Social impact bond feasibility study APAC Portugal: enhancing ex-offenders’ lives

Este estudo é uma análise à eficácia de um Social Impact Bond como como instrumento financeiro no modelo de intervenção da APAC Portugal. O objetivo é o de melhorar a vida de ex-criminosos e reduzir os índices de reincidência de modo a apoiar a sua reinserção na sociedade após a libertação. Enquanto os custos de funcionamento de um estabelecimento prisional forem suportados pelo sector público, como é de lei, o modelo inovador de intervenção terá de encontrar um meio alternativo de financiamento. Sendo assim, testámos a rentabilidade de um Social Impact Bond através de um bem estruturado modelo Excel que simula o mecanismo de investimento, tendo os resultados demonstrado que um Social Impact Bond pode, de facto, financiar o modelo de intervenção da APAC Portugal de forma eficaz.

O adolescente em conflito com a lei e a escola: criminalização e inclusão perversa

This study aims to identify the relation between adolescents in conflict with the penal law, who were convicted to assisted freedom (a socio-educative measure applied by the Juvenile Justice system as a sanction to adolescent offenders), and the school. The research was developed in the Community-based Assisted Freedom Program of Pastoral do Menor , in Fortaleza (capital city of Ceará State, Brazil). The study has engaged 21 adolescents, eight program professionals, three members of the Center for Defense of Child Rights in Ceará, five teachers and eight school principals and education managers from the schools attended by the adolescents in the neighborhoods of Pirambu, Tancredo Neves, Jardim Iracema e Bom Jardim. It intends, based on dialectical and historical method, to define the investigated adolescents as persons with a very singular insertion into the social structures of neoliberal capitalism. Their adolescence is subject to consumerism appeals, to the limits imposed by these appeals and to perverse ways of insertion in the system, such as criminalization, segregation and marginalization. It reveals that the school attended by the adolescents reproduces such conditions of insertion. At the same time, these conditions are elements of identity, by which the adolescents are characterized.

A Closer Look at the Factors that Affect Misdemeanor Offenders

This study examines the common belief that misdemeanor offences are usually committed by individuals from lower socio-economic classes. 1 suggest that this is a misconception and that individuals from all classes commit misdemeanors. The data are from the Monitoring the Future: A Continuing Study of American Youth (12thGrade Survey), 2000-2008 (University of Michigan. Institute for Social Research Survey Research Center). I will focus on 12th grade students from the years 2000 to 2008. For the purposes of this study, a misdemeanor is less severe than a felony and includes such crimes as disorderly conduct, shoplifting, public drunkenness, or minor assault. In addition, conviction for a misdemeanor usually results in a fine or imprisonment in a jail for less than a year. I will examine evidence tor the common belief about the characteristics of misdemeanor offenders and explore other influences on those who commit misdemeanors. This research shows that family relationships, the importance of religion to the respondent, and race have an effect on whether an individual commits a misdemeanor. The results of this study »"~'-10'."""'~ that other factors, besides social class, may be important for understanding misdemeanor activity.

Criminal career-related factors among female robbers in the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil, and a presumed 'revolving-door' situation

Introduction: Risk-taking behaviors, family criminality, poverty, and poor parenting have been frequently associated with an earlier onset of criminal activities and a longer criminal career among male convicts. Objective: This study aims to identify factors related to the onset and recurrence of criminal behavior among female robbers in the State of Sao Paulo - Brazil. Method: It was a cross-sectional study carried out inside a feminine penitentiary in Sao Paulo. From June 2006 to June 2010, 175 inmates convicted only for robbery were recruited to be evaluated about family antecedents of criminal conviction, alcohol and drug misuse, impulsiveness, depressive symptoms, and psychosocial features. Results: Having family antecedents of criminal conviction consistently predicted an earlier onset of criminal activities and a longer criminal career among female robbers. Drug use in youth and the severity of drug misuse were significantly related to the initiation and recurrence of criminal behavior, respectively. Discussion: Prisons must systematically screen detainees and provide treatments for those with health problems in general. Children of inmates should obtain help to modify the negative consequences of their parents' incarceration in order to mitigate the negative consequences of pursuing this 'static' factor.

Restructuring Justice: Moving Towards Gender-Responsive Programming and Alternatives to Incarceration for Non-Violent Female Offenders

The United States¿ Federal and State laws differentiate between acceptable (or, legal) and unacceptable (illegal) behavior by prescribing restrictive punishment to citizens and/or groups that violate these established rules. These regulations are written to treat every person equally and to fairly serve justice; furthermore, the sanctions placed on offenders seek to reform illegal behavior through limitations on freedoms and rehabilitative programs. Despite the effort to treat all offenders fairly regardless of social identity categories (e.g., sex, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, age, ability, and gender and sexual orientation) and to humanely eliminate illegal behavior, the American penal system perpetuates de facto discrimination against a multitude of peoples. Furthermore, soaring recidivism rates caused by unsuccessful re-entry of incarcerated offenders puts economic stress on Federal and State budgets. For these reasons, offenders, policy-makers, and law-abiding citizens should all have a vested interest in reforming the prison system. This thesis focuses on the failure of the United States corrections system to adequately address the gender-specific needs of non-violent female offenders. Several factors contribute to the gender-specific discrimination that women experience in the criminal justice system: 1) Trends in female criminality that skew women¿s crime towards drug-related crimes, prostitution, and property offenses; 2) Mandatory minimum sentences for drug crimes that are disproportionate to the crime committed; 3) So-called ¿gender-neutral¿ educational, vocational, substance abuse, and mental health programming that intends to equally rehabilitate men and women, but in fact favors men; and 4) The isolating nature of prison structures that inhibits smooth re-entry into society. I argue that a shift in the placement and treatment of non-violent female offenders is necessary for effective rehabilitation and for reducing recidivism rates. The first component of this shift is the design and implementation of gender- responsive treatment (GRT) rather than gender-neutral approaches in rehabilitative programming. The second shift is the utilization of alternatives to incarceration, which provide both more humane treatment of offenders and smoother reintegration to society. Drawing on recent scholarship, information from prison advocacy organizations, and research with men in an alternative program, I provide a critical analysis of current policies and alternative programs, and suggest several proposals for future gender- responsive programs in prisons and in place of incarceration. I argue that the expansion of gender-responsive programming and alternatives to incarceration respond to the marginalization of female offenders, address concerns about the financial sustainability of the United States criminal justice system, and tackle high recidivism rates.

