Guest editorial

Date02 May 2017
Pages69-69
DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1108/JCP-01-2017-0003
Published date02 May 2017
AuthorMatt DeLisi
Subject MatterHealth & social care,Criminology & forensic psychology,Criminal psychology,Sociology,Sociology of crime & law,Deviant behaviour,Public policy & environmental management,Policing,Criminal justice
Matt DeLisi
Pathology, psychopathology, and pathological offending
In terms of scholarly mission, focus on more forensic-related topics, and fascination factor,
few journals rival the Journal of Criminal Psychology. For these reasons, I am thrilled to serve as
Guest Editor of this special issue on Pathological offendingwhich contains six outstanding
papers. Although each paper is distinct,there are common themes that emerge in understanding
the etiology and course of severe antisocial conduct and pathological offending. It is clear that
temperamental deficits particularly low effortful control and high negativeemotionality are potent
distal predictors of antisociality. Various adverse childhood experiences, particularly
sexual abuse, is also recurrent in the lives of serious offenders and appears to inform
the sequela associated with severe sexual violence. And the studies show the heterogeneity of
the criminal population even within relatively enriched samples of the most serious, chronic,
and violent persons.
In The interplay between early language and temperamental deficits in the prediction of severe
antisocial behavior among males,Jackson analyzed data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal
Study, Birth Cohort and found that males with various language deficits had more frequent and
severe externalizing behaviors, however the effect was only found for those negative affective
temperamental features. In Distinguishing homicide, violent sexual, and violent juvenile offending
using data from over 30,000 violent juvenile offenders including nearly 400 juvenile homicide
offenders, Baglivio and colleagues found that temperamental constructs such as effortful control and
negative emotionality were important in distinguishing subtypes among violent youth.
In their study Recidivism of juvenile homicide offenders,Trulson and Ca udill examined the
recidivism outcomes of 247 juvenile homicide offendersand found evidence that pre-confinement
neglect and assaultive misconduct during confinement increased the likelihood of post-release
recidivism. Using data from federal sex offenders in Adverse childhood experiences, paraphilias,
and serious criminal violence among federal sex offenders,Drury and colleagues examined
adverse childhoodexperiences, paraphilias, and involvement in serious violence,such as murder,
rape, and kidnaping. Sexualsadism emerged as a strong predictor of serious violence along with
criminal career dimensions, such as early arrest onset. In Sadism in sexual homicide offenders:
identifyingdistinct groups,Beauregardand colleagues studied350 cases of sexual homicidefrom
Canada and found differential evidence of sexualsadism among the offenders including a severe
subgroup that was highly sadistic and severe in offending frequency. In What makes
a difference? Evaluating the key distinctions and predictors of sexual and non-sexual offending
among male and femalejuvenile offenders,Fox studied morethan 64,000 juvenile offenders and
found that several formsof psychopathology and sexual abuse victimization were associated with
subsequent sexual offending.
I have previously implored criminology to devote more scholarly attention to the most severe,
violentoffenders (DeLisi, 2015) andam proud of the fascinating,empirically rigorous, andimportant
papers in this specialissue. They have found a perfect home in the Journal of Criminal P sychology!
Reference
DeLisi, M. (2015), Rape, murder! Its just a shot away,Journal of Criminal Justice, Vol. 2 No. 43, pp. 152-3.
Matt DeLisi is a Professor and
Coordinator of Criminal Justice
Studies at the Department of
Sociology, Iowa State
University, Ames, Iowa, USA.
DOI 10.1108/JCP-01-2017-0003 VOL. 7 NO. 2 2017, p. 69, © Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 2009-3829
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JOURNAL OF CRIMINAL PSYCHOLOGY
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