Violent Offenders

1
Violent Offenders

• Anna C. Salter

2
Agenda

• Violent Thinking
• Lonnie Athens
• Treating Violent Offenders

3
Theories of Violence

• Loss of Control
• Product of Distorted Thinking

4
Loss of Control

• Impulse Control
• Stop and Think
• Exit Risky Situations

5
Loss of Control

• Interviews 20 Violent Offenders
• Meaning Units Phrases
• Loss of Control
• 12
• (Polaschek et a., 2010)

6
Violent Schemas

• Violence is Normal
• No Choice
• Hostile Attribution Bias
• Social Status
• Self Image
• Victim Deserved It (Widget Theory)

7
Violence is Normal
8

• Normal for discipline
• Normal for achieving goals

9
Elway Attacked Officer Stabbed in Head

• I feel like it was justified. The only thing
  was my objective wasnt fully completed. But
  other than that.
•  
• Q. What was your objective?
• A. To kill him. I wasnt stabbing him just to
  be stabbing.

10
Elway Effect on Victims?

• A. Probably none.
• Q. Why not?
•  A. Cause none of them are dead or paralyzed.
•  Q. So it wouldnt have any effect?
• A. I think it will on certain people like
  young, someone 14 or probably people who live in
  an area where its pretty much peaceful and
  nonviolent so it would be strange to see anything
  violent.

11
Elway

• The rest of us live in a pretty violent
  atmosphere and its pretty normal anybody who
  works in DOC it wouldnt have any effect unless
  theyre dead or paralyzed or give them a big scar
  on their face so they have to look at it every
  day.
• So if I attack an officer thats what Id try
  to do,
• so theyre dead or paralyzed or they have to
  see it every day and know I did it to them.

12
Hit a Man on a Bike with His Car Just to See What
It Would Do to Him

• Do I consider myself a criminal? No. Basically
  just doing stuff, just breaking the law.
•  

13
Why Not a Criminal?

• A criminal is one who terminally focuses on
  doing crime. They dont just think about it on
  the spur of the moment. Criminals plan it more.
  They scheme. I dont ever scheme.
•  

14
Home Invasion Looking for DrugsKilled a Man and
a 7 Month Pregnant Woman Couple Had No Drugs

• It was part of the way I was living. It didnt
  feel right or wrong. Actually, it didnt feel
  wrong. It felt I was forced to do something I
  really didnt want to do, but . . . it happened.

15
No Choice

• She wouldnt listen to me unless I hit her
  first.
• (Polaschek et a., 2010, p. 87)

16
No Choice

• How else was I going to get through to him that
  schoolwork was important?
• (Polaschek et a., 2010, p. 87)

17
Violence is Normal

• Meaning Units
• 46
• (Polaschek et al., 2010)

18
Gang Member

• Q. Do you feel bad about the people you killed?
• A. I don't talk about that. . . . When the
  incident first took place I didn't have no
  remorse at all because I thought it was the right
  thing. But I have thought about it and I think I
  was wrong for what took place on that day.

19

• Q. How do you know you were wrong?
• A. The situation and the circumstances. Cause I
  didn't have to do it. It was all over territory
  and I had to prove my loyalty. I thought that
  was right. That's what I had to do to be
  accepted in the Gangster Disciples. . . . You're
  the first person I ever said anything about it
  to. . . . It was absolutely wrong. It was an
  utter mistake.

20

• But you have to understand that. You may have
  grown up in a different family. But I grew up
  Chicago where people die every day. In order to
  be in a certain organization you have to do
  certain things. And me being brainwashed in that
  way I had to do that thing. And it protected me.
  Because I could go to somebody and they would
  protect me. Hey man, let's go shoot up those n.
  . . . Let's take their family hostage and teach
  them a lesson. That's how I was taught.

21

• Violent prisoners spoke of violence as a routine
  occurrence between people that hardly needs
  explaining and that could be helpful in achieving
  some personal and social goals.
• (Polaschek et a., 2010, p. 86)

22

• Violence resolves conflicts, persuades
  others to do things, can be exhilarating or
  simply make you feel better, and usually it makes
  others treat you with respect.
• (Polaschek et a., 2010, p. 86)

23
Self Image
24

• I guess when youre young, you want to be
  feared, you want to be respected.