Thinner cortex in the frontal lobes in mentally disordered offenders

Antisocial and violent behaviour have been associated with both structural and functional brain abnormalities in the frontal and the temporal lobes. The aim of the present study was to assess cortical thickness in offenders undergoing forensic psychiatric assessments, one group with psychopathy (PSY, n=7) and one group with autism spectrum disorder (ASD, n=7) compared to each other as well as to a reference group consisting of healthy non-criminal subjects (RG, n=12). A second aim was to assess correlation between scores on a psychopathy checklist (PCL-SV) and cortical thickness. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and surface-based cortical segmentation were used to calculate cortical thickness. Analyses used both regions of interest and statistical maps. When the two groups of offenders were compared, there were no differences in cortical thickness, but the PSY group had thinner cortex in the temporal lobes and in the whole right hemisphere compared to RG. There were no differences in cortical thickness between the ASD group and RG. Across subjects there was a negative correlation between PCL-SV scores and cortical thickness in the temporal lobes and the whole right hemisphere. The findings indicate that thinner cortex in the temporal lobes is present in psychopathic offenders and that these regions are important for the expression of psychopathy. However, whether thinner temporal cortex is a cause or a consequence of the antisocial behaviour is still unknown.

Virtual characters designed for forensic assessment and rehabilitation of sex offenders: standardized and made-to-measure

This paper presents two studies pertaining to the use of virtual characters applied in clinical forensic rehabilitation of sex offenders. The first study is about the validation of the perceived age of virtual characters designed to simulate primary and secondary sexual character of typical adult and child individuals. The second study puts to use these virtual characters in comparing a group of sex offenders and a group of non deviant individuals on their sexual arousal responses as recorded in virtual immersion. Finally, two clinical vignettes illustrating the use of made-to-measure virtual characters to more closely fit sexual preferences are presented in Discussion.

Collaborating or Colluding: A Practice Research Project with Ex-Offenders and their Families in Singapore

Working with the family members of ex-offenders is a daunting and newly developing aspect of offender rehabilitation in Singapore. A small scale practice research project was carried out by three social work practitioners and two academics over a period of 22 months, with the aim to explore the pertinent issues and challenges in working with family members of ex-offenders. Systematic documentation of the process of working with three cases was carried out. Specific skills and strategies were suggested, and recommendations for changes to service delivery and policy for working with ex-offenders and family members were made to the authorities. This article highlights the enriching journey of collaboration between the academics and practitioners.

History of offending behavior in first episode psychosis patients: A marker of specific clinical needs and a call for early detection strategies among young offenders

OBJECTIVES Previous literature suggests that early psychosis (EP) patients with a history of offending behavior (HOB) have specific clinical needs. The aims of this study were to assess: (1) the prevalence of HOB in a representative sample of EP; (2) the premorbid and baseline characteristics of patients with HOB, and (3) the potential differences in short-term outcome of such patients when compared to patients without HOB. METHODS The Early Psychosis Prevention and Intervention Centre (EPPIC) admitted 786 EP patients between 1998 and 2000. Data were collected from patients' files using a standardized questionnaire. Data of 647 patients could be analyzed. RESULTS HOB patients (29% of the sample) were more likely to be male with lower level of premorbid functioning and education, have used illicit substances and have attempted suicide. They presented with a more complex clinical picture and had poorer 18-month outcome. Most importantly, they had a significantly longer duration of untreated psychosis. CONCLUSIONS On the basis of the high prevalence and specific features of EP patients with HOB, our study confirms a need for additional research in this domain and for the development of specific treatment strategies. Most importantly, it suggests a need for the promotion of early detection strategies among the populations of young offenders, considering that some of them may be going through the early phases of a psychotic disorder and that reduction of treatment delay and provision of well adapted interventions may have a significant impact at numerous levels in such patients

Deterrence, Incapacitation, and Repeat Offenders

This paper develops an economic model of criminal enforcement that combines the goals of deterrence and incapacitation. Potential offenders commit an initial criminal act if the present value of net private gains is positive. A fraction of these offenders become habitual and commit further crimes immediately upon release from their initial prison term (if any). The optimal punishment scheme in this setting generally involves a finite prison term for first-time offenders (based on the goal of deterrence), and an infinite (life) sentence for repeat offenders (based on the goal of incapacitation).