Intrinsic and environmental characteristics of juvenile murderers

Psychosocial Factors and Juvenile Homicide in Argentina

Although knowledge on and prevention of juvenile homicide are crucial for social welfare and have been approached through different methodological instruments, this behavior is still quite difficult to be addressed. In this study, we have analyzed several psychological and social factors that could be theoretically related to juvenile homicidal behavior. Our case-control study included young (M = 16.8 years) males institutionalized in the Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, under judicial order for crime. Out of 195 cases, 130 had committed homicide, 15 had repeated homicide, and 50 had attempted homicide. The control group comprised 305 young males who had committed other types of crimes. Self-reported and informant-reported instruments and professional assessment were used: Consideration of Future Consequences (CFC) Scale, Weinberger Adjustment Inventory (WAI), Resistance to Peer Influence (RPI), Psychopathy Checklist-Youth Version (PCL-YV), and Inventory of Callous Unemotional Traits (ICU). Differences between indicators of the psychological and social dimensions were not statistically significant. Only Factor 4 of the PCL-YV showed statistically significant difference. However, the relevance of this result is under discussion.

Operational Definitions of Youth Violence in Empirical Research

The methods used to understand, interpret, and critically present youth violence have wide ranging implications for developing policy and programs engaging our cultural context. While in the last thirty years tremendous advances have occurred in naming and researching violence, violence problems continue to be difficult to address because no one factor causes—or for that matter prevents—violence. This exploratory study uses quantitative and qualitative methodologies to examine operational definitions of youth violence in the scientific literature. The study describes how violence in the lives of young people is defined in a sample of peer reviewed journal articles published between 1987 and 1997. Definitions play an important role in enhancing collaboration between and within disciplines by clarifying roles and responsibilities, by anticipating potential professional conflicts, and by illuminating what methodologies are under or over-represented in the literature.

Cycle of coercion: experiences of maltreatment and disciplinary measures in Canadian inmates

Purpose

– In spite of past and current efforts at implementing effective rehabilitative interventions in carceral settings, institutions of confinement are primarily concerned with the maintenance of order within their walls. The purpose of this paper is to better understand associations between inmates’ developmental background and the experience of institutional discipline, to collect information on childhood maltreatment and disciplinary measures for a sample of Canadian prisoners.

Design/methodology/approach

– Information relative to socio-economic background, childhood maltreatment and experience of discipline while in custody was obtained using face-to-face interviews and institutional file review for a sample of 416 male and 106 female offenders in Canadian provincial institutions.

Findings

– Results from logistic regression analyses provided support for the association between childhood maltreatment and the experience of discipline, specifically in the form of increased monitoring from correctional staff. Furthermore, this association was found to be more pronounced for female offenders.

Research limitations/implications

– The findings highlight the need to incorporate a developmental perspective to current understanding of the use of disciplinary interventions in a prison environment. Such an approach may allow for preventing the enactment of a cycle of coercion, with negative consequences for the inmates.

Originality/value

– This study is original in its use of latent variable analytic methods to uncover the structure underlying the construct of childhood maltreatment in adult offenders. In addition, it provides valuable data of interest to researchers, corrections personnel and policy makers on the possible links between earlier developmental experiences and adjustment to the prison environment.

Psychopathology and offense types in detained male juveniles

A substantial proportion of violent crime is committed by juveniles. In detained juveniles, high rates of psychopathology have been found. The objective of this study was to determine psychopathology associated with offense characteristics in detained male adolescents. The Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview was used to assess juvenile detainees. The final sample included 275 males (mean age=16.45, S.D.=1.27 years). Multivariate logistic regressions yielded significant associations between psychopathology and specific offense types: The presence of substance use disorders (without alcohol) (SUD) was found to predict drug-related crimes, and the presence of alcohol use disorders (AUD) without further SUD were a predictor of violent crime, especially in older juveniles. The absence of anxiety disorder, especially in younger juveniles, was found to be relevant for the prediction of robbery. The results of the study suggest that the use and abuse of legal and illegal substances might be a trigger for serious violent and drug-related crimes in juveniles. In particular, the presence of AUD is presumed to have a pivotal role in the development of impulsive aggression. These findings are important when considering the serious social impact of violent behaviors in adolescents.

