Prior research focusing on crime acquisition and crime desistance has advanced the theoretical un... more Prior research focusing on crime acquisition and crime desistance has advanced the theoretical understanding of the psychology of crime and overcome many of the practical challenges of crime management. This paper, however, aims to encourage more detailed examination of the process through which offenders transition from crime to desistance. Desistance occurs when external and internal variables align in such a way that an offender with a history of multiple offences ceases all criminal activity. It is argued that systematic examination of behaviour change among offenders will complement current approaches to offender rehabilitation, risk assessment and community supervision. Previous research on crime acquisition, crime desistance and behaviour change are briefly reviewed. In addition, the theoretical assumptions of leading models of rehabilitation are examined. Finally, strategies to further integrate various research findings are discussed and several broad research hypotheses are offered.
This study investigates the relationship between psychopathy and deviant sexual arousal in a samp... more This study investigates the relationship between psychopathy and deviant sexual arousal in a sample of 65 sexual offenders, with approximately equal numbers of rapists and child molesters. Psychopathy, measured by the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised and phallometric indexes of deviant sexual arousal were significantly correlated, r (63) =. 28, p <. 02. Differentiating between rapists, extrafamilial pedophiles, and incest offenders revealed that this relationship, however, was most apparent for extrafamilial child molesters, somewhat less for rapists, and not at all for incest offenders. The incidence of psychopathy was substantially lower than previous rates in incarcerated samples and a psychiatric sample of sexual offenders. Rapists had higher psychopathy ratings than child molesters, approaching statistical significance t (60) = -1.88, p < .07.
International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, Mar 1, 1995
APA PsycNET Our Apologies! - The following features are not available with your current Browser c... more APA PsycNET Our Apologies! - The following features are not available with your current Browser configuration. - alerts user that their session is about to expire - display, print, save, export, and email selected records - get My ...
Due to recent legal cases highlighting a lack of cross-ethnicity validity research using correcti... more Due to recent legal cases highlighting a lack of cross-ethnicity validity research using correctional risk assessment tools, we evaluated psychometric properties of Dynamic Risk Assessment for Offender Re-entry (DRAOR) scores across Māori ( n = 1,812) and New Zealand (NZ) European samples ( n = 1,211) in Aotearoa NZ. Using routine administrative data, our analyses suggested scoring properties were invariant across ethnicity for 15 of 19 items. Discrimination properties were also equivalent, but we observed a higher recidivism base rate among Māori participants, consistent with official statistics. Consequently, calibration analyses using a fixed follow-up ( N = 372) demonstrated higher predicted recidivism rates for Māori participants at each DRAOR score. This suggests that Māori participants with similar levels of DRAOR-assessed need factors as NZ European participants experienced relatively greater continued justice contact. DRAOR users should prioritize delivering quality case ma...
There are clinical practice and operational reasons why it may be appropriate to primarily focus ... more There are clinical practice and operational reasons why it may be appropriate to primarily focus on general risk factors when supervising people convicted of sexual crime in the community. General risk domains may be particularly relevant when supervision officers engage in frequent reassessment of acute dynamic risk factors. We tested the ability of a case management tool, the Dynamic Risk Assessment for Offender Re-entry, to discriminate community based, short-term general (all outcome) recidivism versus nonrecidivism among people convicted of sexual crime ( n = 562). We tested the predictive discrimination validity of each DRAOR item and then subscale scores in univariate and multivariate models (also controlling for general static risk). DRAOR scores were associated with general recidivism outcomes and effect sizes were generally similar or stronger compared to models with people convicted of nonsexual crime ( n = 2854). DRAOR Acute scores were consistently and incrementally rel...
International Journal of Forensic Mental Health, 2019
Variables conceptualized as strengths are theoretically important for the management of recidivis... more Variables conceptualized as strengths are theoretically important for the management of recidivism risk among juveniles and adults. Although measures of strengths are related to recidivism outcomes, little is known about whether these factors may vary in prevalence or predictive validity across age. We examined the predictive validity of strengths among male parolees supervised within community corrections (N ¼ 3,169) rated by supervision officers. The prevalence of strengths did not differ across age. Further, strengths exhibited a promotive effect across all age groups in that predictive validity was consistent across age, with the exception that strength variables were associated with an enhanced promotive effect among older individuals when predicting violent community outcomes. In particular, prosocial relationships were more strongly related to reduced violent recidivism among older compared to younger parolees. Further research is required to identify factors that may have protective or buffering effects among higher risk younger individuals.