25
Shot an Officer, a Deputy and Escaped from Vehicle
26
Pride in Violence

• I had a lot of time. I didnt want to do the
  time. I had to do something for myself. I tried
  to help myself. I owed that to myself to try to
  regain my freedom. I was going to leave the
  country and never come back. I was quite young
  then, compared to what I am now and fearless
  pride expression -- intrepid at that time
  --and didnt think the way I think now. I would
  be more concerned about my welfare now and my
  family something happen to me what would they
  think then I didnt consider those things.

27
Violent Self Image

• Im a man, and I want to be treated like a man.
  . . I dont care who a person is or who they
  think they are either they better not play
  around with me. Ill show them who in the hell
  theyre playing with. Theyll find out fast they
  arent fucking with any boy when they fuck with
  me. . . Ive ruined more than one good man in my
  time, and Jack, Ill do it again too. Thats the
  way I am and thats the way Ill be until the day
  I die.
• (Athens, 1997, p. 57)

28

• My son was getting into fights at school. So I
  taught both sons to box after school, so they
  could defend themselves. I didnt want my sons
  looking like cowards or being walking sic
  over by every Tom, Dick, or Harry. Everyone
  needs respect.
• (Polaschek et a., 2010, p. 87)

29
Self-Image/Social Status

• Meaning Units Phrases
• 20 violent offenders
• 57 of Meaning Units
• Self Image
• (Polaschek et al., 2010)

30
Victim Deserved It

• (Widget Theory)

31
16-Year-Old After Battery and Attempted Homicide
of Female Staff Member Leroy

• It didnt matter who was in the booth, . . I
  was gonna go, and it didnt matter who was there.
  I was gonna fight them and take them down. Its
  not very hard to take that little puny pathetic
  staff down. Id rather be dead than locked up.
  .. . I told the staff six months ago I was gonna
  get out no matter what, and when I got out I was
  gonna strip them naked and drag their assess down
  the hall and put them in that room where they put
  us.

32
Leroy

• Staff alone in booth
• Left booth to make snack for unit
• His door unlocked
• Dont hurt me
• Beat her head on floor repeatedly multiple
  skull fractures
• Stripped her, dragged her 117 and left her

33
Leroy

• I heard it crack when her head hit. At first it
  surprised me. I told her to shut up, but she
  wouldnt. She cried louder. . . I slammed her
  dead down on the floor. I had a limited time to
  get out of there. I was running out of time.
  The guards were checking every ten minutes. I
  slammed her head against the floor four more
  times because she wouldnt shut up. I was fixing
  to break her neck. Every time I slammed her head
  on the floor, I heard her bone crack.

34
Leroy

• She was quiet for a minute after the third time
  and I thought that was it, but then she started
  moving again, so I did it two more times. I
  thought she was dead. I didnt care. I was
  gonna kill any staff. It didnt matter to me.

35
Leroy

• Q. Do you know the difference in right and
  wrong?
• A. I dont think about right and wrong. Im
  cold-hearted.

36
Leroy

• Q. Did you think you were doing anything wrong?
• A. No, cause I was thinking I got three minutes
  to leave before they come.

37
Impact on Victim Leroy

• At sentencing
• Headaches every day, sometimes excruciating
• Dizziness
• Nausea
• Permanent loss of smell and taste
• Neck and back pain
• Some days couldnt get out of bed
• Couldnt drive
• Wouldnt be alone
• Nightmares, flashbacks

38
Impact on Victim Leroy

• Sensitive to light, noise and motion
• Left alone for a few hours locked self in
  bathroom

39
Impact on VictimsLeroys Response

• Im not sure? Im not going to go off into the
  guessing. I only know what they put in the files
  and none of that has been substantiated. . . Its
  only her side of the story, the side of the story
  that they want to portray.

40
Leroys Response

• All this was is battery. I got railroaded.

41
Callousness Ethan

• Robbed and beat 86 year-old woman
• Robbed 74 year-old woman

42
Impact on Victim Ethan

• Deteriorated
• Unable to live alone
• Incoherent within months

43
Ethan Narcissism

• Q. How do you feel about little old lady
  deteriorating?
• A. She took a deposition. Are you sure its
  him? She didnt want to say it was me. She
  started to waiver. She was a school teacher.
  She knew they were going to hang me. She didnt
  want that to happen. I believe. She told a
  story about some horse thieves . . . the posse
  came along and arrested all of them. . . a young
  boy was there and they tried to hang him too . .
  she asked the detective was this right? Thats
  the parable she tried to tell him. I believe it
  was a message to me. . . I will always honor her
  for that as I honor all women.

