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We analyzed data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) to test the hypothesis that binge drinking, rather than frequency of any drinking, would predict violent behavior in the transition from adolescence to adulthood (TAA). In conservative models, accounting for a host of factors relevant to the TAA, we find that binge drinking, but not frequency of drinking, is associated with violent behavior. The models included a control for nonviolent offending, conforming to studies of the "differential etiology of violence" thesis. In addition, we tested whether this association fell away among participants over the age of 21 and found that underage status did not mediate the association between binge drinking and violent behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several authors have proposed that media hype elevates perceptions of risk and fear of crime. Research suggests that fear of crime is related to the overall amount of media consumption, resonance of news reports, how much attention the individual pays to the news, and how credible he or she believes it to be. The present study examines whether the same applies for terrorism. We use telephone survey data (N = 532) of New Yorkers and Washingtonians to test whether perceived risk and fear of terrorism are associated with several media-related variables. We find that exposure to terrorism-related news is positively associated with perceived risk of terrorism to self and others and with fear for others, but not for self. (Contains 2 notes and 5 tables.)

In this paper we test several specific hypotheses derived from the intergenerational transmission of violence thesis to see if exposure to physical abuse has a special role in the etiology of violence. We employ a systematic statistical approach using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health). Our findings suggest that a history of physical abuse is strongly associated with frequency of violence, but the association is not specific to violence and is mediated by their common association with nonviolent offending. Further, the association between physical abuse and violence is not significantly larger than the association between neglect or sexual abuse and violence. In summary, the data suggest that the association between abuse and violence is not unique to physical abuse and that the impact of physical abuse is not specific to violent behavior. Keywords Violence * Harsh parenting Child abuse * Intergenerational transmission * Neglect * Sexual abuse, Almost 50 years ago, George Curtis, MD (1963) asserted that maltreated children may 'become tomorrow's murderers and perpetrators of other crimes of violence' (p. 386). The expectation that maltreated children [...]

Criminologists have been conspicuously absent from the debate about media violence and aggression. In this article, the author attempts to fill this void by discussing the relationship between exposure to television and film violence and violent behavior in the context of the empirical and theoretical literature on violent crime. Some criticisms of the literature on media violence are offered. The disjuncture between the absence of media violence in the criminological literature and the emphasis on it in other disciplines is also discussed. It is concluded that the empirical literature on media violence and aggression has not established that exposure to rnedia violence causes violent criminal behavior. Keywords: criminology; media violence; violence

The paper extends previous research published by Cohen, Machalek, Vila, and others on the evolutionary-ecological paradigm for understanding criminal behavior. After reviewing literature related to human ecology and crime, the paper focuses on elements relevant to human ecology--biology, development, and ecological factors--and their role in criminal behavior. Major emphasis is placed on the linkages between individual factors and macro-level crime using chronic offending as a case in point. The principles of evolutionary ecology then are used to discuss counterstrategies to crime, and the prospects for protection/avoidance, deterrent, and nurturant strategies in light of evidence on chronic offending.

The police function in modern society is grounded in the legitimate authority to use force to produce an overall increase in public safety. This authority is granted by a social contract between the police and citizenry, and predicated on the public's faith that the police will not abuse these powers. The police profession is at a critical juncture, due in large part to public concerns about excessive and discriminatory use of force by police. The dual expectations of aggression and restraint must be expertly balanced in policing, but this balance can be challenging given the dangerous realities of, and the increasingly critical atmosphere surrounding, the police profession. In this article, we apply evolutionary psychological theory to understand: (1) why aggression is often a selected response and (2) how restraint may be encouraged in policing contexts. We propose specific recommendations for police training and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present paper we examine the association between physical abuse victimization in childhood and violent criminal behavior in the transition from adolescence to adulthood (TAA). Of central interest is whether that association is indirect, through the impact of abuse victimization on alcohol and drug use. We employ a statistical test for indirect effects, using a design that also applies Savage and Wozniak’s (2016) “differential etiology of violence” standard. The data suggest that the effect of physical abuse on violence in the TAA is partially indirect, mediated by alcohol and drug use. A control for nonviolent offending is applied to build confidence that the dynamic between abuse victimization and substance use is a differential predictor of violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The number of national hand-hygiene campaigns has increased recently, following the World Health Organisation's (WHO) "Save Lives: clean your hands" initiative (2009), which offers hospitals a multi-component hand-hygiene intervention. The number of campaigns to be evaluated remains small. Most evaluations focus on consumption of alcohol hand rub (AHR). We are not aware of any evaluation reporting implementation of all campaign components. In a previously published report, we evaluated the effects of the English and Welsh clean your hands campaign (2004-8) on procurement of AHR and soap, and on selected healthcare associated infections. We now report on the implementation of each individual campaign component: provision of bedside AHR, ward posters, patient empowerment materials, audit and feedback, and guidance to secure institutional engagement. Method: Setting: all 189 acute National Health Service (NHS) hospitals in England and Wales (December 2005-June 2008). Six postal questionnaires (five voluntary, one mandatory) were distributed to infection control teams six-monthly from 6 to 36 months post roll-out. Selection and attrition bias were measured. Results: Response rates fell from 134 (71%) at 6 months to 82 (44%) at 30 months, rising to 167 (90%) for the final mandatory one (36 months). There was no evidence of attrition or selection bias. Hospitals reported widespread early implementation of bedside AHR and posters and a gradual rise in audit. At 36 months, 90% of respondents reported the campaign to be a top hospital priority, with implementation of AHR, posters and audit reported by 96%, 97% and 91% respectively. Patient empowerment was less successful. Conclusions: The study suggests that all campaign components, apart from patient empowerment, were widely implemented and sustained. It supports previous work suggesting that adequate piloting, strong governmental support, refreshment of campaigns, and sufficient time to engage institutions help secure sustained implementation of a campaign's key components. The results should encourage countries wishing to launch coordinated national campaigns for hospitals to participate in the WHO's "Save Lives" initiative, which offers hospitals a similar multi-component intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]