Resting EEG deficits in accused murderers with schizophrenia

Empirical evidence continues to suggest a biologically distinct violent subtype of schizophrenia. The present study examined whether murderers with schizophrenia would demonstrate resting EEG deficits distinguishing them from both non-violent schizophrenia patients and murderers without schizophrenia. Resting EEG data were collected from five diagnostic groups (normal controls, non-murderers with schizophrenia, murderers with schizophrenia, murderers without schizophrenia, and murderers with psychiatric conditions other than schizophrenia) at a brain hospital in Nanjing, China. Murderers with schizophrenia were characterized by increased left-hemispheric fast-wave EEG activity relative to non-violent schizophrenia patients, while non-violent schizophrenia patients instead demonstrated increased diffuse slow-wave activity compared to all other groups. Results are discussed within the framework of a proposed left-hemispheric over-processing hypothesis specific to violent individuals with schizophrenia, involving left hemispheric hyperarousal deficits, which may lead to a homicidally violent schizophrenia outcome.

Comparing male and female juveniles charged with homicide: child maltreatment, substance abuse, and crime details

This study examines a sample of 136 male and female juveniles charged with attempted homicide or homicide. The purpose of this study is to explore the differences between nondirect file male and female juvenile homicide offenders regarding individual, family, and crime circumstances. Findings suggest that compared to male juvenile offenders, female juvenile homicide offenders have higher rates of reported childhood abuse, more serious substance abuse, and mental health problems including suicidal ideations, depression, anxiety, anger, and irritability. Male juvenile homicide offenders reported higher rates of substance use than their female counterparts but the females had more serious substance abuse problems. Female juveniles were found to more often kill a person known to them and male homicide offenders were found to more often kill a stranger. These findings suggest strongly that male and female juvenile homicide offenders are dissimilar and require unique assessment and treatment.

Adolescent homicides in Finland: Offence and offender characteristics

Approximately 9% of the homicides in Finland are committed by adolescents under 20 years of age. The purpose of this study was to investigate the offence and offender characteristics in homicidal adolescents. Forensic psychiatric evaluation statements of adolescent offenders accused of a homicide during 1990-2001 were reviewed retrospectively (n=57). In 38% of the cases, there were multiple offenders. In 58% of the cases, the victim was an acquaintance, in 25% a stranger, in 12% a family member and in 5% of the cases an (ex)intimate partner. Sixty-nine percent of the offenders were intoxicated and 21% under the influence of drugs at the time of the killing. The most frequent motives were an argument (25%) and a robbery (25%). Sixty-four percent of the offenders had developmental problems and 42% had a crime history. Approximately half were diagnosed as having a conduct or a personality disorder, but 32% of the offenders were considered not to suffer from a mental illness or substance abuse. For 63%, the level of intellectual functioning was average or above average. There were signs of more than one form of violence in 54% of the cases and 28% of the cases contained excessive violence. The use of multiple and excessive violence was significantly related to the offender age, multiple offenders, offender-victim relationship and substance abuse, but not related to having developmental problems, crime history or mental illness.

Biology, childhood trauma, and murder: rethinking justice

This article reviews recent findings in the developmental neurophysiology of children subjected to psychological trauma. Studies link extreme neglect and abuse with long-term changes in the nervous and endocrine systems. A growing body of research literature indicates that individuals with severe trauma histories are at higher risk of behaving violently than those without such histories. This article links these two research areas by discussing how severe and protracted child abuse and/or neglect can lead to biological changes, putting these individuals at greater risk for committing homicide and other forms of violence than those without child maltreatment histories. The implications of these biological findings for forensic evaluations are discussed. Based on new understanding of the effects of child maltreatment, the authors invite law and mental health professionals to rethink their notions of justice and offender accountability, and they challenge policymakers to allocate funds for research into effective treatment and for service delivery.

Youth homicide: a review of the literature and a blueprint for action

This article first synthesizes the literature on clinical and empirical findings related to youth homicide. Thereafter, it reviews the literature with respect to the treatment of juvenile homicide offenders. Although a large body of literature exists, many questions regarding etiology, associated risk factors, intervention strategies, and long-term outcomes remain unanswered. The article concludes with recommendations to guide future research efforts with the aim of increasing understanding of etiological factors associated with juvenile homicide and designing effective intervention strategies. Greater advances in knowledge will follow with the implementation of enhanced methodological designs that examine juvenile homicide across four distinct time frames: the years preceding the homicide, the time period immediately following the homicide, the incarcerative or treatment period, and the post-release period.

