NCJ Number
56889
Journal
JOURNAL OF MEDICAL GENETICS Volume: 14 Issue: 1 Dated: (FEBRUARY 1977) Pages: 10-12
Date Published
1977
Length
3 pages
Annotation
THE CASE HISTORIES OF XYY OFFENDERS IN TWO ENGLISH SECURITY HOSPITALS WERE RANKED BY GRAVITY OF OFFENSE AND CORRELATED BY OFFENDER HEIGHT IN ORDER TO DETERMINE LINKS BETWEEN HEIGHT AND SERIOUSNESS OF CRIME.
Abstract
THE CASE HISTORIES OF ALL STUDY SUBJECTS WERE REVIEWED BY A RESEARCHER WHO REMOVED ANY REFERENCE, DIRECT OR INDIRECT, TO THE OFFENDER'S HEIGHT. CASE HISTORIES WERE REMOUNTED AND PHOTOCOPIED TO ELIMINATE EVIDENCE THAT INFORMATION HAD BEEN REMOVED. THESE CODED HISTORIES WERE INDEPENDENTLY ASSIGNED A SCORE BY THREE RESEARCHERS NOT INVOLVED IN THE REVIEW PROCESS BASED ON THE SERIOUSNESS OF THE CRIME COMMITTED. THE RESEARCHERS' SCORES WERE THEN AVERAGED, AND CRIMES OF VIOLENCE WERE GIVEN A HIGHER SCORE WHILE CRIMES INVOLVING PROPERTY, ESCAPE FROM AN INSTITUTION, AND HOMOSEXUALITY WERE GIVEN LOWER SCORES. THE CODES FOR THE HISTORIES WERE BROKEN, THE HEIGHTS DECIPHERED, AND THE PRODUCT-MOMENT CORRELATION COEFFICIENTS OF HEIGHT WITH TOTAL HISTORY SCORE WERE CALCULATED. THE RESULTS NEGATE THE SUGGESTIONS BY HUNTER (1966) THAT XYY'S TEND TO BE CONCENTRATED IN SPECIAL SECURITY HOSPITALS SINCE AUTHORITIES ARE INFLUENCED BY THEIR THREATENING APPEARANCE AND TALL STATURE. THE CORRELATIONS OF THE STUDY SCORES WITH HEIGHT WERE NOT NEGATIVE AS EXPECTED AND DO NOT SUPPORT THE HYPOTHESIS THAT HEIGHT IS NEGATIVELY RELATED TO THE SERIOUSNESS OF CRIMES COMMITTED. TABULAR DATA AND REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. (DAG)