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The purpose of this study was to examine the internalization of group-level identities held by people who are on the sex offense registry and how these influence emotions and the willingness to accept treatment. The types and consequences of identities and stigmas are often examined at the individual level, but most people belong to groups that hold collective identities that can be detected in phrases such as “we, us, our,” etc.

Longitudinal data from 2008 to 2024 was used to examine registrant’s group identities. Interviews were conducted with 115 registrants and 40 of their family members, and narrative research analysis was used to assess how participants’ levels of liminality influence why some on the registry never come to see themselves as sex criminals.

Three group-level identities were found that corresponded with varying phases of liminality. The first group had a fixed mindset, no liminality and a strong sense of self. The second group of registrants had liminoid experiences, allowing them to change the way they saw themselves over time. This group had a growth mindset that believed change was attainable. The third group exhibited fixed mindset, as they either always saw themselves as sex criminals and required no transition or came to see themselves as sex offenders post-punishment.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, there are no studies that have examined group-level identities among people convicted of sex crimes or what the consequences of group identities have on behavior.

While prior research has established that traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a risk factor for violent offending, there is little understanding of mechanisms that may underpin this relationship. This is problematic, as a better understanding of these mechanisms could facilitate more effective targeting of treatment. This study aims to address these gaps in the extant literature by examining TBI as a predictor of violent offending and test for mediation effects through cognitive constructs of dual systems imbalance and hostility among a sample of justice-involved youth (JIY).

The Pathways to Desistance data were analyzed. The first three waves of this data set comprising the responses of 1,354 JIY were analyzed. Generalized structural equation modeling was used to test for direct and indirect effects of interest. A bootstrap resampling process was used to compute unbiased standard errors for determining the statistical significance of mediation effects.

Lifetime experience of TBI was associated with increased violent offending frequency at follow-up. Hostility significantly mediated this relationship, but dual systems imbalance did not. This indicated that programming focused on reducing hostility among JIY who have experienced TBI could aid in reducing violent recidivism rates.

To the best of the author’s knowledge, this study was the first to identify significant mediation of the relationship between TBI and violent offending through hostility.

This systematic review sought to examine the research body on acquisitive offending among female offenders, specifically exploring what factors may take females closer towards engaging in acquisitive offending and what factors may support desistance from this behaviour.

A systematic review was conducted, using the recommended guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses. A total of 8,129 initial articles were identified from the search terms, 77 articles were deemed suitable to meet the inclusion criteria and are explored in the results section. Papers were screened for quality appraisal and risk of bias.

Ten factors were identified that took females closer towards offending. Five factors were identified that took females away from offending. Based on the findings, four typologies of female acquisitive offenders were identified: short-term orientation (adolescent); mental health orientation; life-course persistent (theft); and acquisitive diversity (including robbery and burglary).

Future research would benefit from exploring a more rich understanding of the mechanisms that underpin why females engage in acquisitive offending and what factors contribute towards their desistance. A wider range of bio-psycho-social factors, which may increase the risk of acquisitive offending, should also be considered in future research alongside ways in which interventions may be gender-responsive.

This review provides insight into the differing functions and typologies of female acquisitive offending. Interventions for each of these typologies are considered within the review.

Since 2011, the Extremism Risk Guidance (ERG 22+) has been the primary risk assessment framework used for terrorist and violent extremist offenders in England and Wales. The aim of this study was to conduct a rapid evidence assessment to examine the research literature on the ERG22+ factors and to identify possible significant new and emerging knowledge around potential new factors.

Searches were conducted of the Google Scholar database to identify relevant literature published between 2012 and 2020. In total, 29 documents were identified, which examined new radicalisation models and frameworks, 339 were identified, which explored to some extent one or more of the current ERG factors, and a further 138 articles were identified, which focused on potentially relevant additional issues/factors.

Most of the ERG factors were the focus of substantial research activity between 2012 and 2020. Six factors, however, received very little research attention. Potential implications of these trends are considered. Ten research themes were identified with the potential to either form new factors or which could play a significant role in the updating or revision of some existing factors.

This paper is the first rapid evidence assessment on the ERG22+ risk factors. It provides an important picture of the published scientific research of potential relevance in this area and helps to inform the review process for the ERG22+.

Knife crime and serious violent crime (SVC) among youth has been growing at an alarming rate in the UK (Harding and Allen, 2021). Community and school-based intervention and prevention services to tackle knife crime are being developed with some evaluation; however, these are independent and of varied quality and rigour. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to record the approaches being developed and synthesise existing evidence of the impact and effectiveness of programmes to reduce knife crime. In addition, the complex factors contributing to knife crime and SVC are discussed.

