The use of computer-based interventions in cognitive behavioral therapy: policy implications for violence and delinquency prevention in community corrections

Abstract: This thesis tests the applicability of computer-based cognitive behavioral therapy for building skills that prevent deviancy and delinquency among youth. This is accomplished by first understanding cognitive behavioral therapy through an extensive literature review and then through data analysis of the SMART program which emphasizes anger management and conflict resolution skills using a pre- and post-test questionnaire. This thesis uses the SMART program as a self-administered cognitive behavioral intervention with youth between the ages of 12 and 17 who are on juvenile probation with a juvenile delinquent status. This is an innovative way of using the SMART program from previous studies. Results of this effort reveal that participants exhibited modest improvements from pre-test to post-test, although results were statistically insignificant. However, this thesis finds that there are important applications for computer-based methods of cognitive behavioral therapy in juvenile delinquency prevention which are currently underutilized as exemplified in Monroe County, New York. It is suggested that the local community corrections consider implementing cognitive behavioral programs using an action research model which emphasizes youth, family and community collaboration

Deconstructing the LGBT-Victimization Association: The Case of Sexual Assault and Alcohol-Related Problems

Research on lesbian, gay, bisexual and/or transgender (LGBT) students has been gaining traction in the fields of criminology, victimology, and education, but available data lag behind the demand for studies on this underserved population. While LGBT students are often perceived to face greater risk of victimization and subsequent health problems than their counterparts, little research has investigated the mechanisms behind problematic outcomes for LGBT students. This research uses data from a Southeastern University to examine sexual assault among LGBT students and their experiences with alcohol-related problems. The results show that LGBT youth are at an increased risk for sexual victimization but that LGBT status does not have a direct effect on alcohol-related problems

Exposed and Vulnerable: The Consequences of Violence and What Schools, Families, and Communities Can Do to Keep Children Healthy

This Lecture was given at Georgia Southern University by Chad Posic

Reappraising the Impact of Offending on Victimization: A Propensity Score Matching Approach

Existing evidence clearly supports an empirical connection between offending and victimization. Often called the “victim–offender overlap,” this relationship holds for both sexes, across the life course, and across a wide range of countries and cultural environments. In addition, the relationship is sustained regardless of the study sample and statistical methods applied in the analyses of the sample data. However, there has yet to be a study that examines this relationship for violent and property crime using quasi-experimental methods accounting for a wide range of potential confounders including individual differences and cultural contexts. This study subjects the victim–offender relationship to testing through propensity score matching for both violent and property crimes using an international dataset. The results show that previous violent and theft offending increases the odds of victimization when matching on individual and contextual factors. This finding supports previous literature and suggests that delinquent behavior may act as a “switch” that exposes one to subsequent violent and theft victimization

Deviant Places

Book Summary: Social deviance—any behavior that violates a cultural norm—can involve something as major as crime or as minor as consistently and deliberately wearing lively mismatched socks. Whether a crime, a sin, or simply unique taste, what’s considered deviant at one time and place can change, as when extensive tattooing and body art evolved from a sideshow carnival spectacle to a nearly universal rite of passage within U.S. culture. Drawing contributions from across the social and behavioral sciences, including sociology, anthropology, criminology, politics, psychology, and religion, the Encyclopedia of Social Deviance introduces readers to the lively field of rule-making and rebellion that strikes at the core of what it means to be an individual living in a social world

A Propensity Score Matching Approach for Exploring the Victim-offender Overlap

The relationship between victimization and offending is now well established. Research has shown, using comparative, cross-sectional, and longitudinal data, that victims are more likely to become offenders and vice-versa. To-date, a rigorous, quasi-experimental method has not yet been employed to estimate this effect of one variable on the other. This study uses propensity-score matching to investigate the robustness of the victim-offender overlap in a longitudinal, nationally-representative sample of adolescents. Results support the extant body of research on a victim-offender overlap

An Integrated Theory of Victimization

Institutional Anomie Theory and Situational Action Theory have received much support as explanations of criminal behaviour. However, they have not been integrated and extended to inform the field about victimization risk. This paper uses macro-level data and individual-level data from the International Self-Report Delinquency Study to develop an integrated theory of victimization

Victimization and Reporting to the Police: The Role of Negative Emotionality

Objective: Current research has suggested that characteristics of the victim (e.g., sex, race, age) and situational factors (e.g., injury, relationship to the offender) influence police reporting. Questions remain as to what other variables influence police reporting as well as the particular motivational mechanisms that move victims, and others, to report victimization incidents. This study introduces negative emotionality to investigate the direct and mediation effects of emotions on police reporting. Method: Using data from the British Crime Survey, regression models were used to explore the path from individual and incident characteristics to police reporting. Negative emotionality was introduced into the regression models as a key mediator in this pathway. Results: Negative emotionality significantly increased the chance of police reporting. Negative emotionality also mediated some of the influence of individual and incident characteristics on police reporting. Conclusion: The results suggest that emotions are important in determining why some incidents come to the attention of the police. They also reveal that victims who come to the attention of the police are often dealing with a multitude of intense negative emotions. This suggests that programs that focus on victims’ emotions, such as restorative justice, may be more successful in meeting the needs of victims than traditional approaches

The Overlap Between Offending and Victimization Among Adolescents: Results From the Second International Self-report Delinquency Study

One longstanding research interest of criminology that has seen resurgence of late is the relationship between offending and victimization. This line of research reveals that offending and victimization are not randomly distributed among the population but clustered within the same individuals. These individuals share similar individual characteristics and experiences with violence and deviance. Research has only begun to explain this overlap using existing theoretical frameworks. Further, despite this recent interest, little is known about the overlap between theft offending and victimization. To expand and add clarity to the body of research on the victim–offender overlap, the current study uses data from the second International Self-Report Delinquency Study (ISRD-2) to investigate the link between violent and theft offending/victimization. Results reveal that there is a consistent positive relationship between all forms of offending and victimization. Offending and victimization are also accounted for using similar explanatory frameworks