Adolescents murderers: abuse and adversity in childhood

With rising rates of juvenile violence, an improved understanding of its causes is much needed. The relative absence of controlled studies based on British populations of murderers further increases the need for information in this area. This case control study examines a group of 21 imprisoned males, convicted of murder whilst aged 18 years or less, and compares them on a range of psychosocial variables to 21 convicted non-violent burglars. The groups were matched for age at interview and race. Results showed that lower socio-economic status, harsh parenting from both mother and father, and exclusion from school were significantly more common for murderers. Harsh parenting from the mother than from the father appeared to contribute more strongly. When factors were combined in a general adversity index, a significant difference was found between the two groups. The study confirms that multiple environmental factors are associated with murderous behaviour in young men.

Who's in, who's out, and who's back: follow-up data on 59 juveniles incarcerated in adult prison for murder or attempted murder in the early 1980s

Since the mid-1980s, when juvenile arrests for violent crime increased dramatically, interest has focused on juvenile offenders who commit violent acts. Legislatures across the United States have enacted a variety of measures to "get tough" with juveniles in response to escalating crime rates and the perceptions that longer sentences were needed. This manuscript provides follow-up data on 59 juveniles who were committed to the adult Department of Corrections in Florida during the period January 1982 through January 1984 for one or more counts of murder, attempted murder, or, in a few cases, manslaughter. Although many of these adolescents received lengthy prison sentences, more than two-thirds had been released from prison prior to November 1999. This article presents data on amount of time served and recidivism over the 15 to 17 year period. Results indicated that 60 percent of sample subjects released from prison were returned to prison, and most of those who failed did so within the first three years of release. Findings from the present study, when examined in the context of previous comparative follow-up studies of delinquent youths, suggest that the dialogue on how to handle violent youths must be continued if juvenile homicide offenders are going to be released to society at some point in the future.

Assessing violence risk among youth

Despite recent declines in the reported rate of juvenile violence, there appears to be increasing public and professional concern about violent behavior among children and adolescents. Media accounts of school shootings and juvenile homicides have prompted a need to develop approaches for systematically assessing violence risk. This article describes the task of assessing general violence risk among youth, and argues that a somewhat different approach is required to assess cases where an identified or identifiable young person may pose a risk to a specifically identified or identifiable target (also referred to as "targeted violence"). Key risk factors for violent behavior among children and adolescents are identified, fundamental principles for conducting an assessment of violence potential in clinical and juvenile justice contexts are outlined, and an approach to assessment when an identified person engages in some communication or behavior of concern that brings him or her to official attention is briefly described.

Children who murder: a review

Despite considerable research on juvenile homicide, pre-adolescent homicide offenders have received less attention. This paper reviews the existing literature on preteen murderers in order to characterize the current state of research knowledge about this population, and draws on some of the work on adolescent homicide as well. The analysis of this literature considers historical context, methodological issues, previous attempts to classify youthful homicide offenders, and predictors of preteen homicidal behavior. While there is a high degree of heterogeneity within this population, several developmental similarities emerged across cases that were associated with the perpetration of homicide by preteens. A high percentage of preteen homicide offenders come from homes characterized by physical abuse, domestic violence, poor or absent parenting, and overall instability. Gun availability may have been a facilitating factor. Support for different etiologies of preteen versus adolescent homicide is weak. Recommendations for future research directions are offered.

Childhood family problems and current psychiatric problems among young violent and property offenders

OBJECTIVE

The main objective was to examine whether young property and violent offenders would differ from each other in the prevalence of childhood abuse and neglect experiences, prevalence of various early family problems, and prevalence of disruptive behavior disorders, depression, and substance use.

METHOD

Childhood abuse and neglect assessments and family problems were based on interview, questionnaire, and file data. Psychiatric diagnoses were made on the basis of a structured clinical interview.

