ISSN: 0022-1198
CODEN: JFSCA
Page Count: 4

Criminals' Explanations of Their Criminal Behavior, III: The Effects of Time and Context
Harry, B
Associate professor of Psychiatry, Instructor of Statistics, Professor of Statistics, University of Missouri, MO

Hewett, J
Associate professor of Psychiatry, Instructor of Statistics, Professor of Statistics, University of Missouri, MO

Molitor, J
Associate professor of Psychiatry, Instructor of Statistics, Professor of Statistics, University of Missouri, MO

Reid, J
Professor of Education and Psychiatry, University of Missouri, MO

(Received 21 March 2000; accepted 10 July 2000)

Abstract

The authors looked at the explanations for their index of violent crimes as given by 69 incarcerated violent male offenders, respectively. We then examined the extent to which those explanations changed with the passing of time and with change in context. We found that explanations of impaired internal control increased with the passing of time, and that such explanation was given more often to mental health professionals rather than law enforcement professionals. Finally, we found that our subjects tended to give mental health professionals fewer explanations involving external control with the passing of time.

Keywords:
forensic science, criminals, explanations, crime, violence, mental disorder, forensic psychiatry, forensic psychology

Paper ID: JFS15005J
DOI: 10.1520/JFS15005J
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