Developments in the Study of Criminal Behaviour Volume 2: Violence M P FELDMAN (ED) John Wiley and Sons, 1982; hb; pp254
| Published date | 01 June 1984 |
| Date | 01 June 1984 |
| DOI | 10.1177/026455058403100208 |
| Author | Peter Day |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
63
she
became
more
willing
to
share
problems
and
accept
advice.
Alison
and
Sandra
became
fnendly
and
supported
one
another
in
gomg
to
a
single
parents’
group.
Sandra
began
to
discuss
problems
with
her
mother,
and
accept
her
responsibility
in
improving
their
relationship.
Karen
became
more
aware
of the
effect
of her
own
behaviour
on
others,
and
made
some
changes
Our
general
feeling
about
the
group
was
that
it
had
been
challenging
and
interesting
to
run,
and
the
psychologist
considered
that
it
was
an
excellent
use
of
her
skills
and
time
spent
with
the
Probation
Service.
REFERENCE
1
R
Trower
et
al
Social
Skills
and
Mental
Health
(1978)
Methuen
R
Liverman
et
al ,
Personal
Effectiveness
(1975)
Research
Press,
Illinois
R
Alberti and M
Emmons,
’Your Perfect Right’
(1974) Impact
Developments
in
the
Study
of
Criminal
Behaviour
Volume
2:
Violence
M
P
FELDMAN
(ED)
John
Wiley
and
Sons,
1982;
hb;
pp254.
This
book
reviews
violence
under the
headings
of description,
explanation
and
control.
The
final
chapter
is
particularly
mterestmg.
it
brmgs
together
some
of the
key
themes and
discusses
implications
for
effective
social
action.
It
tells
a
grim
story
and
makes
it
clear
that
the
problems
concerned,
both
for
individuals
and
society,
are
of
immense
impor-
tance.
It
stresses
the
urgent
need
to
develop
methods
of
intervention
and
prevention
and
these
will
depend
on
explanatory
theories
which
should
contribute
practicable
proposals
for
improving
the
situation.
Social learning
theory
seems
by
far
the
most
helpful
in
suggesting
viable
methods
of
intervention.
One
chapter
suggests
guidelines
for
trainmg
pro-
grammes
for
parents
who
have
assaulted
their
children.
They
compnse
an
initial
stage
of analysis
of
antecedent
behaviour
and
events
in
relation
to
the
current
management
of
the
child
and
a
later
stage
of
training
in
methods
to
provide
positive
results
for
parents
and
children.
An
important
chapter
notes
that
domestic
violence
is
often
accepted
as
natural
or
even
desirable.
This
means
that
though
probably
widespread
many
incidents
often
go
unreported.
Research
is
needed
which
deals
withbatterers’
experience
of violence,
both
violence
they
have
inflicted
and
suffered.
The
writer
recommends
that
mformation
should
be
obtained
from
both
batterers
and
victims
and
that
more
detailed
surveys
of
the
distnbution
of
the
pro-
blem
in
the
general
population
are
reqmred
Social
workers,
I
think,
will
note
that
this
chapter
refers
to
ways
of removing
violent
family
members
and
of helping
families
when
victims
choose
to
remain
with
them.
Another
chapter
deals
with
help
given
to
victims
of
rape,
often
by
volunteers
rather
than
professional
agencies.
Does
this
give
us
cause
for
thought?
The
chapter
on
work
with
mentally
abnormal
offenders
m
restnctive
penal
settings
cer-
tainly
should.
A
further
chapter
makes
the
point
that
in
the
case
of
‘dangerous’
mentally
abnormal
offenders
there
is
close
interaction
between
public
policy
and
their
fate
as
individuals.
It
is
argued
that
mdetermmate
periods
of
confinement
should
not
be
sanctioned
and
there
should
be
a
move
away
from
labellmg
individuals
as
dangerous
and
towards
specifying
situations
in
which
violent
behaviour
is
more
likely.
Preparation
for
discharge
should
be
much
more
thorough
and
should
aim
at
effective
social
functioning.
More
support
for
ex-prisoners
was
needed
in
the
initial
stages
of
return
to
the
com-
munity.
Several
contributors
take
a
relativistic
view
of
violence,
that
is
that
social
judgements
of
acts
labelled
as
violent
are
very
important
They
depend
on
such
factors
as
the
mtensity
of assailants’
responses,
the
level
of the
display
of
injury
or
pain
by
the
victim,
the
sex,
age
and
social
class
of
the
assailant.
The
characteristics
of the
observer
will
determine
to
some
extent
the
attribution
that
is
made.
People
tend
to
interpret
observed
behaviours
in
terms
of
what
they
might
do
themselves
in
a
similar
situation.
Social
work
practitioners
should
find
it
profitable
to
study
this
book
written
by
members
of
research
departments
and
of other
disciplines
and
to
pursue
the
implications
of their
findings
and
recommen-
dations
for
practice
It
is
not always
easy
to
do this
but
the
contributors
deal
both with
explanations
of
violent
behaviour
and
implications
for
interven-
time
methods
and
(very
important
this)
for
policy.
Workers
in
prisons
and
hospitals
should
find
the
book
of particular
interest
but
it
will
also
be
helpful
to
those
ready
to
question
theories
and
practices
which
we
take
for
granted
PETER
DAY
University
of Hull
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