V. Stallone

Juvenile sex offenders: Personality profile, coping styles and parental care

In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in juvenile sex offenders showing that this population is highly heterogeneous. The aim of the present study was to identify possible different profiles that could help understand the motivation behind offending, comparing 31 Juvenile Sexual Offenders (JSOs), 31 Juvenile Sexual Non Offenders (JSNOs) and 31 Juvenile Non Offenders (Control Group). A data collection form, the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-Adolescent (MMPI-A) or Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2), the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (CISS) and the Parental Bonding Inventory (PBI) were administered to all participants. The results show that JSOs differs from JNSOs in some domains, such as living in single-parent homes, while maintain some common aspects such as academic failure and previous sexual intercourse. Moreover, JNSOs showed more abnormal personality traits, such as Authority Problems, MacAndrew Alcoholism, Acknowledgement and Alcohol-Drug Problem Proneness compared to JSOs and the Control Group, while JSOs and JNSOs use a coping strategy more oriented to Avoidance and Distraction compared to the Control group. Finally, JSOs described the relationships with fathers characterized by higher care and protection than JNSOs. These findings provide additional evidence with respect the prevention and treatment of criminal sexual behavior in adolescent.

Incarcerated Foreign Minors in Italy: How to Treat them?

The aim of this study is to provide data regarding the treatment of foreign juveniles in the Italian justice system. The authors examined the records from juvenile detention centers and primary juvenile reception centers in Italy in order to gain a better understanding of how foreign minors are treated with respect to their Italian counterparts. Statistical analysis was then carried out and the results revealed many inequalities. The authors believe that it is important to create secondary and tertiary prevention services in order to decrease the likelihood of recidivism, and to promote the minors integration into the social fabric of their adopted country. Foreign minors are more frequently placed in jail than their Italian counterparts. The authors conclude that only through the development of a united partnership can a welcoming network be created: one that is able to pick up on the first signs of trouble that often confront foreign minors.