International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology

This study investigates the convergent and predictive validity of behavioral crime scene indicators of sexual sadism in the context of rape and sexual homicide. The study is based on a sample of 268 adult males sentenced to a federal penitentiary in Canada. Information regarding crime scene behaviors was gathered from police records, a clinical interview with a psychologist, and a semistructured interview with the offender. A series of logistic regressions were performed to determine whether behavioral crime scene indicators of sexual sadism were associated with an official diagnosis of sexual sadism and were able to distinguish between sexual aggressors against women and sexual murderers. Findings suggest that several crime scene behaviors overlap with an official diagnosis of sexual sadism as well as being able to distinguish between sexual aggressors of women and sexual murderers. Importantly, the majority of crime scene behaviors associated with a clinical diagnosis of sexual sadism are not the same as those associated with sexual homicide.

The aim of the study was to examine coping strategies, attachment styles, and romantic feelings among a sample of battered women (BWS) in shelters in Israel compared with a sample of women recruited from the community (CS; defined as nonbattered women). Results indicate that BWS were significantly more anxious and avoidant than CS and their romantic feelings for their partners were lower. However, contrary to prediction, BWS used more problem-focused than emotion-focused coping. Also contrary to prediction, attachment style and romantic feelings predicted problem-focused coping among BWS while predicting emotion-focused coping among CS. Aside from challenging common assumptions, the findings of the current study enhance our understanding of the associations between coping style, attachment style, and emotions experienced by BWS and highlight the importance of considering the larger context within which an individual instance of leaving occurs. Even so, future studies should employ a longitudinal design so as to shed additional light on interrelationships between these variables.

This research reassessed the psychometric properties and predictive validity of the Self-Appraisal Questionnaire (SAQ) in response to published criticism of the authors’ earlier work. The current research used a much longer recidivism tracking-period, a different measure of recidivism, a larger sample, and more advanced analytic techniques than the original. Examination of the SAQ’s psychometric properties continued to indicate that three of the six recidivism prediction subscales exhibited substandard levels of reliability and four of these subscales were not unidimensional. Yet, in contrast to the author’s earlier results, the current analyses found that SAQ total score modestly predicted reconviction.

Regarding the gender gap in computer crime, studies consistently indicate that boys are more likely than girls to engage in various types of computer crime; however, few studies have examined the extent to which traditional criminology theories account for gender differences in computer crime and the applicability of these theories in explaining computer crime across gender. Using a panel of 2,751 Korean youths, the current study tests the applicability of the general theory of crime in explaining the gender gap in computer crime and assesses the theory’s utility in explaining computer crime across gender. Analyses show that self-control theory performs well in predicting illegal use of others’ resident registration number (RRN) online for both boys and girls, as predicted by the theory. However, low self-control, a dominant criminogenic factor in the theory, fails to mediate the relationship between gender and computer crime and is inadequate in explaining illegal downloading of software in both boy and girl models. Theoretical implication of the findings and the directions for future research are discussed.

Fear of crime has been a dominant area of criminological inquiry, yet it is has been examined only recently in a Chinese context, and it is virtually unexplored in Hong Kong. Using a sample of 170 Hong Kong college students majoring in social work, the current study aimed to investigate the effects of gender on fear of crime and their relationships to attitudes toward prisoners. In general, women reported a significantly greater fear of crime than men for all offenses except for being cheated. Fear of rape/sexual assault was found to be a significant predictor of fear of serious crimes for women but a less significant predictor of their fear of minor crimes. The shadow of the sexual assault hypothesis was supported in this study. Fear of crime had little impact on attitudes toward prisoners.

For thousands of years, China primarily used morality for its social control. Since its economic reform starting in 1978, China has moved toward legal control. Two fundamental questions, however, remain understudied in China: (a) the degree to which citizens feel obligated to obey the law and (b) the sources of citizens’ perceived obligation to obey the law. This study was intended to answer these questions based on random surveys of 1,196 residents from Guangzhou, China. The study revealed that the vast majority of citizens in Guangzhou felt obligated to obey the law irrespective of their personal feelings. Normative and instrumental perspectives were important sources of Guangzhou citizens’ perceived obligation to obey the law. In addition, Guangzhou citizens’ perception of obligation to obey the law was related to not only individual-level variables but also neighborhood contextual factors.