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Research suggests there is a link between trauma and violence, although the nature of the relationship is rather equivocal. This study explored this relationship by examining self-reported trauma as a predictor of self-reported violence in 93 jail inmates. Ninety-six percent of the sample reported experiencing a traumatic event, and 67% reported having been violent during the year preceding incarceration. Inmates reporting trauma were more than twice as likely to report having been violent than nonviolent. Stepwise multiple regression analyses suggested traumatic events, as a combined model, significantly contributed to violence perpetration. In addition, witnessing serious violence predicted perpetration of violence. Implications and limitations of the present study are discussed.

The authors examined the relationship between jurors' locus of control and defendants' attractiveness in death penalty sentencing. Ninety-eight participants voluntarily served as mock jurors. The authors administered J. B. Rotter's (1966) Internal-External Locus of Control Scale to participants and then randomly assigned them to a group with either an attractive or an unattractive defendant (represented by photographs). Participants read a murder vignette and selected a punishment--either a lifetime jail sentence or the death penalty-for the defendant. Results indicated that neither jurors' locus of control nor defendants' attractiveness influenced sentencing. However, jurors' age and gender significantly influenced sentencing. Men, with the exception of the youngest men, were more likely than women to choose the death penalty. Additionally, young women were more likely than older women to select the death penalty. The authors discuss the implications of these results for the study of jury behavior and bias.

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E. I. Megargee (2004) developed a Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI-2) Infrequency scale for use in criminal settings called the Criminal Offender Infrequency (Fc) scale. This study compared Fc with 7 other MMPI-2 validity scales in detecting malingering by obtaining archival data from evaluations of male inmates that used the MMPI-2 and the Structured Interview of Reported Symptoms (SIRS). Participants were placed into groups based on the SIRS results: feigning, honest, or indeterminate. Prediction accuracy analyses were conducted for the MMPI-2 scales in differentiating honest from feigning participants. A cutoff of Fc > 14 produced the highest hit rate of any cutoff on all of the scales examined. Results from this study suggest Fc may be a useful addition to the MMPI-2 for detecting malingering in criminal settings.

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Including a female cotherapist in a group of child molesters can assist in generating valuable transference issues, as well as modeling appropriate social interactions between men and women. The benefits and frustrations of being a female cotherapist in a group of child molesters are examined. The significance of the interaction between the male and female cotherapists is discussed. Case examples are used to illustrate these points.Recently there has been a great interest in the problem of sexual abuse of children by adults. Current statistics suggest that the prevalence of sexual abuse in nonclinical populations ranges from 7.7% to 38% (Salter, 1988). Salter contended that higher rates may be reported in clinical populations because of the nature of the problems associated with sexual abuse. However, given these statistics, one can estimate that 8%-38% of men and women in this country have been sexually abused. It seems reasonable to assume that these figures may be lower than would be expected in a clinical population. Child molestation seems to be the most prevalent of the sexual crimes and, given the nature of the crime, the most traumatic. As a result, professionals are beginning to focus more attention on the assessment and treatment of child molesters. The most common deterrent for a sexual crime has traditionally been incarceration. However, professionals are beginning to question the therapeutic value of incarceration and are becoming more optimistic that these offenders can be rehabilitated (Abel, Mittelman, & Becker, 1985).Treatment providers have many opinions regarding the most effective treatment approach for child molesters. Group psychotherapy is one of the chosen forms of treatment for child molesters. There is some agreement in the field that group therapy provides the child molester with a therapeutic environment in which to work effectively on various issues, whereas individual therapy used alone would be ineffective (Knopp, 1984). We examine the importance of having a woman as a cotherapist in a group therapy setting for child molesters, and we also address the benefits and frustrations for both therapists. To illustrate our discussion, we use case examples from a child molesters' group.