Sarah Ben-David

The two facets of female violence: The public and the domestic domains

Violent behavior of women varies significantly in the public and private domains. Criminal statistics indicate a relatively low proportion of women among violent offenders in the public domain, while in the domestic and/or private domain statistics reflect almost no gender difference in violent behavior. The following paper proposes a dynamic model which draws upon psychological and sociological variables and suggests that the clue for understanding the paradoxical phenomenon lies in the relative importance the domestic domain plays in the womans value structure. Among the variables considered were: social learning patterns regarding violent behavior; perception of danger; and the ways in which women express their frustration and/or anger.

Staff-to-Inmates Relations in a Total Institution: A Model of Five Modes of Association

The findings presented in the following paper suggest that contrary to Goffmans description of staff-inmate relations in total institutions, the social relations between prison staff members and prisoners are diverse and not necessarily fixed and/or hostile. The paper describes five relationship prototypes ranging from the Punitive Relations Prototype to the Integrative Relation Prototype. The prototypes are measured by staff perception of the inmates; orientation of the relationship; relations model; and social distance. The findings were gathered and confirmed by three phases of research: participant observation; staff questionnaire; and inmate interviews.

Fearful Custodial or Fearless Personal Relations: Prison Guards' Fear as a Factor Shaping Staff-Inmate Relation Prototype

A previous article described five relationship prototypes, ranging from punitive to integrative, that exist between prison staff and inmates. The present study describes the relationship between these prototypes and anxiety that results from personal, professional, and job insecurity. The greater this anxiety and insecurity, the more likely a staff member is to be punitively oriented. In recent years, there has been a revival of the rehabilitation orientation in the criminal justice system The results suggest that unless measures are taken to reduce anxiety and insecurity among prison staff they will be unable to tolerate the close staff-inmate relations necessary in a rehabilitation-oriented institution.

In Quest of a Lost Father? Inmates' Preferences of Staff Relation in a Psychiatric Prison Ward

The findings presented in the following paper suggest that staff members and prison inmates do not agree regarding preferred qualities of staff-inmate relationships. Staff members believe that the crucial relationship qualities in the context of a correctional institution are involvement; support; inmate autonomy; an antiauthoritarian position; and that the relationship should be of a friendly, informal nature, with a low degree of staff control of inmates. By contrast, prison inmates prefer to experience a staff member as an authoritarian patron in an apparent wish to be controlled by a clear, definite set of rules and expectations. It would appear that with regard to the inmates, the slightly modified Goffmanian style of relationship, especially as it pertains to definite boundaries, endures and perhaps predominates. The research was conducted in the psychiatric ward of the Mental Health and Clinical Criminology Center affiliated with the Israel Prison Service.

A Comparative Analysis of Delinquency Among Youth From the Former Soviet Union and From Ethiopia in Israel

Israel is a nation characterized by great ethnic complexity. It consists of the dominant group of native Israelis and various other immigrant ethnic groups from the former Soviet Union (FSU) and the immigrants from Ethiopia. These 2 immigrant ethnic groups differ from each other both with regard to their adaptation to and the impact of Israeli society on them. The aim of the present article is to examine the delinquency among youth from the FSU and from Ethiopia in Israel and factors that may influence their delinquency. The analysis of official data and self-reported studies indicate that the youths from the FSU and Ethiopia are overrepresented in delinquency and this can be attributed to risk factors related to the lack of integration in the Israeli society.

Interaction in Violence

The aim of the study is the examination of the actual process of eruption of the violent act. The study, therefore, concentrates on a stimulus-response interaction and examines the nature of the provocation, the nature of the reaction, and the relationship between the two factors. These three components constitute one cycle, and each cycle acts as a stimulus to the subsequent one. If the first cycle of interaction is not clear to the parties, the interaction will tend to escalate in its intensity until the meaning of Alters action is clarified; then, if it is perceived as provoking it could erupt into violence. Or, if Alters meaning was finally defined by Ego as neutral or friendly, the tension will subside and jocular friendship might ensue. However, if the interaction is still ambiguous, the initial cycles might be forgotten, and the subsequent cycles, even if ambiguous, will be defined as provoking, and violence may erupt.

Fear of Terrorism: Coping Paradox and Gender

Terrorism is psychological warfare waged on the public mind for political gains. Its aim is to paralyse the population with fear and anxiety,1 to intimidate and to induce a sense of vulnerability2 worry and concern that is disproportional to and far exceeds the actual damage it causes.3 Terrorists terrorize by using threats or physical actions to kill and injure innocent people. In other words, although terrorist acts injure and kill some victims, their ultimate goal is to cause a sense of fear, anxiety, helplessness and vulnerability among the general population. As a result, these acts evoke feelings of potential victimization4 unrelated to the actual probability of becoming a victim.5 (The fact that terrorist attacks are unpredictable creates a perception of uncontrollability, which affects one’s capability of coping with the threat.6)

Elaborations on Sexual Assault on Dates Among Israeli Students Risk, Detrimental Effect, and Resilience Factors

The current study of 668 Israeli male and female students examines the prevalence of gendered risk factors for sexual assault (SA) on dates, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a detrimental effect of SA, and self-efficacy as resiliency to refuse unwanted sex following SA. Two different sets of risk factors that increased the likelihood of SA on dates emerged from the hierarchical regression. Sexual experience, use of drugs, and private location increased the risk of being SA victims among males, whereas sexual experience, perceived provocative behavior, and alcohol use increased the risk among females. In addition, PTSD and self-efficacy to refuse unwanted sex following SA on dates were predicted by the extent of coercive sexual victimization. PTSD was also predicted by subjective perception of sexual behavior and rape myths, whereas efficacy was predicted by private location. The findings contribute to the literature by showing the contribution of various risk factors to experiencing SA, and by showing SA effect on PTSD and self-efficacy.

Authoritarianism, Ethnic Affiliation, Level of Religiosity, and Authority-Exercising Styles of Educational Instructors in Juvenile Correctional Institutions

This study investigated authoritarian personality, ethnicity, and religiosity as predictors of educational instructors’ authority-exercising style in disciplinary encounters in juvenile correctional institutions. Participants were all 320 educational instructors from all 56 juvenile correctional institutions in Israel. Research findings indicated that educational instructors with a high level of authoritarianism responded with more power assertion and withdrawal during disciplinary encounters, whereas instructors with a low level of authoritarianism responded with induction during these events. In addition, ethnicity and level of religiosity predicted exercising of authority. Arab as well as Jewish religious instructors were more inclined to respond with power assertion during disciplinary encounters. The present study attempts to interconnect personality and environmental and behavioral characteristics and calls for follow-up research on educational instructors’ behaviors in juvenile correctional institutions.

Mechanism of Bystander-Blaming Defensive Attribution, Counterfactual Thinking, and Gender

Contemporary victimology recognizes that an understanding of the mechanism of blaming requires a comprehensive approach that includes the victim, the offender, and the bystander. However, most of the existing research on blaming focuses on the victim and the offender, ignoring the issue of bystander-blaming. This study highlights the bystander and investigates bystander-blaming by exploring some theoretical explanations, including counterfactual thinking, defensive attribution, and gender differences. The study included 363 young male and female participants, who read vignettes describing the behavior of the victim and the bystander in a rape scenario and answered questions regarding bystander-blaming. The results show that both counterfactual thinking and defensive attribution play a role in bystander-blaming. This article addresses the theoretical and practical implications of these findings.