Arson: characteristics and predisposing factors in offenders with intellectual disabilities

Devapriam, John; Raju, Lammata Bala; Singh, Niraj Kumar; Collacott, R. A.; Bhaumik, Sabyasachi

doi:10.1108/14636646200700023

Cited by 24 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…Furthermore, methodological issues persist, such as small participant numbers (Kunz et al, 2004;Alexander et al, 2006;Devapriam et al, 2007;Mannysalo et al, 2009;Lidher et al, 2005) resulting in a reduction in power and options for statistical analysis, and ultimately the confidence one can place in the findings. In the one study using a larger sample size , conducting a multiple number of statistical comparisons led to a greater probability of a type I error.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…BPD and ASPD tended to be the most commonly diagnosed PDs when looking at characteristics and predisposing factors in offenders with ID (Devapriam et al, 2007;Mannysalo …”

Section: File Information Cgimentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The bulk of the remaining studies were retrospective, meaning they were based on file information (Lindsay et al, , 2007Mannysalo et al, 2009;Devapriam et al, 2007;Hogue et al, 2006). In direct contrast to Lunsky et al (2009, 2011 studied 164 men from three forensic ID services, comparing the prevalence of PD between forensic community, medium/low and high secure settings.…”

Section: Prevalence Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Intellectual disability, personality disorder and offending: a systematic review

Rayner

Wood

Beail

et al. 2015

Advances in Mental Health and Intellectual Disabilities

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Purpose -This review seeks to systematically review studies where personality disorder has been explored as a descriptive or possible predictive factor in offending behaviour in people with an intellectual disability. The papar aims to discuss this issue. Design/methodology/approach -A systematic search of several databases was conducted and 15 studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in this review. Findings -Methodological limitations and problems in accurate diagnosis within this client group preclude firm conclusions being reached. Originality/value -It is concluded that further research should be conducted, with particular attention paid to the conceptualisation and assessment of personality disorder.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…BPD and ASPD tended to be the most commonly diagnosed PDs when looking at characteristics and predisposing factors in offenders with ID (Devapriam et al, 2007;Mannysalo …”

Section: File Information Cgimentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Prevalence Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Intellectual disability, personality disorder and offending: a systematic review

Rayner

Wood

Beail

et al. 2015

Advances in Mental Health and Intellectual Disabilities

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“…Similarly, given that there appears to be some relationship between deliberate fire-setting and intellectual disability, it is unclear whether a significant proportion of firesetters would have the verbal skills to articulate something as complex as offending motivation (Devapriam, Raju, Singh, Collacott, & Bhaumik, 2007). Even if motive could be accurately inferred from behaviour rather than self-report, it is of limited value to risk assessment unless specific motivational types can be shown to be more or less likely to reoffend.…”

Section: Offence-related Cognitionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Risk Factors for Recidivistic Arson in Adult Offenders

Doley

Fineman

Fritzon

et al. 2011

Psychiatry, Psychology and Law

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This article reviews the current literature on known risk factors for recidivistic arson, with a particular focus on factors that could be used to differentiate serial from 'one-off' arson offenders. The relevance of risk factors for general reoffending to recidivistic arson is discussed, including the role of criminal history, mental illness, and sociodemographic factors. The specific roles of offence related affect, cognitions, and the offender's interest in fire are considered, with recommendations for how theories from other areas of forensic psychology, such as the sex offender assessment and treatment literature, might be applied to the issue of deliberate fire-setting. Finally, protective factors are briefly discussed and the need for a structured risk assessment tool for deliberate fire-setters is canvassed. Given that research into risk and recidivism in fire-setting is underdeveloped, suggestions are made throughout the review for the focus of future research into risk factors for serial arson. consider what is known about factors associated with risk of repeat (serial) fire-setting behaviour in adult offenders. For the purposes of discussion, the terms "arson" and "firesetting" will be used interchangeably throughout although it is acknowledged that arson is a legal definition while fire-setting describes the behaviour itself.The issue of differentiating between serial and one-time arsonists has not been well canvassed in the literature. There are inherent difficulties with this distinction oriented around the secretive nature of the offence and the difficulties in detecting and apprehending firesetters. It seems likely that an individual's first fire-related conviction is not likely to be their first fire offence, but we rely on self-report data, with all the limitations this implies, to lend weight to that hypothesis. Nevertheless, some factors have been found to be relevant in differentiating repeat and one-time arsonists. In discussing risk factors it is necessary to consider those issues that relate to likelihood of further fire setting as well as those that specifically concern level of harm caused by the fire (Dickens, Sugarman, Edgar et al., 2009). It is likely that differences in rates may be due to population differences with mentally disordered samples perhaps exhibiting somewhat lower rates as a result of positive response to psychotherapeutic/pharmacological interventions. However, it appears that mental disorder in and of itself is not necessarily predictive of reoffending generally (see Barnett, Richter, et al., 1997). Certainly, at least one review has queried support for the notion of arsonists as dangerous recidivists (Brett, 2004) and, in general, it appears that arsonists will typically commit more than one arson offence, but that previous arson offending is not necessarily prognostic of future arson activity.The literature on repeat fire-setting has been hampered in part by inconsistent definitions of recidivism and contrasting sources of data. Some authors have relied on ...

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“…For example, they each had several different motivations for fire-setting, such as problems identifying events, feelings and cognitions following the fire-setting, and two of those interviewed reported a co-morbid mental illness. In addition, Devapriam, Raju, Singh, Collacott, and Bhaumik (2007) reported that arsonists with intellectual disability are likely to repeat fire-setting behaviour, as well as engage in other offending. Combined, these findings are consistent with Taylor, Thorne, Robertson, and Avery (2002), who argued that fire-setters and arsonists with intellectual disability present a set of complex needs that must be addressed in effective and evidence-based service provision and treatment.…”

mentioning

confidence: 97%

Looking for a Needle in the Haystack: Arsonists with Intellectual Disability in Australia

Curtis

Day

2014

Psychiatry, Psychology and Law

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Arson attracts substantial penalties in Australia, reflecting the serious consequences of the crime. It is often asserted that people with intellectual disability are particularly likely to commit arson offences, and yet it is difficult to establish the prevalence in this population. This study sought to describe the characteristics of those people appearing in Australian Courts who have an intellectual disability and have been charged with arson. A search of the AustLII, LexisNexisAU and WestLawAU databases over the 10-year period from 2003 to 2013 identified 50 arson convictions reported in case law. Of these, six involved an offender with an identified intellectual disability. These offenders were likely to have committed other crimes at the time, or to have prior offences and were likely to receive longer sentences of imprisonment than their non-intellectually disabled counterparts. These findings are discussed in terms of the barriers that exist to understanding more about this underresearched population.

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Arson: characteristics and predisposing factors in offenders with intellectual disabilities

Cited by 24 publications

References 13 publications

Intellectual disability, personality disorder and offending: a systematic review

Intellectual disability, personality disorder and offending: a systematic review

Risk Factors for Recidivistic Arson in Adult Offenders

Looking for a Needle in the Haystack: Arsonists with Intellectual Disability in Australia

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