By Sarah Lageson and Robert Apel

Employment discrimination from a criminal record is a salient social fact, evidenced by a robust body of experimental research. In Part 1 of this study, we analyze prior criminal record hiring experiments—comprising in-person audits, online audits, and opt-in surveys—to describe patterns over time in employer receptivity to applicants of different races with criminal records. In Part 2, we use a novel experimental survey of 1080 employers to measure how differences in the signaling of a criminal record impact the criminal record–employment relationship. Our results reveal a substantial hiring penalty for an official criminal record (conveyed by a background check report), with a smaller but still significant penalty for an unofficial criminal record (an Internet search engine “hit”). The experiment also shows that the official criminal record penalty is significantly larger for White applicants than for Black applicants. Although the latter finding was counter to expectations informed by prior studies, it is less surprising considering our Part 1 findings, which reveal a closing racial gap in the criminal record penalty during the last 20 years. We discuss how broader legal, social, and technological changes, as well as changes in methodologies, impact our understanding today of criminal records, race, and employment.

Criminology, Volume 63, Issue 2 May 2025 Pages 382-410

By Stan Gilmour

This briefing paper examines the emerging framework of "violence informed approaches" as a critical development in understanding and responding to violence, particularly in the context of preventing criminalisation in the UK. Traditional approaches to violence prevention have often focused on individualised explanations, frequently obscuring the broader social, political, and economic contexts in which violence occurs. Whilst trauma-informed approaches have gained significant traction, they have been critiqued for sometimes inadvertently pathologising  individuals and focusing on psychological impacts rather than addressing structural causes. Violence-informed approaches build upon and extend these frameworks by offering a more explicitly political and contextual analysis of violence and its social determinants. This briefing draws on the foundational work of Professor Stan Gilmour (2025) on violence-informed approaches to preventing criminalisation¹⁶, integrating this with current evidence, research, policy, and practice in the UK to outline the theoretical underpinnings, key characteristics, and practical applications of this emerging framework.  

Milton Keynes, UK: Oxon Advisory, 2025. 14p.

By Makayla Burden; Ariel L. Roddy

Using General Strain Theory as a framework, this study examines the direct effects of seven categories of strain that fall under three broad domains, negative emotions, and substance use on Indigenous youths’ delinquency. Additionally, the cumulative impact of experiencing more than one domain or category is evaluated. Cultural connectedness and support systems are assessed as potential protective factors. Using a sample of Indigenous youth (N = 359) in the United States, this study employs multiple imputation, correlations, and stepwise negative binomial regressions to address the research questions. Results show that few individual strain domains and categories were significant predictors of delinquency. However, there was a cumulative effect of strain where, as the number of domains or categories experienced increases, so did the likelihood of delinquency. Negative emotions were not associated with delinquency and there was limited support for cultural connectedness and support systems’ ability to buffer against delinquent behaviors. Finally, substance use was strongly associated with delinquency. Therefore, there is merit in using the GST framework to examine Indigenous youth delinquency through a cultural lens. However, more culturally integrated research needs to be conducted to fully understand Indigenous youth’s strain and delinquency, and what should be done to provide further support.

Deviant Behavior, 1–21.2025

By Takashi Mitsuhashi, Hitoshi Mitsuhashi, Masahiko Urao

Rule-breaking, a significant workplace safety threat, is often shaped by social influences, with employees more likely to engage in violations when exposed to similar behaviors among peers. Prior research has largely treated peer rule-breaking as uniformly influential, overlooking how situational factors and the perceived motives behind violations shape contagion effects. This study examines how peer effects influence employees’ rule-breaking behaviors, particularly when employees are exposed to peers’ rule-breaking in situations where these actions can plausibly be inferred as motivated by prosocial motives. Using longitudinal task-level data on nurses’ rule-breaking during medication administration at a medical facility in Tokyo, we find that a nurse is more likely to break patient identification rules when exposed more to rule-breaking by co-shift peers, especially when exposed in situations where the nurse can infer peers’ prosocial motives. In addition, we also find that peer effects diminish when management policies reduce nurses’ exposure, particularly by transitioning from pair-checking to single-checking procedures. These insights contribute to research on workplace safety and policy interventions to manage deviant behaviors.

Deviant Behavior, 1–25. 2025.

By Kristoffer Aagesen & Jakob Deman

This study examines how Snapchat’s recommendation algorithms facilitate digital drift from legal to illegal activities. Using microsociological observations, we conducted a quasi-experiment with 40 profiles that engaged with gray markets for nicotine vapes and sex work. Within four days, 65% of these profiles were directed to illicit drug sellers, despite no prior engagement with illegal content. Our audit of Snapchat’s affordances highlights their criminogenic potential, showing how platform algorithms can actively steer users toward illicit networks. These findings underscore how social media platforms function not only as offender convergence spaces but also as facilitators of illegal activity.