A systematic approach was used to conduct this knife crime intervention evidence review using two search engines and four databases. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied to ensure focus and relevance. The results of searches and decisions by the research team were recorded at each stage using Preferred Reporting Items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA).

Some evidence underpins the development of services to reduce knife crime. Much of the evidence comes from government funded project reports, intervention and prevention services reports, with few studies evaluating the efficacy of intervention programmes at present. Some studies that measured immediate impact in line with the programme’s aims were found and demonstrated positive results.

This systematic review specifically synthesised the evidence and data derived from knife crime and weapon carrying interventions and preventions, integrating both grey and published literature, with a novel discussion that highlights the importance of outcome evaluations and issues with measuring the success of individual level interventions and their contributions to the overall reduction of violence.

The purpose of this study is to fill the research gap that exists with respect to availability of research on correctional facilities in India, which restricts one’s ability to comprehend the prison environment and recidivism from the perspective of the inmates. By examining inmates’ perception of their environment within correctional facilities, researchers and policymakers can identify specific aspects of the prison climate that may contribute to increased risks of reoffending. This understanding would not only help to improve prison conditions and encourage humane treatment, but it is also essential to support the inmates in their efforts to find and retain employment, achieve self-sufficiency and personal growth. It is also necessary to encourage the inmates to participate in a variety of therapeutic and prison programmes both inside and outside of prison to help them reintegrate into the community.

The present research investigated the association between negative perceptions of prison climate and the heightened probability of recidivism among a sample of 37 adult women convicts incarcerated in Tihar Prisons, Delhi. Data were obtained by administering CSS-M Hindi version and PCQ Hindi version to the convicts in person in the prison premises. Furthermore, the collected data were subjected to Pearson’s product moment correlation coefficient to analyse the correlation between the probability of recidivism and the dimensions of prison climate.

Results suggested that negative perceptions of relationships in prison (staff–inmate relationship, inmate–inmate relationship), safety, facilities (cell conditions, food quality, etc.), meaningful activities (recreation, education, yard time, etc.) and autonomy in prison were inversely associated with a higher probability of recidivism. The results from the current study demonstrated that recognising and taking cognisance of the inmates’ perceptions of prison environment on their well-being and their probability of recidivism is crucial for the successful implementation of interventions and policies within correctional systems.

The sample size procured for the research was relatively small, as the number of available women convicts in Tihar Prison at the time of the research was limited, making it difficult to generalise the findings. In addition, this investigation included solely women convicts, while undertrials and detenues were excluded, and thus does not represent all the individuals in conflict with the law.

The findings of the current investigation allow for the formulation of potential policy recommendations for improving the prison climate, which in turn might consequently impact future criminality.

Policymakers may use these findings when developing policies that foster a rehabilitative prison environment, as it can help in reducing the incidence of recidivism.

This study is unprecedented in its approach, especially with respect to the Indian context, as it sheds light on the relatively understudied association between the variables of perceived prison climate and the probability of recidivism among women convicts in India. The findings of this study add to the current body of research indicating that subjective experience and perception of prison climate have a substantial influence on the likelihood of recidivism.

This study uses autoethnography to examine the impact of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 on policing and public health in the UK. Bridging the gap between scholarly discourse and practical law enforcement insights, this paper aims to highlight the cognitive dissonance experienced by frontline officers when using policing methods that conflict with evidence-based practices and personal values. It critiques routine police procedures, highlighting the ineffectiveness of criminal sanctions in reducing drug offences and the resultant damage to community trust and police legitimacy.

Using autoethnography and critical reflection that combines personal narrative and ethnographic observation, this paper presents a practitioner's perspective on the challenges of enforcing low-level drug offences. It integrates the author's experiences as a neighbourhood police officer in Camden Town, London, with theoretical analysis to highlight the practical realities of drug law enforcement at the intersection of law enforcement and public health.

This research reveals contradictions between current drug law enforcement strategies and public health objectives, and the consequences for law enforcement. It highlights the risks of limiting police discretion and preventing their ability to respond appropriately to complex needs. The paper emphasises the need for public health and trauma-informed policing strategies to mitigate the adverse effects on vulnerable and disadvantaged communities.

