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Previous research demonstrated that children who had been exposed to physical maltreatment by parents are at higher risk of using violence as adolescents. It is assumed that parental violence unfolds negative influences on later delinquency directly and indirectly, that is, mediated through other crime predictors. This contribution presents an empirical test of theoretical propositions explaining this cycle of violence derived from three major theories, namely social learning, self-control and social control/bonding theory. Using data from 26 countries of the ISRD3 study, the mediating roles of delinquent peer association, crime-related moral values, self-control as well as family and school bonds among juveniles of grades 7 to 9 are assessed. Moreover, with exploratory intent, it is tested if the same mediating effects apply to each country. Overall the results showed both a significant direct effect of maltreatment on the use of violence and indirect (mediating) effects via each of the considered mediators. Delinquent peer association, self-control and family bonds had higher mediational strength than moral values and school bonds. This is in support of the theoretical assumptions of all three theories. Further, great variability of direct, indirect and total effects of maltreatment on violence across countries and within each mediator were observed. There is tentative evidence that the prevalence rates of maltreatment are negatively associated with the impact of maltreatment on later violence in the considered countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the Cambridge Study in Delinquent Development, over 400 London males have been followed up from age 8 to age 48 in face-to-face interviews and up to age 56 in criminal records. About 42 % of the males were convicted up to age 56. During five age ranges up to age 47, 94 % of the males admitted at least one of eight offenses, in comparison with 31 % who were convicted for at least one of these offenses in these age ranges. The prevalence of offending, and the number of offenses committed, decreased steadily after age 18 according to both convictions and self-reports. On average, there were 38 self-reported offenses per conviction, and this ratio also decreased with age. Convicted males self-reported 25 offenses per conviction on average. It is concluded that the 'scaling-up factor' from convictions to self-reported offenses is very important, especially in evaluating the effectiveness of intervention programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Switzerland's programme of opiate prescription to drug-addicts has been thoroughly evaluated under many aspects. The results published so far on the final findings, covering the programme's first year of operation, have focused on self-reported delinquent acts and victimisation reported during interviews. This article addresses these two issues. How did police recorded crime develop over time, taking the offence type into account? Have these trends been affected by changing police control over the addicts participating in the programme? In other words, has an eventual drop been produced by less strict crime reporting (or recording) practice for programme participants, rather than by lower crime rates among this group? The analysis reported here confirms the results based on self-reported delinquency and victimisation data. According to police files, the drop in serious property offences was indeed comparable. As it turned out, this drop is not due to reduced probabilities of the police recording offences committed by programme participants after their admission to heroin prescription. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]