Psychopathy ratings that employed the PCL-R (Hare, 1985, 1991) were compared in one clinical and ... more Psychopathy ratings that employed the PCL-R (Hare, 1985, 1991) were compared in one clinical and three research samples (total N = 285). Differences among the samples were not related to whether ratings were completed under the expressed promise of confidentiality of a research context vs. a pre-parole psychological assessment. The problem of decision errors in prediction is highlighted to address the difficulty in integrating the PCL-R into correctional policy. General issues related to the clinical application of the PCL-R also are discussed.
The Department of Corrections in New York State5 and the Ontario Ministry of Correctional Service... more The Department of Corrections in New York State5 and the Ontario Ministry of Correctional Services2 have provided intuitively-based selec-tion criteria and a thorough demographic description of inmates released on temporary absences. Unfortunately, neither work can be applied to ...
Aim/Background. Impulsivity, defined as acting without forethought and having poor response inhib... more Aim/Background. Impulsivity, defined as acting without forethought and having poor response inhibition, is a key correlate of crime and a multidimensional construct. Despite its importance, there is neither a unifying theory nor a consistency in its measurement. Understanding impulsivity differences among offender types (e.g., non-sex offenders, sex offenders against adults versus children) and with different measures may help advance criminal behaviour theories and target assessment and management strategies. Material/Methods. Participants were adult male non-sex offenders (n = 75), sex offenders against adults (n = 9), and sex offenders against children (n = 37) serving prison sentences of at least two years. Impulsivity was measured using five self-report questionnaires (Impulsiveness Scale-7; Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-11; Grasmick Self-control Scale; Sensation Seeking Scale-Form V; Tangney Self-control Scale), third-party ratings (Dynamic Factors Identification and Analysis [D...
International journal of offender therapy and comparative criminology, 2003
A sample of 337 offenders who received treatment in a variety of sex offender treatment programs ... more A sample of 337 offenders who received treatment in a variety of sex offender treatment programs in the Ontario region of Correctional Service Canada between 1993 and 1998 were divided based on the highest intensity sex offender programming that they received (low, moderate, and high). The three groups were compared with reference to a variety of actuarial risk assessment measures, criminogenic factors, and the number and type of treatment programs completed. It was hypothesized that the high-intensity group would have more criminogenic risk factors, higher actuarial scores, and participate in more treatment programs than both the moderate- and low-intensity groups. The results indicate that in general, the hypotheses were supported. Nonetheless, the results suggest that the low-intensity group may be receiving too much sex offender-specific treatment.
The three year study was designed to elucidate underlying neuropsychological and emotional regula... more The three year study was designed to elucidate underlying neuropsychological and emotional regulatory mechanisms in variable responses to a standard correctional treatment approach among prison inmates. Cognitive-behaviorally based treatment (CBT) programs are generally considered effective in reducing behavioral problems in this population, but there is considerable variation in treatment response and outcome. A significant number of inmates do not respond favorably over time, exhibiting a lack of treatment engagement, a high level of attrition, poor behavioral and emotional self control, repeated institutional infractions, and eventual recidivism. Thus, it is critical to identify underlying bases for individual differences in treatment responsivity for purposes of developing a useful assessment battery that can be applied toward more effective tailoring of intervention approaches to specific needs of different inmate subgroups. While resources are too scarce to match treatments to individuals, at a minimum, research is needed to identify which inmates are likely not to respond to conventional treatments and which require that the approach take into account existing deficits that prevent a favorable response.
