International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology

A summary of the difficulties associated with Marx and Engels' hypotheses regarding crime as reflective of the social condition.

Concepts of formal and informal crime control mechanisms in the criminal justice system of the People's Republic of China are discussed and contrasted with the U.S. system. Focusing on the police, courts, and corrections, it is concluded that the Chinese emphasis on informal mechanisms may have implications for crime reduction programs in the West. A critical review of our crime reduction strategies, modification of some our approaches to rule enforcement, and a re-evaluation of the validity of present formal enforcement mechanisms may be useful at this point in time.

Justice McKenna in Weems v U.S. (1910) put the clause cruel and unusual punishment into its proper sociological context when he said that the concept "may acquire meaning as public opinion becomes enlightened by a humane justice. " Chief Justice Warren, in Trop v Dulles (1958) felt that the clause "must draw its meaning from evolving standards of decency that mark the progress of a maturing society. " Since 1960 a bevy of institutional cases have considered the prison and jail environment in light of "evolving standards" in corrections management as well as society. Does institutional litigation give warning to the administrators of our lockups? It appears that legislative and administrative bodies of local government concerned with jails should be well advised to carefully scrutinize the adequacy of their operations as a means of determining what changes might be necessary to assure that jails meet articulated constitutional standards. The authors view this process as positive and discuss it in terms of the practice of preventive law.

This article presents an analysis of some of the characteristics of homicide victimizations in Canadian federal correctional institutions. Two historical periods are compared; from 1967 to 1978 and from 1979 to 1984. The findings suggest the incidence of prison homicides has increased over the years, and the character of victims and victimizations has changed. More recent prison homicides were more likely to have been carried out by multiple assailants, were more commonly associated with revenge motives or drug and gambling debts, and involved victims were more likely to have violent backgrounds. The article concludes that a more complete understanding of the causes of prison homicides will require detailed analysis of the process of conflict escalation in these settings.

The demographic, psychiatric/criminal background, and personality correlates of institutional (prison) adjustment were derived in a sample of 51 emotionally disturbed military offenders and cross-validated in a sample of 52 emotionally disturbed federal inmates. Results indicated that only two correlates or predictors of institutional adjustment were successfully crossvalidated across samples: the MMPI F scale and a behavioral rating of conceptual disorganization both predicted poor emotional adjustment. The implications of thesefindings in light of past research results are discussed.

Arson and violent offenders from a maximum security hospital were compared regarding demographic features and incidents of interpersonal violence. These two groups and a matched normal control group were compared on four rating scales (Rathus Assertiveness Schedule, Zung Depression Inventory, Moral Anxiety Questionnaire and a specially designed Attitudes to Offences Questionnaire). Arsonists were similar to violent offenders on all the demographic indices, except that arsonists were taken into care at an earlier age. A lower incidence of interpersonal aggression was noted in the arsonists. Arsonists rated themselves as less assertive than violent offenders or controls and displayed a greater instability concerning attitudes towards the seriousness of person and property offences. There were no differences between arsonists and violent offenders in terms of moral anxiety or depression ratings although both groups scored at the extremes on the moral anxiety scale and were more depressed when compared to normals. The results are discussed with reference to the individual and situational factors which may underlie the displaced aggression hypothesis of arson.

A summary of the psychodynamics and personality types of terrorists is presented. The Stockholm syndrome is discussed in the context of survival identification and the issue of hostage negotiation is addressed. The differentiation of the emotional aspects of terrorists is presented in the context of different authors' opinions.

There is a lack of knowledge concerning the most basic of probation services-the presentence investigation. In order to develop an understanding of this service, a typology of probation officers who conduct these investigations is presented. An analysis of data, drawn from fifteen years of probation experience and qualitative interviewing of court personnel, revealed that officers use presentence reports to advance personal careers and individual perspectives. The usefulness of presentence investigations is questioned, as well as the willingness of the probation bureaucracy to provide an environment conducive to objective reporting.

Cocaine is a powerful stimulant of relatively short duration, low margin of safety and a local anesthetic of high efficiency and toxicity. Its legitimate medical use has narrowed over the years, but as an illicit substance cocaine has gained considerable popularity. Cocaine is referred to as the "champagne of drugs." According to epidemiological data, 28.7% of the "young adults" (18-25 years old) have tried cocaine. This article traces the historical evolution of coca and cocaine use. It also reviews contemporary clinical aspects of recreational cocaine use.