“It’s not easy but it's still possible to be an abstainer here”: Non-Drug Use Among Young Men in a Slum Area in Makassar, Indonesia
Pages 336-347
Sudirman Nasir, Doreen Rosenthal and Timothy Moore

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.6000/1929-4409.2014.03.29

Published: 10 November 2014

Abstract: This qualitative study explores the social context and protective factors that enable young men in a slum area (lorong) in Makassar, Indonesia, to abstain from using drugs. Semi-structured interviews, conducted with fifteen male non-drug users in the lorong showed, despite living in a drug risk environment, non-drug users were involved in neither the drug scene nor street culture. There were two main reasons for this: their employment opportunities, albeit in low paid jobs and the informal economy, and their schooling. These non-users asserted that respectability and the status of rewa (a local construct of masculinity) should and could be achieved through traditional means, i.e. employment providing legitimate income and education leading to a career. Their work provides both direct benefit, i.e. legitimate income (economic capital), and indirect benefits such as meaningful activities and structured time. Employment and schooling also generated a respectable identity (symbolic and cultural capital), wider social networks (bridging social capital) and the opportunity for upward mobility. All of these enable them to have a stake within mainstream society and are incentives for them to abstain from drug taking. This study demonstrates the crucial role of direct and indirect benefits of employment and of economic, symbolic, cultural and social capital in understanding the social context of non-drug use among young men in the lorong. The findings suggest protagonists of drug policy reform and implementation in Indonesia should be more cognizant of social marginalization in the lorong,and of the need to improve young people’s access to employment and education, in order to decrease the likelihood of drug initiation and use.

A Bio-Social Review to Mitigate the Punishment of Unwanted Acts
Pages 348-359
Armin Alimardani, Ali M. Ardekani and Leila R. Astany

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.6000/1929-4409.2014.03.30

Published: 10 November 2014

Abstract: Commitment of crime and exhibition of antisocial behavior have been considered as negative acts from early times of human civilization. Recent scientific advances have identified contributions of biological and sociological (environmental factors) factors in forming a maladaptive behavior. Generally, it is accepted by many scholars that punishing a wrongdoer, who has committed a crime owing to genetic predispositions and environmental elements, is not effective and forms of treatments should be replaced to avoid repeating a crime. Moreover, by identifying genetic deficiencies in an individual, an antisocial behavior could be potentially predicted and prevented before it comes to pass. On a whole, genetic and environmental factors, sometimes solely and some other times collaboratively, lead a person to act against society norms. In summary, this body of literature offers examples that explain factors which contribute to committing crimes and approaches which inhibit antisocial behavior. With regard to these aims, we suggest that punishment of criminals who are predisposed genetically in the same manner as other delinquencies is not justifiable and a reduction of punishment should be applied to such individuals. Moreover, by eliminating each of negative elements which contribute to antisocial behavior or crime, we can be more certain that the offender will not repeat antisocial acts after being released

The Role of Gender Dynamics in the Relationship between Parental Maltreatment and Juvenile Theft in South Korea
Pages 309-318
Hyunhee Hong, Yoonsun Han and Dong Hun Lee

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.6000/1929-4409.2014.03.26

Published: 24 October 2014

Abstract: Juvenile theft is the leading crime among adolescents in Korea and is a serious social concern. The present study is an examination of youth theft in the framework of general strain theory, which asserts that criminal behavior occurs as a response to various strains, such as parental abuse and neglect. To test the role of parent-youth gender dynamics in the relationship between parental strain and youth theft, the current study analyzed a community-based sample of youth offenders and non-offenders in Korea (N = 374) using multivariate logistic regression models with interaction terms. Paternal physical abuse and maternal neglect predicted greater youth involvement in theft behavior. Regarding parent-youth gender dynamics, there was no difference in the role of maternal or paternal maltreatment in predicting theft behavior in sons or daughters. The exception was fathers’ neglect, in which daughters showed higher odds of theft engagement than did sons who experienced even greater paternal neglect. The findings underscored the distinct and detrimental role of parental maltreatment in adolescent theft. The results supported the need to reach out to parents in consideration of the youth’s gender and provided important implications for guiding current social services in preventing juvenile theft in Korea.

Gambling Addiction Defence on Trial: Canadian Expert Witness Perspectives
Pages 319-326
Garry Smith and Rob Simpson

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.6000/1929-4409.2014.03.27

Published: 24 October 2014

Abstract: The American Psychiatric Association’s evolving recognition of pathological gambling as a behavioral addiction (DSM-III, 1980; DSM-V, 2013) has occasioned increased use of the gambling addiction defence in criminal trials. Reflecting upon our experiences as expert witnesses in criminal and civil liability proceedings where gambling addiction was a significant factor, we a) describe the expert witness role; b) examine the links among frequent and intense EGM play, gambling addiction, and financially-based crimes; c) review how revisions to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual influenced the Canadian judicial system response to such crime; and d) explore prospects for reducing criminal activity by addicted EGM players. We discuss how and why gambling addiction has become generally accepted as a mitigating factor in Canadian criminal trials. In this commentary we also analyze how the plight of addicted gamblers who resort to criminal behavior might be remediated by a) gambling-specific consumer protection measures; b) tighter regulatory control over the addictive elements of EGM play; c) the implementation of gambling courts; and d) a legislated duty of care owed by gambling providers to EGM players.

Mafia Women: A Study on Language and Mental Representations of Women Engaged with Mafia Members
Pages 267-274
Adriano Schimmenti, Serena Giunta and Girolamo Lo Verso

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.6000/1929-4409.2014.03.22

Published: 23 September 2014

Abstract: For a long time, women in the Mafia were considered victims who were unaware of the activities of the men in their families. However, it has recently been demonstrated that these women may play an important role in the organisation, particularly in the transmission of Mafia values. In this study, we explored the representations of self, relationships, and the Mafia world in women engaged with Mafia members. This was done by means of in-depth interviews and computer-assisted text analysis. A cluster analysis was applied to words used by the women in the interviews. Three clusters emerged that accounted for 85% of the principal contents of the interviews. These were interpreted as “representations of family”, “representations of social relationships”, and “ideals and values”. The analysis of words included in each cluster suggested that Mafia women are deeply involved in the transmission of traditional Sicilian values to their offspring. These ideals and beliefs are deeply rooted in the Mafia organisation and they involve attributing a central role to family, religion, and honor within the Mafia culture. Findings of the study could be positively used for developing appropriate preventative and social measures that may help these women change their ideals and beliefs related to the Mafia world, thus breaking the transmission of Mafia values.