The present study investigated 154 consecutive admissions to the Regional Treatment Center (Ontar... more The present study investigated 154 consecutive admissions to the Regional Treatment Center (Ontario) Sex Offender Treatment Program with reference to psychopathy and outcome. Ratings of treatment behavior, as well as clinical judgments as to whether risk was reduced, were coded based on treatment reports. With reference to Psychopathy Checklist-revised (PCL-R) scores, survival analyses indicated that high scorers recidivated at significantly higher rates than low scorers. However, offenders who received high PCL-R scores and lower scores on measures of treatment behavior recidivated at the same rate as low scorers on the PCL-R. Furthermore, among high PCL-R offenders, those rated as lower risk at post treatment in fact reoffended at a lower rate than those whose risk was rated as unchanged, although this difference failed to reach significance. Findings are discussed in light of the clinical and research literature.
This study investigates the relationship between psychopathy and deviant sexual arousal in a samp... more This study investigates the relationship between psychopathy and deviant sexual arousal in a sample of 65 sexual offenders, with approximately equal numbers of rapists and child molesters. Psychopathy, measured by the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised and phallometric indexes of deviant sexual arousal were significantly correlated, r (63) =. 28, p
The present study examined the item factor structure and reliability of the Multidimensional Ange... more The present study examined the item factor structure and reliability of the Multidimensional Anger Inventory (MAI) with 372 male inmates referred for assessment. Examination of the first rotated principal component and item-remainder correlations suggested that five items were not measuring the same content as the other 32 items. After deletion of these five items, a two-factor solution was rotated to a varimax criterion. These two factors reflect anger arousal/experience and range of anger-eliciting interpersonal situations, with coefficient alpha reliabilities of .90 and .85, respectively. The full scale summary score had a coefficient alpha reliability of .93. Rotated factor solutions beyond two were poorly defined perhaps because the MAI items were not sufficiently representative for an offender population.
This report is also available in French. Ce rapport est également disponible en français. Veuille... more This report is also available in French. Ce rapport est également disponible en français. Veuillez vous adresser à la direction de la recherche, Service Correctionnel du Canada, 340 avenue Laurier ouest, Ottawa (Ontario) K1A 0P9. Should additional copies be required they can ...
Prior research focusing on crime acquisition and crime desistance has advanced the theoretical un... more Prior research focusing on crime acquisition and crime desistance has advanced the theoretical understanding of the psychology of crime and overcome many of the practical challenges of crime management. This paper, however, aims to encourage more detailed examination of the process through which offenders transition from crime to desistance. Desistance occurs when external and internal variables align in such a way that an offender with a history of multiple offences ceases all criminal activity. It is argued that systematic examination of behaviour change among offenders will complement current approaches to offender rehabilitation, risk assessment and community supervision. Previous research on crime acquisition, crime desistance and behaviour change are briefly reviewed. In addition, the theoretical assumptions of leading models of rehabilitation are examined. Finally, strategies to further integrate various research findings are discussed and several broad research hypotheses are offered.
This study investigates the relationship between psychopathy and deviant sexual arousal in a samp... more This study investigates the relationship between psychopathy and deviant sexual arousal in a sample of 65 sexual offenders, with approximately equal numbers of rapists and child molesters. Psychopathy, measured by the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised and phallometric indexes of deviant sexual arousal were significantly correlated, r (63) =. 28, p <. 02. Differentiating between rapists, extrafamilial pedophiles, and incest offenders revealed that this relationship, however, was most apparent for extrafamilial child molesters, somewhat less for rapists, and not at all for incest offenders. The incidence of psychopathy was substantially lower than previous rates in incarcerated samples and a psychiatric sample of sexual offenders. Rapists had higher psychopathy ratings than child molesters, approaching statistical significance t (60) = -1.88, p < .07.
International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, Mar 1, 1995
APA PsycNET Our Apologies! - The following features are not available with your current Browser c... more APA PsycNET Our Apologies! - The following features are not available with your current Browser configuration. - alerts user that their session is about to expire - display, print, save, export, and email selected records - get My ...
