Linked Strain Sensitivity from a Developmental Perspective.

Background: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been identified by past research as a risk factor for substance use. Further, past research has indicated that individuals with PTSD may demonstrate an increased sensitivity to strain. Despite this, no study has examined the relevance of these processes for understanding binge drinking behaviors from a developmental perspective. Purpose/Objectives: Understand the relevance of PTSD-linked strain sensitivity for predicting binge drinking in adolescence and adulthood. Methods: This study utilizes data from the Pathways to Desistance study, comprising the responses of 1354 juvenile offenders across seven years following an adjudication. A series of ordinal logistic regression models estimated these effects in adolescence and early adulthood. Results: Results indicate that adolescent PTSD interacted with witnessed violence to produce lower frequency binge drinking. This effect was non-significant in early adulthood. Conclusions/Importance: These findings indicate that adolescent PTSD-sufferers demonstrate diminished sensitivity to witnessed violence. This may have to do with adolescence social processes.

The association between somatic complaints and past-30 day opioid misuse among justice-involved children.

BACKGROUND: Individuals in the criminal justice system are especially vulnerable to the adverse effects of opioid misuse. Research on justice-involved children (JIC) is needed to uncover the variables that predict opioid misuse initiation to prevent misuse or reduce harm in this population. Somatic symptoms are symptoms experienced in the body, such as physical sensations, movements or experiences, which can cause severe distress and dysfunction. These include pain, nausea, dizziness, and fainting. In this study, we hypothesize that somatic complaints will be associated with a higher likelihood of opioid misuse among Florida JIC. METHODS: The study examined statewide data on 79,960 JIC in the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice database. Logistic regression was employed to investigate an ordinal measure of somatic complaints at first screen and a binary outcome measure of past-30 day illicit or nonmedical opioid use at final screen while controlling for sociodemographic and mental health factors. RESULTS: Nearly 28% of JIC had a history of one or more somatic complaints. Compared to those with no history of somatic complaints, JIC with a history of one or two somatic complaints were 1.23 times more likely to misuse opioids in the past 30 days and those with three or four somatic complaints were 1.5 times more likely to meet criteria for past-30 day opioid misuse. CONCLUSIONS: Individuals may consume illicit or non-medical prescription opioids to manage somatic symptoms - indicating that increased access to healthcare may reduce misuse. Risk of opioid overdose sharply increases as justice-involved individuals are released from correctional settings largely due to a reduced tolerance to opioids as a result of incarceration and diminished access to legal medicines that are provided in the justice system. Justice systems must ensure seamless access to quality healthcare services as individuals transition from correctional settings to their communities.

The Impact of Juvenile Sex Offending on the Adult Criminal Career.

Although past studies demonstrated the heterogeneity of the criminal career patterns of juveniles with sexual offenses (JSOs), such studies did not directly assess whether JSOs have different adult offending outcomes compared with juvenile nonsex offenders. Using data on a subsample of males from the Incarcerated Serious and Violent Young Offender Study, JSOs (n = 78), juveniles with violent offenses (JVOs; n = 550), and juveniles with nonviolent offenses (JNVOs; n = 281) were compared across a variety of adult offending outcomes. JSOs were not associated with a specific trajectory of general offending in adulthood, nor were they associated with a range of adult criminal career parameters (e.g., frequency, severity, specialization, and versatility). However, a range of other indicators of juvenile offending were associated with general offending in adulthood. For juvenile males who experience incarceration, many elements of their offending history mattered for adult offending outcomes, but not sexual offending. Policy implications for treatment and management are discussed.

The Impact of PTSD-Linked Strain Sensitivity on Violent Offending: Differences in Effects During Adolescence Versus Early Adulthood.

OBJECTIVES: Investigate the relevance of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)-linked strain sensitivity associated with exposure to violence for predicting violence outcomes among juvenile offenders during adolescence and early adulthood. METHODS: This study uses the Pathways to Desistance data and to test relevant relationships. Two series of negative binomial regression models were estimated to test hypotheses, one corresponding to each period of the life course. RESULTS: Results indicated that witnessed violence interacted with PTSD status in adolescence, indicating that individuals afflicted with PTSD demonstrated heightened sensitivity to this strain, manifested in increased violent offending. CONCLUSIONS: Results indicate that witnessed violence may act as a trigger during adolescence, resulting in juvenile offenders with PTSD responding with violence. This may have treatment implications for individuals suffering from PTSD.