RESULTS

There were no statistically significant differences in the prevalence of childhood physical or psychological abuse, or neglect between the groups. According to the files, physical abuse was experienced by 57.5% of the violent offenders compared with 37% of the property offenders (p = .10). The prevalence rates of family problems were not different in the groups. Seventy-one percent of the violent group abused street drugs compared with 51% of the property group (p < .05), but the groups did not differ in disruptive behavior disorders, alcohol abuse/dependence, or depression.

CONCLUSIONS

The property and violent offenders were surprisingly similar to each other in childhood experiences, family problems, and psychiatric diagnoses. The prevalence of childhood family and psychiatric problems was high in both groups.

Subtypes of incarcerated delinquents constructed via cluster analysis

The MMPI and Jesness Inventory were used to construct groupings of juvenile delinquents homogeneous with respect to personality characteristics. Subjects were 191 incarcerated juvenile delinquents, aged 12 to 19. All participants had been adjudicated on one or more serious offenses. Five subtypes of delinquents were identified. They included an alienated, unsocialized group, an insecure-anxious group, a group reporting limited difficulties with peers but alienated from adults, a group with no apparent emotional disturbance, and a group with multiple elevations. Significant differences between clusters with regard to self-reported explosiveness, suicidality, gang activities, substance abuse, history of sexual abuse, and delusions and hallucinations were identified. Discriminant function analysis was then used to support the generalizability of the classification system to an independent sample. Eighty per cent of the second sample were accurately classified. The subtypes identified are compared to delinquent classification systems developed previously.

Sexual homicide by adolescents

Sexual homicide encompasses murders that are sexual in nature. The limited literature on sexual homicide by juveniles is reviewed in conjunction with pertinent studies from the adult literature. Three cases studies of sexual murder by adolescents are presented. These boys were evaluated clinically as well as by administration of a structured diagnostic interview (DSM-III-R version of the Diagnostic Interview for Children and Adolescents). Sexual homicide by adolescents, an infrequent and poorly understood form of violent behavior, is proposed as a valid and distinct form of juvenile murder with serious prognostic implications.

Aggression in humans: what is its biological foundation?

Although human aggression is frequently inferred to parallel aggression based on testosterone in nonprimate mammals, there is little concrete support for this position. High- and low-aggression individuals do not consistently differ in serum testosterone. Aggression does not change at puberty when testosterone levels increase. Aggression does not increase in hypogonadal males (or females) when exogenous testosterone is administered to support sexual activity. Similarly, there are no reports that aggression increases in hirsute females even though testosterone levels may rise to 200% above normal. Conversely, castration or antiandrogen administration to human males is not associated with a consistent decrease in aggression. Finally, changes in human aggression associated with neuropathology are not consistent with current knowledge of the neural basis of testosterone-dependent aggression. In contrast, human aggression does have a substantial number of features in common with defensive aggression seen in nonprimate mammals. It is present at all age levels, is displayed by both males and females, is directed at both males and females, and is not dependent on seasonal changes in hormone levels or experiential events such as sexual activity. As would be expected from current knowledge of the neural system controlling defensive aggression, aggression in humans increases with tumors in the medial hypothalamus and septal region, and with seizure activity in the amygdala. It decreases with lesions in the amygdala. The inference that human aggression has its roots in the defensive aggression of nonprimate mammals is in general agreement with evidence on the consistency of human aggressiveness over age, with similarities in male and female aggressiveness in laboratory studies, and with observations that some neurological disturbances contribute to criminal violence. This evidence suggests that human aggression has its biological roots in the defensive aggression of nonprimate mammals and not in hormone-dependent aggression based on testosterone.

Homicidal adolescents: a replication

30 homicidal delinquents were matched with 30 nonviolent delinquents on age, race, sex, and socioeconomic status. Both groups received physical, psychological, educational, psychiatric and social examinations. Data were evaluated using stepwise discriminant analysis. Previous research was replicated. Homicidal adolescents shared four symptoms: criminally violent families, gang participation, alcohol abuse, severe learning difficulties. In addition, when the sample and the original group of murderers were combined the contrast between groups became clearer. Juvenile murderers lived in criminally violent families learning aggression during early childhood. Cognitive and perceptual deficits associated with epilepsy and central nervous system (CNS) conditions led to difficulties in the school years. During adolescence, gang participation and alcohol abuse added to earlier risk factors.