Due to recent legal cases highlighting a lack of cross-ethnicity validity research using correcti... more Due to recent legal cases highlighting a lack of cross-ethnicity validity research using correctional risk assessment tools, we evaluated psychometric properties of Dynamic Risk Assessment for Offender Re-entry (DRAOR) scores across Māori ( n = 1,812) and New Zealand (NZ) European samples ( n = 1,211) in Aotearoa NZ. Using routine administrative data, our analyses suggested scoring properties were invariant across ethnicity for 15 of 19 items. Discrimination properties were also equivalent, but we observed a higher recidivism base rate among Māori participants, consistent with official statistics. Consequently, calibration analyses using a fixed follow-up ( N = 372) demonstrated higher predicted recidivism rates for Māori participants at each DRAOR score. This suggests that Māori participants with similar levels of DRAOR-assessed need factors as NZ European participants experienced relatively greater continued justice contact. DRAOR users should prioritize delivering quality case ma...
There are clinical practice and operational reasons why it may be appropriate to primarily focus ... more There are clinical practice and operational reasons why it may be appropriate to primarily focus on general risk factors when supervising people convicted of sexual crime in the community. General risk domains may be particularly relevant when supervision officers engage in frequent reassessment of acute dynamic risk factors. We tested the ability of a case management tool, the Dynamic Risk Assessment for Offender Re-entry, to discriminate community based, short-term general (all outcome) recidivism versus nonrecidivism among people convicted of sexual crime ( n = 562). We tested the predictive discrimination validity of each DRAOR item and then subscale scores in univariate and multivariate models (also controlling for general static risk). DRAOR scores were associated with general recidivism outcomes and effect sizes were generally similar or stronger compared to models with people convicted of nonsexual crime ( n = 2854). DRAOR Acute scores were consistently and incrementally rel...
International Journal of Forensic Mental Health, 2019
Variables conceptualized as strengths are theoretically important for the management of recidivis... more Variables conceptualized as strengths are theoretically important for the management of recidivism risk among juveniles and adults. Although measures of strengths are related to recidivism outcomes, little is known about whether these factors may vary in prevalence or predictive validity across age. We examined the predictive validity of strengths among male parolees supervised within community corrections (N ¼ 3,169) rated by supervision officers. The prevalence of strengths did not differ across age. Further, strengths exhibited a promotive effect across all age groups in that predictive validity was consistent across age, with the exception that strength variables were associated with an enhanced promotive effect among older individuals when predicting violent community outcomes. In particular, prosocial relationships were more strongly related to reduced violent recidivism among older compared to younger parolees. Further research is required to identify factors that may have protective or buffering effects among higher risk younger individuals.
Psychopathy ratings that employed the PCL-R (Hare, 1985, 1991) were compared in one clinical and ... more Psychopathy ratings that employed the PCL-R (Hare, 1985, 1991) were compared in one clinical and three research samples (total N = 285). Differences among the samples were not related to whether ratings were completed under the expressed promise of confidentiality of a research context vs. a pre-parole psychological assessment. The problem of decision errors in prediction is highlighted to address the difficulty in integrating the PCL-R into correctional policy. General issues related to the clinical application of the PCL-R also are discussed.
The Department of Corrections in New York State5 and the Ontario Ministry of Correctional Service... more The Department of Corrections in New York State5 and the Ontario Ministry of Correctional Services2 have provided intuitively-based selec-tion criteria and a thorough demographic description of inmates released on temporary absences. Unfortunately, neither work can be applied to ...
Aim/Background. Impulsivity, defined as acting without forethought and having poor response inhib... more Aim/Background. Impulsivity, defined as acting without forethought and having poor response inhibition, is a key correlate of crime and a multidimensional construct. Despite its importance, there is neither a unifying theory nor a consistency in its measurement. Understanding impulsivity differences among offender types (e.g., non-sex offenders, sex offenders against adults versus children) and with different measures may help advance criminal behaviour theories and target assessment and management strategies. Material/Methods. Participants were adult male non-sex offenders (n = 75), sex offenders against adults (n = 9), and sex offenders against children (n = 37) serving prison sentences of at least two years. Impulsivity was measured using five self-report questionnaires (Impulsiveness Scale-7; Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-11; Grasmick Self-control Scale; Sensation Seeking Scale-Form V; Tangney Self-control Scale), third-party ratings (Dynamic Factors Identification and Analysis [D...