Developmental Trajectories of Opioid Use Among Juvenile Offenders: An Epidemiological Examination of Group Characteristics and Criminological Risk Factors.

AIMS: Investigate patterns of change and continuity in opioid use among juvenile offenders during adolescence and early adulthood. Identify demographic characteristics of trajectory groups of opioid users. Examine the relevance of risk factors for predicting assignment to opioid use trajectory groups. METHODS: The Pathways to Desistance sample, consisting of longitudinal data of 1,134 juvenile offenders, was utilized in analyses. Using group-based trajectory modeling, patterns of opioid use were identified. χ2 tests provide information about the significant differences in gender, race, and socioeconomic status composition among the subgroups. Multinomial logistic regression were estimated to identify the relevance of risk factors for predicting assignment to subgroups. RESULTS: A four-group model best fit the opioid use data (Abstaining, Low Accelerating, High Accelerating, Desisting). Race significantly delineated group membership at the bivariate level. Risk factor analysis indicated that lower self-control assessed at baseline predicted elevated risk of assignment to the Low Accelerating and High Accelerating groups. Higher frequency of marijuana use at baseline and a lifetime history of having experienced victimization was associated with assignment to the Desisting group. CONCLUSIONS: Chronic opioid use exists at elevated prevalence among juvenile offenders. Adolescents in the criminal justice system with low self-control should be targeted for intervention.

Heterogeneity in the Development of Drug Use Versatility: Risk Factors for Polydrug Use throughout the Life-Course.

BACKGROUND: Polydrug use is a major public health issue associated with numerous undesirable physical and mental health outcomes. While past research has identified risk factors for polydrug use and elevated drug use variety, there has yet to be any research which seeks to examine this phenomenon from a developmental perspective. There also has yet to be any research which examines the impact of risk factors for predicting differential development. OBJECTIVES: Identify developmental subgroups of polydrug use. Identify risk factors predicting heterogeneity in development. METHODS: The Pathways to Desistance data were used in this research. The present study used group-based trajectory modeling to elucidate general developmental patterns of drug use variety and sought to identify risk factors predicting the heterogeneity in the development of this outcome using multinomial logistic regression among a sample of juvenile offenders. RESULTS: A six group model best fit the drug use variety count data. Several risk factors were identified which predicted assignment to the most problematic developmental subgroup, including: low self-control, low religiosity, and history of victimization at baseline. White participants were more likely to engage in any level of drug use. Conclusions/Importance: These results indicate that juvenile offenders are at-risk for chronic issues with polydrug use and more general engagement in polydrug use. Public health and criminal justice professionals should work together to develop and implement psychosocial interventions for targeting risk factors associated with accelerating and chronic polydrug use.

THE IOWA GAMBLING TASK IN VIOLENT AND NONVIOLENT INCARCERATED MALE ADOLESCENTS.

Previous studies have found impaired affective decision-making, as measured by the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT), in various antisocial populations. This is the first study to compare the IGT in violent and nonviolent incarcerated American youth. The IGT was administered to 185 incarcerated adolescent male offenders charged with either nonviolent (38.4%) or violent (61.6%) crimes. General linear mixed models and t tests were used to assess differences between the groups. The full sample performed worse than if they had selected from the decks at random. The violent offenders performed more poorly than the nonviolent offenders overall, primarily because they preferred "disadvantageous" Deck B to a greater degree; however, they did demonstrate some degree of learning by the final block of the task. Adolescent offenders demonstrate impaired affective decision-making. Behavior suggested preferential attention to frequency of loss and amount of gain and inattention to amount of loss.

A time-sensitive analysis of the work-crime relationship for young men.

Theories of the work-crime relationship suggest that employment reduces crime by offering routines, income, and supervision. However, selection into and out of jobs could also explain the negative association between work and crime: people may start working when they are already offending less and stop working when they are already offending more. To evaluate these possibilities, I model month-to-month, within-person changes in offending during the periods surrounding job transitions. Using data from the Pathways to Desistance study, I analyze a sample of young, justice-involved men in two U.S. cities, Phoenix and Philadelphia. I find large reductions in income-related offending during the months leading up to job entry, after which there is no further decrease. I also find that offending spikes before job exit. These patterns suggest that for these young men, being employed does not reduce crime. Rather, employment transitions occur in response to other changes in their lives.