School shootings have become more common in the United States in recent years. Yet, as media portrayals of these ‘rampages’ shock the public, the characterisation of this violence obscures an important point: many of these crimes culminate in suicide, and they are almost universally committed by males. We examine three recent American cases, which involve suicide, to elucidate how the culture o...

This paper aims to examine the death penalty in Zoroastrianism, the Quran, and the laws of the Islamic Republic of Iran. By studying antient Zoroastrian texts, we face a variety of crimes and punishments such as murder, robbery, adultery, magic, rape, and assault that were always considered to be the worst offenses. Zoroastrian religious scholars wrote books on crimes and their punishment in th...

BACKGROUND The link between early traumatic experiences of abuse/neglect and criminal behaviour has been widely demonstrated. Less is known, however, about the relationship between these experiences and the development of psychopathic personality. OBJECTIVE This study investigated childhood relational trauma in a group of violent offenders from Italy. We hypothesised a higher level of early r...

This research examines the relationship between childhood physical and sexual abuse and the types of crimes committed by male adult offenders. We use the method of discriminant prediction to determine whether independent and dependent variables are related in ways that theories predict. Our analyses of data from the Survey of Inmates in State and Federal Correctional Facilities suggest that off...

Substance abuse is a factor in some but not all incidents of crime: more than half of murders are committed when the killer is intoxicated. Males are more likely than females to be violent when consuming alcohol, and a past history of violence is predictive of future crime. The risk of violent behaviour is greater in subjects with dual diagnosis (e.g. alcohol dependence and psychiatric disorder...

OBJECTIVE The purpose of the study was to examine the quantitative risk of criminal behavior associated with specific mental disorders. METHOD An unselected 1966 birth cohort (N = 12,058) in Northern Finland was prospectively studied until the end of 1992. The investigation started during the mothers' pregnancy, and the data on the subjects' family characteristics, mental and physical develop...

Individuals convicted of violent misdemeanor crimes are at greatly increased risk for subsequent violence, but may purchase firearms under federal law. Felons may not. This 2013 study re-analyzed data collected in 1999 for 787 violent misdemeanants who purchased handguns in California in 1989 or 1990. Nearly 40% had violent misdemeanor convictions resulting from felony charges and would have be...

OBJECTIVE Examine the effectiveness of a robbery and violence prevention program in small businesses in Los Angeles. METHODS Gas/convenience, liquor and grocery stores, bars/restaurants, and motels were enrolled between 1997 and 2000. Intervention businesses (n = 305) were provided training, program implementation materials, and recommendations for a comprehensive security program. Control bu...