International journal of offender therapy and comparative criminology, 2003
A sample of 337 offenders who received treatment in a variety of sex offender treatment programs ... more A sample of 337 offenders who received treatment in a variety of sex offender treatment programs in the Ontario region of Correctional Service Canada between 1993 and 1998 were divided based on the highest intensity sex offender programming that they received (low, moderate, and high). The three groups were compared with reference to a variety of actuarial risk assessment measures, criminogenic factors, and the number and type of treatment programs completed. It was hypothesized that the high-intensity group would have more criminogenic risk factors, higher actuarial scores, and participate in more treatment programs than both the moderate- and low-intensity groups. The results indicate that in general, the hypotheses were supported. Nonetheless, the results suggest that the low-intensity group may be receiving too much sex offender-specific treatment.
The three year study was designed to elucidate underlying neuropsychological and emotional regula... more The three year study was designed to elucidate underlying neuropsychological and emotional regulatory mechanisms in variable responses to a standard correctional treatment approach among prison inmates. Cognitive-behaviorally based treatment (CBT) programs are generally considered effective in reducing behavioral problems in this population, but there is considerable variation in treatment response and outcome. A significant number of inmates do not respond favorably over time, exhibiting a lack of treatment engagement, a high level of attrition, poor behavioral and emotional self control, repeated institutional infractions, and eventual recidivism. Thus, it is critical to identify underlying bases for individual differences in treatment responsivity for purposes of developing a useful assessment battery that can be applied toward more effective tailoring of intervention approaches to specific needs of different inmate subgroups. While resources are too scarce to match treatments to individuals, at a minimum, research is needed to identify which inmates are likely not to respond to conventional treatments and which require that the approach take into account existing deficits that prevent a favorable response.
The present study investigated 154 consecutive admissions to the Regional Treatment Center (Ontar... more The present study investigated 154 consecutive admissions to the Regional Treatment Center (Ontario) Sex Offender Treatment Program with reference to psychopathy and outcome. Ratings of treatment behavior, as well as clinical judgments as to whether risk was reduced, were coded based on treatment reports. With reference to Psychopathy Checklist-revised (PCL-R) scores, survival analyses indicated that high scorers recidivated at significantly higher rates than low scorers. However, offenders who received high PCL-R scores and lower scores on measures of treatment behavior recidivated at the same rate as low scorers on the PCL-R. Furthermore, among high PCL-R offenders, those rated as lower risk at post treatment in fact reoffended at a lower rate than those whose risk was rated as unchanged, although this difference failed to reach significance. Findings are discussed in light of the clinical and research literature.
This study investigates the relationship between psychopathy and deviant sexual arousal in a samp... more This study investigates the relationship between psychopathy and deviant sexual arousal in a sample of 65 sexual offenders, with approximately equal numbers of rapists and child molesters. Psychopathy, measured by the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised and phallometric indexes of deviant sexual arousal were significantly correlated, r (63) =. 28, p
The present study examined the item factor structure and reliability of the Multidimensional Ange... more The present study examined the item factor structure and reliability of the Multidimensional Anger Inventory (MAI) with 372 male inmates referred for assessment. Examination of the first rotated principal component and item-remainder correlations suggested that five items were not measuring the same content as the other 32 items. After deletion of these five items, a two-factor solution was rotated to a varimax criterion. These two factors reflect anger arousal/experience and range of anger-eliciting interpersonal situations, with coefficient alpha reliabilities of .90 and .85, respectively. The full scale summary score had a coefficient alpha reliability of .93. Rotated factor solutions beyond two were poorly defined perhaps because the MAI items were not sufficiently representative for an offender population.
This report is also available in French. Ce rapport est également disponible en français. Veuille... more This report is also available in French. Ce rapport est également disponible en français. Veuillez vous adresser à la direction de la recherche, Service Correctionnel du Canada, 340 avenue Laurier ouest, Ottawa (Ontario) K1A 0P9. Should additional copies be required they can ...
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