NCJ Number
58096
Journal
BRITISH JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRY, SPECIAL PUBLICATION Issue: 9 Dated: (1975) Pages: 308-315
Date Published
1975
Length
8 pages
Annotation
THE THREAT OF HARM THAT AN INDIVIDUAL POSES TO SOCIETY IS SOMETHING THAT IS RELATIVE TO THE STATE OF THAT SOCIETY; INCREASINGLY, DANGER IS BEING DEFINED IN TERMS OF PHYSICAL DANGER.
Abstract
THE TWO CATEGORIES OF OFFENDERS THAT GIVE RISE TO PUBLIC CONCERN BECAUSE OF THE REAL OR IMAGINED DANGER THEY PRESENT ARE THE SEX OFFENDER AND THE VIOLENT OFFENDER. SEXUAL OFFENSES ARE, ON THE WHOLE, UNCOMMON. UNLIKE OTHER OFFENSES, THERE HAS BEEN LITTLE INCREASE IN THE FREQUENCY OF THE OCCURRENCE OF SUCH OFFENSES IN THE LAST DECADE. SEX OFFENDERS REPRESENT LESS THAN 0.5 PERCENT OF ALL OFFENDERS. SEX OFFENSES COVER MANY CATEGORIES OF BEHAVIOR, FROM INCEST TO RAPE AND FROM INDECENT ASSAULT TO INDECENT EXPOSURE. THE SEX OFFENDERS WHO CAUSE MOST PUBLIC CONCERN ARE THOSE WHO COMMIT OFFENSES INVOLVING CHILDREN AND PERPETRATE SADISTIC SEXUAL MURDER, A PATTERN WHICH IS FORTUNATELY RARE. THE VIOLENT OFFENSE ACCOUNTS FOR ONLY 1.3 PERCENT OF ALL RECORDED CONVICTIONS, ALTHOUGH THERE HAS BEEN A STEADY INCREASE IN FREQUENCY IN RECENT YEARS, ESPECIALLY AMONG YOUNG PEOPLE. TWO BROAD PERSONALITY TYPES EMERGE AS VIOLENT OFFENDERS: THE UNDERCONTROLLED PERSONALITY WHICH HAS FEW INHIBITIONS AGAINST AGGRESSION AND THE OVERCONTROLLED PERSONALITY WHO HAS STRONG INHIBITIONS AGAINST AGGRESSION, BUT WHO MAY RESPOND WITH AN AGGRESSIVE OUTBURST UNDER CONDITIONS OF SEVERE OR PROLONGED FRUSTRATION. IF SUCH AN INDIVIDUAL DOES ENGAGE IN AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR, IT IS LIKELY TO BE VERY VIOLENT BIOHAVIOR, OFTEN HOMICIDAL. THERE IS LITTLE EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT THE POPULAR BELIEFS THAT MENTALLY-ILL OFFENDERS ARE NECESSARILY DANGEROUS OR THAT ALL OFFENDERS ARE MENTALLY ILL. IN GENERAL, IT APPEARS THAT THE MENTALLY ILL CONTRIBUTE PROPORTIONATELY VERY LITTLE TO THE GENERAL PROBLEM OF DANGEROUS BEHAVIOR. DANGEROUSNESS IS NOT A SINGLE NOR A UNITARY ASPECT OF AN INDIVIDUAL OR HIS PERSONALITY. PARTLY DEPENDENT ON THE CULTURE AND PERTAINING TO SOCIAL MORES FOR ITS DEFINITION, DANGEROUSNESS IS A MULTIFACTORIAL CONCEPT MOST EASILY UNDERSTOOD AS THE BEHAVIORAL ENDPRODUCT OF INSTIGATIONS TO AND INHIBITIONS AGAINST FORMS OF BEHAVIOR. KNOWLEDGE IN THIS AREA IS STILL POOR, METHODS OF PREDICTION ARE NEEDED IN ORDER TO DETERMINE FUTURE DANGEROUSNESS. REFERENCES ARE INCLUDED. (STB)