Firesetting Reoffending: A Meta-Analysis

Despite the significant adverse consequences of deliberate firesetting, it has been unclear what proportion of individuals repeat this problematic behavior, owing to methodological differences and large variability in reported reoffending rates. A meta-analysis of 25 samples of untreated adults and children with a history of firesetting, examining reoffending over a follow-up period, was conducted. The base rates of reoffending from this meta-analysis indicated that between 57% and 66% of untreated firesetters engage in general reoffending, between 8% and 10% engage in criminal arson, and around 20% engage in deliberate firesetting behavior. The odds of firesetting during the follow-up period were 5 times greater for known firesetters in comparison with other offenders. Clinical and criminological correlates of reoffending, including age, are examined. Implications for enabling evidence-based practice with this population, including defensible risk assessments and treatment provision, are discussed

The Principle of Symmetric Criticality in General Relativity

We consider a version of Palais' Principle of Symmetric Criticality (PSC) that is applicable to the Lie symmetry reduction of Lagrangian field theories. PSC asserts that, given a group action, for any group-invariant Lagrangian the equations obtained by restriction of Euler-Lagrange equations to group-invariant fields are equivalent to the Euler-Lagrange equations of a canonically defined, symmetry-reduced Lagrangian. We investigate the validity of PSC for local gravitational theories built from a metric. It is shown that there are two independent conditions which must be satisfied for PSC to be valid. One of these conditions, obtained previously in the context of transverse symmetry group actions, provides a generalization of the well-known unimodularity condition that arises in spatially homogeneous cosmological models. The other condition seems to be new. The conditions that determine the validity of PSC are equivalent to pointwise conditions on the group action alone. These results are illustrated with a variety of examples from general relativity. It is straightforward to generalize all of our results to any relativistic field theory.Comment: 46 pages, Plain TeX, references added in revised versio

The Development and Validation of the Firesetting Questionnaire

This research developed and evaluated a measure to examine fire-specific constructs relevant to fire misuse. In the first study, using UK community members asked to disclose deliberate firesetting, we tested a large pool of theoretically informed questionnaire items. First, we found that 1 in 10 adults reported setting a deliberate fire that they had not been apprehended for. Then, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses suggested an eight-factor measure with broader coverage of theoretically-informed risk factors, relative to previous measures, and acceptable test item validity and robust internal consistencies. In the second study, we tested the Firesetting Questionnaire with imprisoned men who held a record of firesetting and imprisoned and community comparisons. The findings illustrated psychometric robustness. Our results suggest that the Firesetting Questionnaire has the potential to be a useful clinical tool for highlighting fire-specific treatment needs and informing clinical formulation and associated risk management

Does specialized psychological treatment for offending reduce recidivism? a meta-analysis examining staff and program variables as predictors of treatment effectiveness

A meta-analysis was conducted to examine whether specialized psychological offense treatments were associated with reductions in offense specific and non-offense specific recidivism. Staff and treatment program moderators were also explored. The review examined 68 studies and 55,604 individuals who had offended. Three specialized treatments were examined: sexual offense, domestic violence, and general violence programs. Across all programs, offense specific recidivism was 13.4% for treated individuals and 19.4% for untreated comparisons over an average follow up of 66.1 months. Relative reductions in offense specific recidivism were 32.6% for sexual offense programs, 36.0% for domestic violence programs, and 24.3% for general violence programs. All programs were also associated with significant reductions in non-offense specific recidivism. Overall, treatment effectiveness appeared improved when programs received consistent hands-on input from a qualified registered psychologist and facilitating staff were provided with clinical supervision. Numerous program variables appeared important for optimizing the effectiveness of specialized psychological offense programs (e.g., arousal reconditioning for sexual offense programs, treatment approach for domestic violence programs). The findings show that such treatments are associated with robust reductions in offense specific and nonoffense specific recidivism. We urge treatment providers to pay particular attention to staffing and program implementation variables for optimal recidivism reductions

Multiple Common Susceptibility Variants near BMP Pathway Loci GREM1, BMP4, and BMP2 Explain Part of the Missing Heritability of Colorectal Cancer

