Family parameters of violent prisoners

The major theoretical approaches in criminology justify the view that family structure and family relationships may have a significant effect upon individuals' antisocial tendencies. The study reported in the present paper was conducted in an attempt to explain the criminal offenses, and particularly criminal violence, among a sample of 60 violent and 60 nonviolent prisoners with reference to their attachment to, and relationships with, their families. The major findings are that attachment to the family was inversely related to impulsive violence, and that the offspring of parents who were described as nonpunitive planned their violent behavior.