NCJ Number
82788
Date Published
1980
Length
88 pages
Annotation
The content of the fifth workshop of the Interdisciplinary Group on Criminology is presented, including the study of violent offenders in an Israeli prison, the Philadelphia collaborative perinatal project, and the longitudinal study of biosocial factors related to delinquency.
Abstract
This report provides the substantive presentations and discussions about each of the projects. The content of the four previous workshops is outlined as background for understanding how the subjects of the fifth workshop build upon them. The purpose of the study of violent offenders in Israeli prison was to identify the various sociobiologic parameters of violent prisoners to better classify these prisoners and to enable the Prison Service to cope more effectively with problems related to custody and treatment. The disciplines involved in the study were (1) sociopsychology; (2) neuroendocrinology; and (3) neuropsychology, neurophysiology, and neurology. Summary scores from each of the three disciplines were integrated for interdisciplinary data analysis. The Philadelphia collaborative perinatal project provided unique data for research on the biosocial correlates of delinquency and crime. Tha sample consisted of all pregnant patients admitted to the Pennsylvania Hospital between January 1959 and December 1965. Subjects provided data on their medical and socioeconomic backgrounds. The study focused predominantly on the impact of biological factors on criminality. The third study was a cross-national comparison of delinquency in Copenhagen, Denmark, and Philadelphia birth cohorts.