Peer reviewe

Moving Coframes II. Regularization and Theoretical Foundations

The primary goal of this paper is to provide a rigorous theoretical justification of Cartan’s method of moving frames for arbitrary finite-dimensional Lie group actions on manifolds. The general theorems are based a new regularized version of the moving frame algorithm, which is of both theoretical and practical use. Applications include a new approach to the construction and classification of differential invariants and invariant differential operators on jet bundles, as well as equivalence, symmetry, and rigidity theorems for submanifolds under general transformation groups. The method also leads to complete classifications of generating systems of differential invariants, explicit commutation formulae for the associated invariant differential operators, and a general classification theorem for syzygies of the higher order differentiated differential invariants. A variety of illustrative examples demonstrate how the method can be directly applied to practical problems arising in geometry, invariant theory, and differential equations

Moving Coframes I. A Practical Algorithm

This is the first in a series of papers devoted to the development and applications of a new general theory of moving frames. In this paper, we formulate a practical and easy to implement explicit method to compute moving frames, invariant differential forms, differential invariants and invariant differential operators, and solve general equivalence problems for both finite-dimensional Lie group actions and infinite Lie pseudo-groups. A wide variety of applications, ranging from differential equations to differential geometry to computer vision are presented. The theoretical justifications for the moving coframe algorithm will appear in the next paper in this series

Risk reduction treatment of psychopathy and applications to mentally disordered offenders

Therapeutic nihilism on treating psychopathy is widespread and is largely based on many outdated and poorly designed studies. Important recent advances have been made in assessing psychopathy and recidivism risks, as well as in offender rehabilitation to reduce reoffending, all of which are now well supported by a considerable literature based on credible empirical research. A 2-component model to guide risk reduction treatment of psychopathy has been proposed based on the integration of key points from the 3 bodies of literature. Treatment programs in line with the model have been in operation, and the results of early outcome evaluations are encouraging. Important advances also have been made in understanding the possible etiology of mentally disordered offenders with schizophrenia and history of criminality and violence, some with significant features of psychopathy. This article presents a review of recent research on risk reduction treatment of psychopathy with the additional aim to extend the research to the treatment of mentally disordered offenders with schizophrenia, violence, and psychopathy

One is the loneliest number : involuntary celibacy (incel), mental health, and loneliness

Incels—a ragtag collection of young males who have rallied around their shared experience of romantic rejection—have slowly emerged as an online group of interest to researchers, no doubt as a result of several high-profile attacks. Much of this work has centered around incels’ dating experiences, sexual attitudes, and online forums. However, it is possible that their moniker, short for involuntary celibate, has resulted in an overemphasis on their sexual exclusion and frustration. Recent work has identified social isolation as a key aspect of inceldom, which may help explain why incels have responded negatively to romantic rejection. The present study thus sought to examine the role of social support and loneliness in experiences of rejection in a sample of incel (n = 67) and non-incel (n = 103) men. Results indicated that incels experience more feelings of loneliness and less social supports than non-incel men. Both of these variables were associated with multiple mental and relational health issues that incels also scored more highly on. Further, incels reported using more solitary and problematic coping mechanisms. These results suggest that incels may be missing a key buffer in sheltering them from the adverse effects of romantic rejection. It also extends previous findings highlighting the importance of attachment styles in differentiating incels from non-incels, which may perpetuate feelings of isolation. Implications for how this may relate to incel discourse and clinical interventions are discussed. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12144-023-04275-z

Involuntary celibacy : a review of incel ideology and experiences with dating, rejection, and associated mental health and emotional sequelae

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Incels (involuntary celibates) have recently garnered media attention for seemingly random attacks of violence. Much attention has centered around the misogynistic and violent discourse that has taken place in online incel forums as well as manifestos written by incels who have perpetrated deadly attacks. Such work overlooks the experiences and issues faced by incels themselves, the majority of which have not engaged in any violent behavior. RECENT FINDINGS: A small number of studies have recruited incels. Results from these studies highlight the nuanced nature of the incel identity. It is also apparent that incels suffer from high levels of romantic rejection and a greater degree of depressive and anxious symptoms, insecure attachment, fear of being single, and loneliness. SUMMARY: Incels report significant issues pertaining to their mental, social, and relational well-being and may seek support from forums that often feature misogynistic and violent content