Background Research suggests that DUI offenders have an increased prevalence of alcohol abuse and higher levels of impulsivity compared with drivers with no history of DUI. However, reports linking alcohol consumption, impulsivity, and DUI offenses are primarily based on self-reports and fail to identify specific behavioral and cognitive mechanisms that might underlie impulsivity and contribute...

OBJECTIVE - The present study examined the prevalence of DSM IV axis I disorders and DSM IV personality disorders among sexual offenders in Forensic State Hospitals in Germany. METHOD - Current and lifetime prevalence rates of mental disorders were investigated based on clinical structured interviews among sexual offenders (n = 55). Additionally, subgroups were analyzed on the basis of diagno...

BACKGROUND Impairments in executive function characterize offenders with antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) and offenders with psychopathy. However, the extent to which those impairments are associated with ASPD, psychopathy, or both is unknown. METHODS The present study examined 17 violent offenders with ASPD and psychopathy (ASPD+P), 28 violent offenders with ASPD without psychopathy (A...

Current knowledge about risk factors for child sexual abuse and child pornography offenses is based on samples of convicted offenders, i.e., detected offenders. Only few studies focus on offenders not detected by the criminal justice system. In this study, a sample of 345 self-referred pedophiles and hebephiles was recruited from the community. All participants met DSM-IV-TR criteria for pedoph...

Clinical information on parricidal offenders has accumulated in recent decades. The purpose of this study was to examine and compare the mortality of matricidal and patricidal offenders in detail by using a comprehensive national data set with follow-up ranging from 3 to 24 years. The sample included forensic psychiatric examination statements and mortality data of 99 matricidal, 113 patricidal...

Evidence based on almost 300,000 sexual assaults from the National Incident-Based Reporting System showed that the modal age of victims was 15 years, regardless of the age of the offender, the gender of the offender, or the gender of the victim. We suggest that adolescents have the highest risk of victimization because of their sexual attractiveness, vulnerability, and exposure to motivated off...

Psychopathy and antisocial personality disorder (APD) have long been considered important risk factors for criminal behavior and incarceration. However, little is known about the psychobiological underpinnings that give rise to the disinhibited behavior of female offenders. Using an instructed fear-conditioning paradigm and a sample of incarcerated female offenders, we manipulated attentional f...

Background. Controlled studies suggest that clerical child sexual offenders may be better adjusted psychologically than their lay counterparts, although no studies of Irish clerical offenders have been reported. Aim. To compare clerical and non-clerical sexual offenders with a normal control group, within an Irish context, on broad-band personality traits and narrow-band psychological character...

The goal of this study was to examine the use of pornographic materials by sex offenders during the commission of their crimes. A sample of 561 sex offenders was examined. There were 181 offenders against children, 144 offenders against adults, 223 incest offenders, 8 exhibitionists, and 5 miscellaneous cases. All but four cases were men. A total of 96 (17%) offenders had used pornography at th...

Teen Courts are an effective judicial alternative for many youth offenders. The majority of youth courts deal solely with first-time offenders. However, repeat offenders are at a greater risk for future crime. Is Teen Court effective with more experienced offenders? In this study, the authors examine the outcomes of 26 Whatcom County Teen Court offenders with at least one prior conviction. The ...