The detection of differential item functioning (DIF) is important in psychological and behavioral sciences. Standard DIF detection methods perform an item-by-item test iteratively, often assuming that all items except the one under investigation are DIF-free. This article proposes a Bayesian adaptive Lasso method to detect DIF in graded response…

Existing studies of reentry programs in the United States focus on the successes and failures of reentering offenders when compared to matched reentering offenders who did not receive structured reentry services. Little attention has been focused solely on the reentry participants themselves, and on how the level of program exposure may be related…

Eighty-one 13- to 14-year-old boys at risk for delinquency (target boys) engaged in brief dyadic conversations with their peer friends. The target boys' verbal behavior was coded into two mutually exclusive content categories, rule-break talk and normative talk. Positive social responses from peer boys for each category of talk were also recorded,…

Social learning theory provides a useful conceptual framework for understanding abuse and the teaching and learning of antisocial or criminal behavior in young offenders. This article examines social learning theory and the quality of parent-child relationships from the perspective of behavioral analysis, and provides a rationale for a…

This investigation examines WAIS performance in groups of 32 sociopaths and 33 normal controls defined by Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory criteria. Sociopaths and normal controls show no differences in overall level of intellectual functioning. (Author)

Available from: Behavioral Disorders, Council for Exceptional Children, 1920 Association Drive, Reston, Virginia 22091. The whole behavioral ecology of a high juvenile crime community in East Los Angeles (California) is being studied so that preventative strategies can be implemented to encourage the learning of incompatible, nondelinquent…

This paper develops some ideas in Matza's Neutralization Theory into a continuum containing four categories ranging from extreme goodness to rebellion. It was hypothesized that involvement in delinquency would increase progressively across these four categories. (Author/KC)

Until recently, attempts to understand and explain criminal offending have been grounded in theories from sociological, legal, and psychological perspectives. In the preceding twenty years, or so, however, some research in the field has endeavored to look at offending from a psychobiological viewpoint. This research concerns the potential…

Reports on the analysis of 27 behavior modification programs for delinquents. Findings reveal that a low percentage of the programs have followup mechanisms and that the behavior which is modified is often not that which caused the problem. (CP)

The Kvaraceus Delinquency Proneness Scale (KD Scale) was developed as an instrument designed to aid in prediction of future juvenile delinquents. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the predictive validity of the instrument over a 5-year period. Indexes of delinquency adjustment and academic achievement served as the validational…

Techniques recommended for establishing and maintaining rapport with deviant groups focus on overcoming problems of social distance and mistrust. Although based on experience with juvenile delinquents and drug addicts, the suggestions made are held to offer potential for wider applicability. (RJ)

Problems in conducting research with public offenders include lack of: a systematic body of knowledge, avenues of dissemination of information, a data base describing the situation, and communication between researchers and criminal justice staff members. Ethical concerns need to be dealt with. (Author)