Improved public health outcomes: prioritising treatment and support over punishment. Adoption of trauma-informed practices: reducing marginalisation, stigma and improved experiences of police interaction. Improved trust and legitimacy: when the public perceive policing as fair and aligned with community values, it strengthens procedural justice and police legitimacy. Enhanced officer well-being: an improved working environment and experience, through more meaningful, impactful work and improved interactions and relationships with the public. Policy change: policymakers should recognise the discretionary role of police when developing drug policy and acknowledge the risks associated with enforcement approaches that conflict with community needs and broader policing objectives.

Offering a novel critique of prohibitionist drug policies within the British context, this paper advocates for a cultural shift towards public health and trauma-informed approaches in UK policing. It emphasises the importance of recognising police officers' discretionary role as “citizen-agents” and the integration law enforcement approaches with harm reduction initiatives for enhanced procedural justice and police legitimacy.

Recent scholarship calls for identifying conditions in which procedurally just treatment translate to increased police legitimacy. The present study draws on community justice and vitality and procedural justice literature to examine whether adolescent and young adults’ perceptions of legitimate work and school opportunities in their neighborhoods moderate the effects of fair treatment by police on perceptions of police legitimacy.

Longitudinal data from a justice-involved youth sample and a series of generalized linear mixed models are used to test the study’s hypotheses. We model “persons as contexts” and separate within-person and between-person effects.

Main effects models indicate that procedural justice and neighborhood opportunities both have significant within-individual, between-individual and person-contextual effects on police legitimacy. Results from interaction models indicate strong support for a person-contextual interaction effect. Net of covariates, higher average perceptions of procedurally just treatment leads to greater average police legitimacy, but this effect erodes when individuals perceive weak educational and occupational opportunities in their neighborhoods over time.

Efforts to maximize police legitimacy may be enhanced through greater investment in community opportunity structures. This study highlights the need for public officials and police to support the educational and occupational vitality of communities as a key strategy to promote police legitimacy and optimize core aspects of the procedural justice model.

Adolescents with harmful sexual behaviors (AHSB) who drop out of treatment are more likely to continue offending than are those who complete treatment; therefore, it is important to identify factors that heighten the risk of dropout, so they can be detected early. The purpose of this paper is to present the predictors of treatment dropout derived from a community sample of AHSB in New Zealand.

Pretreatment data on 100 males (aged 12–16) in community-based treatment for harmful sexual behavior were analyzed. Data on 50 adolescents who dropped out were matched by age and ethnicity to 50 adolescents who completed treatment. Pretreatment variables were identified using the Estimate of Risk of Adolescent Sexual Offence Recidivism. The degree to which these variables influenced treatment dropout was tested using logistic regression.

Compared to those who completed treatment, adolescents who dropped out were more likely to have a prior history of personal victimization, to deny or minimize their behavior, to have been mandated to attend treatment and to have engaged in noncontact offences.

Screening for a prior history of personal victimization, denial or minimization, mandated treatment and noncontact offences may facilitate the prediction of dropout risk more confidently. Addressing these pretreatment risk variables has the potential to improve treatment completion rates.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper is the first to highlight treatment dropout predictors in a New Zealand community sample.

Studies evaluating the external validity of theoretically informed (risk-need-responsivity [RNR]) cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) programs have not systematically assessed antisocial personality traits as a source of variability in outcomes. The purpose of this brief report is to examine antisocial traits as a potential source of variability in outcomes.

Using longitudinal, program-evaluation data (a sample of incarcerated men who were exposed to RNR-informed CBT), the authors examined how antisocial personality traits, attitudes toward treatment and dosage impacted treatment outcomes. A linear regression assessed the relationship between antisocial personality traits and attitudes toward treatment. A latent profile analysis identified participants with elevated antisocial traits and negative attitudes toward treatment. Treatment dosage groups (0, 5, 10 and 15 weeks) were used to assess treatment response per pro-criminal attitudes, skills and rates of recidivism.

Antisocial traits predicted negative attitudes toward treatment. Elevated antisocial traits and negative treatment attitudes predicted less change in criminal attitudes among those who completed 15 weeks of treatment; higher dosage did not significantly improve rates of recidivism. Variable-centered post hoc analyses largely corroborated these findings. These results suggest RNR-informed CBT may need to be modified for justice-involved persons with elevated antisocial traits.

Few studies have empirically examined the sources of variability in treatment effects for justice-involved persons with antisocial personality traits. This brief report provides a structured examination of factors that may impact treatment outcomes in this population, and therefore aims to inform future research on the effectiveness of empirically supported interventions for people in the legal system.