Ira J. Silverman

Childhood Cruelty to Animals and Subsequent Violence against Humans

Recent studies have offered compelling evidence supporting a relationship between childhood cruelty to animals and later violence against humans. This study investigated whether violent offenders were significantly more likely than nonviolent offenders to have abused animals of various types during childhood. Interviews were conducted with 45 violent and 45 nonviolent offenders incarcerated in a maximum-security prison and randomly selected for this study by institutional staff members. Two data collection instruments were used. The first extracted demographic and social history from the participants. The second was used to gather information regarding cruelty to animals as categorized into four types (wild, farm, pet, and stray). Results indicated that a statistically significant relationship existed between childhood cruelty to animals and later violence against humans. Furthermore, the study found, consistent with prior research, that violent offenders were significantly more likely than nonviolent offenders to have committed acts of cruelty toward pet animals as children.

Substance Use/Misuse among Female Prostitutes and Female Arrestees

The literature has documented the correlation between prostitution and drug use/misuse. This study probed demographics, drug use experimentation and frequency, age of first drug use, and drug use treatment among 53 female prostitutes and 47 female arrestees. The results indicated that: 1) prostitutes were likely to drop out of school; 2) significantly more prostitutes had tried drugs, had used drugs with greater frequency and had begun drug/alcohol use at younger ages. These results imply that: 1) early drug/alcohol use and withdrawal from school could leave young women vulnerable and at higher risk of becoming involved in prostitution; and 2) drug use treatment and intervention needs to begin at younger ages.

The Influence of Substance Use among Adult Female Inmates

Using a 90% sample (1,076) of the women incarcerated in August 1985 in Florida prisons, and a “non-use, casual/recreational use, problem use” typology, the extent of substance abuse was found to be inversely related to age at first arrest as an adult, age at incarceration, and employment at time of arrest. Extent of substance use was directly related to number and percent of prior offenses and incarcerations, broken parental home, and criminality in the family of origin. Even though non-users were more likely to be convicted of homicide, casual/recreational users were the most violent. No evidence was found for an increase in substance use/abuse between 1975 and 1985.

Important Links between Child Abuse, Neglect, and Delinquency

Many studies over the last 40 years have suggested links between child maltreatment and later delinquency. However, these studies have frequently been methodologically weak. The present study investigated the linkage between child abuse and delinquency using a randomly selected sample of children from a cohort who attended schools in West Central Florida. This study found a significant relationship between abuse and delinquency.

Women, Crime and Drugs

This paper is directed towards an examination of the relationship between substance abuse among women and related patterns of crime. Women are still primarily property offenders and juvenile offenders are still predominantly taken into custody for larceny/theft and running away from home. In contrast to males, female addicts are likely to be younger, white, and less dependent on illegal activities for income. Their choice of criminal activities is consistent with their skills and opportunities which explains their involvement in prostitution, larceny/theft, and drug sales. Estimates of the extent of female addict participation in prostitution as well as other offenses varies extensively because of the failure to clarify whether these figures refer to exclusive, primary, or secondary participation. Two typologies are examined to help clarify this question.

Alcohol and Drug Use among Abused Women Who Kill, Abused Women Who Don't, and Their Abusers:

Interviews were conducted with forty-two women with extensive abuse histories who had killed their intimates and fifty-nine women with similar abuse histories who were in shelters for battered women. Controlling for demographic and other differences, analyses indicated that alcohol and other drug use ably distinguished between the two groups of women (correctly classifying 89% of the cases), and that alcohol use was more salient than other drug use. The partners alcohol use and the respondents alcohol use were significantly higher among the intimate homicide group, suggesting an association between intimate homicide and alcohol use. Alcohol counseling should, therefore, be a significant part of programs for both battered women and for men who batter.

CHARACTERISTICS OF INCARCERATED OUTLAW BIKERS AS COMPARED TO NONBIKER INMATES

Abstract Outlaw bikers have been described by various participant observation studies. To confirm empirically these observations and gather further data, incarcerated bikers and nonbiker inmates throughout the United States were surveyed. Discriminant analyses indicated that as compared to nonbikers, biker inmates were significantly more likely to be younger and be white, report a violent crime as their most serious offense, and report less time spent in juvenile institutions. They were also found to place a higher value on toughness, excitement, fate, and group autonomy. These findings suggest the existence of a distinct outlaw biker counterculture. Implications of these findings for further research are drawn.

A study of female robbers in a Southern Correctional Institution

Abstract A stratified random sample of thirty-three female robbers incarcerated at the Florida Correctional Institute at Lowell was selected and interviewed. The findings indicated that the majority of the sample was black, under thirty, of average intelligence, and single. The female robber was typically found to operate with an accomplice, use a firearm, and be motivated by a desire for financial gain. A preliminary typology that included two major categories, situational robbers and career robbers, was developed.

A survey of cohabitation on two college campuses

Cohabitation emerged in the late 1960s because of relaxed housing rules, the availability of the “pill,” a philosophy held by a plurality of students regarding the desirability of sex accompanying affection, and, perhaps, a need on the part of some students for a primary relationship. Some empirical data on the climate in which cohabitation emerged on two colleges are presented. A limited portrait of some of the characteristics of students who would cohabit or had cohabitated and the conditions under which they would consider entering into this arrangement is also provided. Data from this study revealed that a plurality of students on both campuses felt that cohabitation was acceptable when it was part of a relationship involving either planned marriage or affection. In addition, willingness to cohabit as well as cohabitation was more common among (1) males than females, (2) Jewish than Catholic and Protestant students, and (3) low church attendance students than high church attendance students. Between 10% and 15% of the students on the campuses were cohabiting.