Deviant Behavior, 1–14. 2025.

By Karen Holt

A dearth of research examines the perceptions of serial homicide offenders directly through qualitative interviews. The current study presents a case study analysis of serial homicide offender, Harold David Haulman. The concept of serial homicide as understood by the offender himself is explored, with the focus on what it means to be a “serial killer” and the acceptance or rejection of that label. Findings revealed that Haulman both actively resists stigma while at times leaning into the “serial killer” label, a label he constructs by drawing from the popular criminological and larger cultural narratives of serial murder.

Deviant Behavior, 1–14. 2025.

By Renata Glavak-Tkalić, Mike Vuolo, Anja Wertag

Background: Nightlife environments, including nightclubs, bars, and entertainment districts, are associated with elevated substance use and related harms. In situ nightlife studies offer an opportunity to capture real-time data on substance use from targeted populations. Despite the growing number of studies, no systematic review has yet been conducted on this topic. Therefore, the aim of this systematic review is to explore empirical in situ research in nightlife settings, with a focus on substance use. Methods: A systematic search was conducted across four databases (WOS, PsycInfo, PubMed, and Google Scholar) for English-language peer-reviewed journal articles published between 2014 and 2023 that involved in situ primary data collection about substance use in nightlife settings. In total, 55 articles met the inclusion criteria. Detailed data were extracted on various aspects, such as study design, recruitment methods, substances reported, and key findings. Results: Included studies represented the United States, Europe, Brazil, and Oceania. Most (93%) employed surveys; over half (56%) also collected biomarkers. Substance use was highest among males, young adults, and sexual minorities, with polydrug use and high-risk behavior particularly prevalent in Electronic Dance Music scenes. Included articles varied substantially in their focus, including prevalence, correlates, patterns, harms, and interventions. Recruitment and reporting methods varied widely, complicating cross-study comparisons. Conclusions: This review highlights both the value and challenges of in situ research. Biomarker data enhance the reliability of self-report measures, while inconsistent reporting and non-random sampling limit generalizability. Future research should adopt standardized reporting guidelines that would allow for stronger evidence, permit reproducibility, and increase transparency

Drug and Alcohol Dependence Reports 8 October 2025, 100387 In Press, Journal Pre-proof

By Losefa Aguirre, Fernanda Ramírez-Espinoza, Roman Andres Zarate

This paper estimates the impact of violence perpetrated by peers and school staff on student victims. Leveraging unique administrative data from Chile that links reports of school violence to individual educational records, we address longstanding data limitations that have constrained empirical research on this issue. Using a matched difference-in-differences design, we find that exposure to school violence has persistent negative effects: absenteeism increases by 46–64%, grade retention rates double, and both grades and test scores decline significantly, with impacts lasting up to four years. In the longer term, victims are substantially less likely to graduate from high school or enroll in university, with violence perpetrated by adults having more severe consequences than peer violence. Complementary survey evidence reveals that reported incidents are associated with increased perceptions of violence and discrimination, as well as decreases in school belonging and teacher expectations. While these psychological and perceptual effects tend to fade after one year, the adverse educational consequences persist, underscoring how brief traumatic experiences can lead to long-lasting educational disadvantages.

IZA DP No. 18126 Bonn: IZA – Institute of Labor Economics, 2025. 87p.

By Jamie O’Halloran and Sebastian Rees

Most people are aware of the health risks of drinking alcohol. Alcohol is known to cause at least seven types of cancer and to be a primary risk factor for more than 30 health conditions. The more alcohol someone drinks, the greater the risk. Despite this, alcohol consumption across the UK remains worryingly high.

The most important fact in this report is that after some years when alcohol consumption was going down in the UK, the trend is now heading in the wrong direction and the health risks are clear. Increased rates of alcohol consumption can already be detected in the rise in both alcohol-related and alcohol-specific mortality since 2019. For example, in 2023, 10,473 people died from alcohol-specific causes in the UK, the highest number on record.

Inequalities

As well as having a deleterious effect on the nation’s health as a whole, harmful levels of alcohol consumption are also a key driver of health inequalities. The health burden of alcohol harm is not spread equally across the UK – people living in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales are more likely to die of alcohol-specific causes than those living in England. 