44
Ethan

• Q. She got beaten.
• A. Yes, but she resisted. This woman fought
  me as hard as anybody could fight. I know how it
  looks. I was not intending to use any more force
  than I needed to. This woman fought me fiercely.
  Never for one moment did she admit. I was
  saying, Lady, lady please. Yes, she got beat
  but I know in my heart I didnt do it
  sadistically and I didnt do it any more than was
  necessary.
•  

45
Ethan

• We are in a society that lacks mercy. They want
  to punish a guy forever.

46
Attacked Officers in Jail

• That incident in the county jail it wasnt
  personal. It wasnt one of those things that
  officer so and so is working today whoever was
  working it was going to happen. . . You go
  into that situation knowing . . . Just like if
  you go in a robbery with a gun, you dont think
  you are going to kill someone. But you know you
  need to take the gun in the robbery because you
  might need to kill someone. Of course thats
  wrong. But you dont care. Why should I care?
  Thats why you need to get to the point where you
  care.

47
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48
Shallow Affect

• Q. Were you ever in love?
• A. I was very much emotionally attached to all
  of them in a sense. I dont want to say I was in
  love with them because I still dont know what
  love is.

49
Shallow Affect (continued)

• I exposed myself I did in some sense I dont
  mean any disrespect when I say this women you
  demand some kind of connection you hunger for
  something more than a mutual friendship.
  Eventually they wore me down in the sense that I
  did tell them certain things but I did this in a
  way that if they said something to someone else I
  would know who said it.

50
Interaction of Genes and Environment

• Males with low MAOA activity allele (specific
  gene)
• Childhood maltreatment
• Increased antisocial behavior
• (Beaver, 2008)

51
Genetic Contribution to Violent Behavior

• ½ Variance in antisocial behavior
• Due to genetic factors
• ( Beaver, 2008 Mason Frick, 1994 Miles
  Carey, 1997 Rhee Wald, 2002)

52
Genetics Environment

• Interactive
• (Rowe, 2002 Rutter, 2006 Walsh, 2002)

53
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54
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55
Violence Delinquency Scale

• How many times past 12 months hurt someone badly
  enough to require medical attention
• Used a weapon to get something from someone
• Took part in a group fight
• (Beaver, 2008)

56
Violent Adolescents

• 3 samples
• Pretrial Assessment
• Institutional Assessment
• Assessment Before Release
• (Lodewijks et al., 2010)

57
Impact of Protective Factors

• 0 1 or more
• Pretrial Assessment
• High risk 40 6
• Low risk 12 6
• (Lodewijks et al., 2010)

58
Impact of Protective Factors

• Institutional Assessment
• High risk 86 54
• Low risk 44 13
• Pre-Release
• High risk 78 33
• Low risk 38 3
• (Lodewijks et al., 2010)

59
Protective FactorsAdolescent Violent Offenders

• Prosocial involvement
• Strong social support
• Strong attachments bonds
• Positive attitude towards intervention
• and authority
• Strong commitment to school work
• Resilient personality
• (Lodewijks et al., 2010)

60
Which Factors?

• Strong social support
• Strong attachments to prosocial adults

61
Psychopathy
62
Adolescent Psychopathy Violence

• Age Range High Low
• Younger (13 - 15.5) 52 12
• Mid (15.5 - 18) 64 54
• Older (18 - 20.5) 48 33 (Forth,
  1995)

63
High Vs Low Psychopathy Adolescents

• 10 or More
• Violent Acts
• High Psychopathy 64
• Low Psychopathy 37
• (Forth, 1995)

64
Psychopathic Adolescents

• More criminal acts
• More types of criminal acts
• Earlier age of onset for violent nonviolent
  offenses
• More likely to have threatened with a weapon
• More likely to commit robbery arson
• More likely to commit a sexual offense
• (Forth Burke, 1998)

65
Psychopathic Adolescent Sex Offenders

• Threatened more
• Used more severe violence
• (Gretton et al., 1994)

66
Adolescent Psychopathy Recidivism

• N 189
• High Low
• Nonviolent 66 27
• Violent 31 12
• (Gretton et al., 1994)

67
Adolescent Psychopathy Recidivism

• N 189
• High Low
• Months to
• Recidivism 16 27
• (Gretton et al., 1994)

68
Protective FactorsAdolescent Violent Offenders

• Prosocial involvement
• Strong social support
• Strong attachments bonds
• Positive attitude towards intervention
• and authority
• Strong commitment to school work
• Resilient personality
• (Lodewijks et al., 2010)