Monday, May 14, 2007

Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology Abstracts

Via Psychology and Crime News, some corrections sentencing relevant articles from the journal above (typing the title just once wore me out), but go check out the ones I'm not highlighting and let me know in comments if you found something pertinent I missed. Thanks.

International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, Vol. 51, No. 3, 264-278 (2007)
DOI: 10.1177/0306624X06293601© 2007 SAGE Publications

Applying Black's Theory of Law to Crack and Cocaine Dispositions
Allison T. Chappell
Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA
Scott R. Maggard
National Center for State Courts, Williamsburg, VA, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA
Since crack cocaine first appeared on the streets of the United States, the criminal justice system has been overwhelmed with poor, minority drug offenders. This situation can be attributed in part to the existence of mandatory minimum sentences that treat violations associated with crack cocaine more harshly than those associated with powder cocaine. Using data from New York City, the present study uses Black's theory of law to help understand discrepancies in crack and cocaine dispositions. Results show mixed support for Black's propositions. Racial minorities are more likely to be charged with a felony and receive longer prison sentences compared to Whites. Implications of the study and directions for future research are discussed.

International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, Vol. 51, No. 3, 279-297 (2007)
DOI: 10.1177/0306624X06291461© 2007 SAGE Publications

Narrative Identity and Offender Rehabilitation
Tony Ward
Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand
Bill Marshall
Rockwood Psychological Services, Ontario, Canada
The rehabilitation of offenders is an evaluative and capability-building process and is concerned with promoting primary goods and managing risk. At the heart of this process is the construction of a more adaptive narrative identity and the acquisition of capabilities to enable offenders to secure important values in their postrelease environments. In this article, the authors examine the idea of narrative identity and its relationship to values and to assessment and treatment.

International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, Vol. 51, No. 3, 298-312 (2007)
DOI: 10.1177/0306624X06289157© 2007 SAGE Publications

A Comparison of Rapists and Sexual Murderers on Demographic and Selected Psychometric Measures
Caroline J. Oliver
University of Birmingham, United Kingdom
Anthony R. Beech
University of Birmingham, United Kingdom
Dawn Fisher
Llanarth Court Psychiatric Hospital, United Kingdom
Richard Beckett
The Oxford Clinic, United Kingdom
This study compared 58 sexual murderers and 112 rapists who were about to undergo treatment in prison for their sexual offending behavior. The two groups were compared on background, personality, offense, and victim characteristics. The sexual murderer group were less likely to have been involved in a relationship at the time of their index offense, generally attacked older victims, and had higher self-esteem. The rapist sample were found to have more violent previous convictions and scored higher on measures of historical deviance (nonsexual), paranoid suspicion, and resentment. No differences were found on the personality or clinical syndrome scales of the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory—III. However, the rapist sample had significantly higher mean scores on the Paranoid Suspicion, Resentment, and Self-Esteem subscales of the Antisocial Personality Questionnaire. Future research should compare the two groups on dynamic or changeable factors to determine differential treatment needs.

International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, Vol. 51, No. 3, 313-323 (2007)
DOI: 10.1177/0306624X06292874© 2007 SAGE Publications

Diagnostic and Risk Profiles Among Civilly Committed Sex Offenders in Washington State
Rebecca L. Jackson
Pacific Graduate School of Psychology, Palo Alto, CA
Henry J. Richards
Special Commitment Center, Steilacoom,WA
Since 1990, 17 states have passed legislation allowing for the civil commitment of a small number of sex offenders who are deemed at a particularly high risk for reoffense. Despite the very public and controversial nature of these laws, little is known about the individuals who are detained pursuant to them. The current article presents data on 190 civilly committed and detained sexually violent predators in Washington State. These sexual offenders suffer from a variety of mental illnesses. The modal offender is diagnosed with both an Axis I and an Axis II disorder. Furthermore, these offenders are at moderate to high risk for reoffense and present with a significant degree of psychopathy.

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