Impact on the workforce

Leaving aside, for the moment, the impact of people developing onset of chronic health conditions such as cancer, cardiovascular disease and anxiety and depression, which often lead to people leaving the labour market, alcohol consumption also has significant effects on the productivity of those in work. It can increase both:

• absenteeism, where people take time off due to illness and

• presenteeism, where people are at work but their capacity is reduced.

Previous analysis by the Institute of Alcohol Studies estimates that alcohol consumption costs the economy £5.06 billion a year – with 44 per cent of the cost being due to presenteeism.

The current report builds on existing analysis and takes a closer look at the relationship between alcohol consumption and workforce productivity by using data from Understanding Society – a large longitudinal panel survey of UK households – and findings from a specially commissioned survey, the authors examine alcohol’s economic impact more deeply, including its varied impacts on different sectors of the economy and job roles.

Key findings

• A quarter of employees feel pressure to drink at workplace events, rising to 38 per cent of 18 to 24 year olds

• Workplace drinking culture driving absences as 31 per cent of workers call in sick in past year after work events

• IPPR calls for minimum unit pricing, reintroducing the alcohol duty escalator, and stronger action from employers

The authors say that pressure to drink at work events is contributing to widespread alcohol-related absences and reduced productivity across all sectors.  

From after-work drinks to subsidised bar tabs at company events, alcohol is often embedded in professional life. A quarter (24 per cent) of workers said they sometimes felt pressured to drink when they didn’t want to, rising to 38 per cent among younger employees (aged 18-24). Over a third said drinking at work events excluded non-drinkers or created cliques.

This culture is driving real consequences. One in three UK workers (31 per cent) have called in sick in the past year after drinking at work-related events, while 22 per cent reported working while hungover, and 29 per cent observed colleagues being tired or sluggish after drinking.

Interestingly, young workers and senior executives are among the most affected groups.

London: IPPR, the Institute for Public Policy Research, i2025. 30p.

By James D. Diamond

As violence in the United States seems to become increasingly more commonplace, the question of how communities reset after unprecedented violence also grows in significance. After the Bloodbath examines this quandary, producing insights linking rampage shootings and communal responses in the United States. Diamond, who was a leading attorney in the community where the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy occurred, focuses on three well-known shootings and a fourth shooting that occurred on the Red Lake Indian Reservation in Minnesota. The book looks to the roots of Indigenous approaches to crime, identifying an institutional weakness in the Anglo judicial model, and explores adapting Indigenous practices that contribute to healing following heinous criminal behavior. Emerging from the history of Indigenous dispute resolution is a spotlight turned on to restorative justice, a subject no author has discussed to date in the context of mass shootings. Diamond ultimately leads the reader to a positive road forward focusing on insightful steps people can take after a rampage shooting to help their wounded communities heal.

East Lansing: Michigan State University Press. 2019.

By Will McMorran

What does reading fictional violence do to us as readers? To find out, this provocative and original book turns to the works of an author synonymous with sexual violence: the Marquis de Sade. Drawing on psychology, cognitive literary studies, and empirical research, it argues that reading is a fundamentally embodied act – and one that implicates us far more than we might like to think in fictional depictions of violence.

This book turns not just to Sade for answers, but to his readers. Where previous studies have focussed either on Sade’s language or his philosophy, this one places the lived experience of actual readers at the heart of its investigations. Taking particular scenes from Sade’s fiction, from a young girl posing as a statue in ‘Eugénie de Franval’ to the brutal rape of the heroine of Justine, this book explores what happens not just on the page but in the minds and bodies of readers as they bring these scenes to life.

Drawing on questionnaires completed by readers of those scenes, and on his own experience as a reader, teacher and translator of Sade, the author challenges the disembodied approach that has dominated Sade studies and literary criticism more broadly over recent decades. This is not just a book about Sade—it’s a radical exploration of what happens to us when we are confronted with scenes of violence. Urgent, accessible, and personal, it offers a new model for understanding reading as a matter of making sensations as well as making sense.

Cambridge, UK: Open Book Publishers, 2025. 368p.

By Tom Sullivan and Merran McAlister

Image-based sexual abuse (IBSA) is the threatened or actual capturing or sharing of an intimate image of a person without their consent. This bulletin describes the findings of an analysis of 771 individuals proceeded against by police for IBSA offences in four jurisdictions in 2022–23. Most alleged offenders were males perpetrating IBSA against females, and offenders were most commonly aged 25–34 years. The analysis also identified differences between IBSA subtypes. Alleged offenders were most likely to have distribution offences, and many also had other non-IBSA offences. The bulletin discusses implications for prevention and detection of IBSA offending.

Statistical Bulletin no. 49. Canberra: Australian Institute of Criminology. 2025. 21p.

By Diarmaid Harkin, Mary Iliadis, Jessica Woolley, Marilyn McMahon and Karen Bentley  

Victim-survivors of domestic and family violence (DFV) are increasingly using closed-circuit television (CCTV) systems. To date, the impacts of CCTV systems on victim survivors have been unclear. This paper presents the findings from a world-first study into how victim survivors of DFV experience the use of CCTV systems. It draws on a national survey of 125 DFV support practitioners and 28 in-depth interviews (including with 9 victim-survivors). The findings demonstrate that CCTV can have beneficial impacts on the wellbeing of victim-survivors by providing a sense of safety and security but also carries risks, including that victim-survivors will become hypervigilant.

Trends & issues in crime and criminal justice no. 713. Canberra: Australian Institute of Criminology, 2025. 17p.

By Samantha Bricknell and Hannah Miles

This study examines the characteristics of parricide in Australia using 35 years of data from the National Homicide Monitoring Program. Findings illustrate the distinctiveness of parricide and the greater need to consider this form of lethal violence in responses to family violence.Key findingsParricide, or the homicide of a parent by their child, comprises 5% of homicides each year.Almost all parricides were of a single parent, although the homicide of both parents was more common in Australia than in other countries where estimates exist.Offenders were predominantly male but victimisation was more even.Parricide was largely gendered, with sons more likely to kill their fathers and daughters to kill their mothers.Offenders aged 10–17 years committed parricide at higher rates than older homicide offenders and almost a fifth of parricide offenders were delusional at the time of the homicide.

Statistical Bulletin 48. Canberra, Australian Institute of Criminology, 2025. 20p.

By Tapio Lappi-Seppälä

Over the last 15 years imprisonment rates have declined in Europe on average by 15 percent and in the United States by 30 percent. Does this imply that, after decades long prison growth, we are facing a period of penal moderation? Since crime has also decreased, any assessments of a “moderate turn” are premature without considering how much of this decline is just a consequence of declining crime. This article begins to answer these questions first by examining previous attempts to measure the impact of crime on prison populations. To obtain a more precise view of the causal mechanisms, and to overcome some of the controversies in earlier research, a distinction between volume effects and policy effects is introduced. Empirical analyses are reported using two samples. The long-term sample from the 1960s onwards exemplifies the diversity of penal responses and differing prison trends during the times of increased crime in nine Western countries. Comparisons with 35 European countries from 2008 to 2024 show that prison populations followed declining crime quite closely. The answer to the initial question remains negative: There are ever more prisoners relative to recorded crime and convictions, suggesting a lower custody threshold than before. The number of admissions has declined, but the average length of prison terms has grown in almost all European countries. Despite the nominal decline of prison populations there is no indication that European penal policy is shifting toward leniency.

Crim Law Forum 36, 269–305 (2025).

By Luke Danagher

This paper presents a novel argument proposing greater recognition of the stigmatic nature of the ‘psychopath’ label in the corporate crime context, particularly in relation to its use within academic research and in criminal judgments. Labelling theory and a communicative account of criminal law and punishment are applied to the issue. The stigmatic nature of the label, as well as its potential to over-stigmatise corporate offenders is assessed. Recommendations are forwarded, primarily in relation to the need for greater judicial engagement with the topic of psychopathy and corporate crime, and greater recognition of the stigmatic nature of the psychopathy label. Alternative labels are forwarded.

Crim Law Forum (2025).

By Manuel Eisner,  Stephanie Emma Brown,  Nora Eisner &  Ruth Schmid Eisner 

This study examines the spatial patterns of homicide in three 14th-century English cities—London, York, and Oxford—through the Medieval Murder Map project, which visualizes 355 homicide cases derived from coroners’ inquests. Integrating historical criminology with contemporary spatial crime theories, we outline a new historical criminology of space, focused on how urban environments shaped patterns of lethal violence in the past. Findings reveal similarities in all three cities. Homicides were highly concentrated in key nodes of urban life such as markets, squares, and thoroughfares. Temporal patterns indicate that most homicides occurred in the evening and on weekends, aligning with routine activity theory. Oxford had far higher homicide rates than London and York, and a higher proportion of organized group-violence, suggestive of high levels of social disorganization and impunity. Spatial analyses reveal distinct areas related to town-gown conflicts and violence fueled by student factionalism. In London, findings suggest distinct clusters of homicide which reflect differences in economic and social functions. In all three cities, some homicides were committed in spaces of high visibility and symbolic significance. The findings highlight how public space shaped urban violence historically. The study also raises broader questions about the long-term decline of homicide, suggesting that changes in urban governance and spatial organization may have played a crucial role in reducing lethal violence.

By M Salter, D Woodlock, T Whitten, M Tyler, G Naldrett, J Breckenridge, J Nolan, N Peleg

This project aimed to inform efforts to better detect and prevent child sexual abuse through a rigorous analysis of the prevalence and attitudinal, behavioural and demographic correlates of sexual feelings and/or offending against children amongst Australian men. The research measured the prevalence of offending and risk behaviours and attitudes amongst of a weighted sample of 1,945 Australian men over 18 years of age. Key findings of the project Around one in six (15.1%) Australian men reports sexual feelings towards children. Approximately one third of this group reports sexually offending against children. Around one in ten (9.4%) Australian men has sexually offended against children. Approximately half of this group (4.9%) reports sexual feelings towards children. In total, almost one in five (19.6%) Australian men in the study have sexual feelings for children and/or have sexually offended against children. The 4.9% of men with sexual feelings who have sexually offended against children differed from men with no sexual feelings or offending against children on a number of measures: Relationships Ź They were more likely to be married and reported higher levels of social support. Employment and wealth Ź They were almost three times more likely to be working with children. Ź They were more likely to earn a higher income. Health and wellbeing Ź They were more likely to report mild, moderate or severe anxiety and depression. Ź They were over four times more likely to report weekly binge drinking. Childhood abuse and neglect Ź They reported approximately twice the rate of adverse childhood experiences. Ź They were over six times more likely to report being sexually abused as children. Attitudes to child sexual abuse Ź They were more than 25 times more likely to hold attitudes conducive to online child sex offending. Online behaviour Ź They were more likely to use the internet more frequently and intensively. Ź They were much more active on social media. Ź They were significantly more likely to use encrypted apps and privacy services. Ź They were twice as likely to own cryptocurrency and over five times more likely to use cryptocurrency for online purchasing. Pornography consumption Ź They were over eleven times more likely to watch violent pornography and over twenty six times more likely to watch bestiality pornography. Ź They were over sixteen times more likely to purchase sexual content online. 29.6% of those with sexual feelings towards children want help; this is 4.5% of Australian men. These men were more likely to have sexually offended against children online and offline than men with sexual feelings who did not want help. 

Sydney: Australian Human Rights Institute, 2023. 56p.

By  Michael John Cahill, Timothy Cubitt, Heather Wolbers, Sarah Napier, Matthew Ball, John Hancock and Roderic Broadhurst 

This study analysed posts from a darknet forum to examine approaches to desistance from offending among undetected child sexual offenders. Forum users discussed a range of approaches, but some were harmful to children, including the use of child sexual abuse material to avoid contact offending. Other less harmful desistance strategies were discussed, which included adjusting lifestyle, reducing internet use, and controlling access to children. Some users had a positive view of psychosocial services, while acknowledging the heightened risk of detection, and shared knowledge on how to remain undetected while seeking treatment. These findings highlight the need for psychosocial treatment avenues for child sexual offenders in the community that they perceive to have a low risk of leading to law enforcement detection.   

Trends & issues in crime and criminal justice no. 716. Canberra: Australian Institute of Criminology, 2025. . 14p.

By Emma Ziersch, Shawn Sowerbutts, Yilma Woldgabreal, Sophie Ransom

The Violence Risk Scale (VRS) is a tool designed to assess and predict risk of future offending, inform decisions around therapeutic intervention and measure changes in violence risk as a result of treatment. This study investigated the discriminative and predictive validity of the VRS for Australian Aboriginal and non-Indigenous males convicted of violent offending in multiple jurisdictions.

The Violence Risk Scale (VRS) is a risk assessment tool designed to assess and predict risk of future offending, inform decisions around therapeutic intervention and measure changes in violence risk as a result of treatment. While the tool has been used extensively both internationally and in Australia, its applicability to our Australian population is unclear.

This study investigated the discriminative and predictive validity of the VRS for Australian Aboriginal and non-Indigenous males convicted of violent offending in multiple jurisdictions. The VRS total score had moderate discriminative accuracy for violent reoffending at five-year follow-up. However, Aboriginal males were significantly more likely to be categorized as high risk, and additional discrimination measures revealed variation in performance between Aboriginal and non-Indigenous males. Implications of the findings for correctional practice and recommendations to reduce bias in the assessment of Aboriginal offenders are discussed.

 Research Report no. 34. Canberra: Australian Institute of Criminology. 2025. 66p