This qualitative study explores the experiences and coping strategies of 13 family adult members (spouses, parents, children, and siblings), co-victims of cold case homicides, facing bereavement following traumatic grief. The study utilizes in-depth semi-structured interviews to gather data, which were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Four main strategies emerge: (1) commemoration of the deceased, (2) maintaining emotional bonds, (3) disengagement from prior identity, and (4) detachment from grief through avoidance or obsessive preoccupation. A novel category "grief evolvers" was identified, describing individuals who use positive adaptive coping mechanisms that challenge existing assumptions about dealing with grief. The findings highlight the long-term psychological impact of cold case homicides and the limitations of conventional grief frameworks in such cases. Implications for trauma-informed mental health interventions and victim support policy are discussed.

This study evaluated a police intervention programme implemented in Israeli educational residential youth villages for at-risk juveniles. Using a quasi-experimental design, the study compared two matched groups of 118 youths, one enrolled in a police programme and the other in alternative interventions, to assess whether police legitimacy and social resistance mediated the relationship between programme type and self-reported delinquency. The results showed that police legitimacy, but not social resistance, partially mediated this relationship. Youth participating in the police programme reported higher levels of police legitimacy, which were associated with reduced delinquent behaviour. These findings suggest that residential police-youth interventions may strengthen legitimacy and contribute to delinquency reduction among at-risk juveniles in residential care, where culturally appropriate and institutionally feasible.

Cold case homicide investigations leave families with unanswered questions and prolonged psychological distress. Cold case homicides impose prolonged psychological, emotional, and social strain on bereaved family members, who must cope not only with the traumatic loss itself but also with uncertainty and the ongoing absence of justice. Despite increasing scholarly attention to secondary victimization, limited research has examined bereaved families' long-term interactions with law enforcement in unresolved homicide cases. This qualitative study explores the experiences of 13 family members of homicide victims in Israel whose cases remain unsolved. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings reveal a persistent dynamic of mistrust, emotional detachment, and perceived negligence within interactions between families and law enforcement. Participants reported feelings of abandonment, secondary trauma, and institutional betrayal, which exacerbated their grief and contributed to ongoing psychological burden. The study highlights the need for trauma-informed police practices and improved long-term support mechanisms for families in cold case contexts.

Previous research has demonstrated that post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and exposure to potentially morally injurious events (PMIEs) frequently co-occur in military veterans and share similar adverse mental and behavioral health outcomes. While studies have established a robust association between PTSD and dissociative symptoms in veterans, evidence supporting a direct link between exposure to PMIEs and dissociative symptoms has largely been anecdotal. In this cross-sectional study, a volunteer sample of 189 Israeli male combat veterans completed validated self-report questionnaires assessing PTSD symptoms, exposure to PMIEs, and dissociative symptoms. The results show cooccurrence of PTSD symptoms and depersonalization and/or derealization symptoms, hereby suggesting the existence of a dissociative subtype of PTSD, characterized by elevated PTSD symptoms alongside persistent or recurrent symptoms of depersonalization and/or derealization. Moreover, PTSD symptoms were found to mediate the relationship between PMIE exposure and dissociative symptoms. Notably, one of the facets of exposure to PMIEs, the commission of moral transgressions, was significantly associated with depersonalization/derealization symptoms, suggesting a dissociative subtype of PMIE exposure. These findings provide empirical support for the trauma model, which conceptualizes dissociative symptoms as resulting from severe trauma, and underscore the importance of offering specialized treatments for veterans who report having committed moral transgressions.

Male sexual victimization is more commonly examined in the context of child sexual abuse (CSA) rather than adult sexual assault (ASA). This qualitative study examines the meaning-making of ASA among men who have been sexually assaulted in adulthood (after age 18) by analyzing the ways they experience and narrate adult age and masculinity in this context. To gain a comprehensive understanding of male sexual victimization in adulthood, data were gathered through 40 in-depth interviews with 19 Israeli male ASA survivors and 21 sexual trauma therapists. This study found that survivors perceived the sexual assaults they experienced as adults through the dual lenses of adulthood and masculinity, which resulted in an identity where expectations of being an adult and being male became intertwined. This perspective deepened their sense of loneliness, driven by the belief that adult men should be self-reliant, and distinguished the meaning-making of ASA from that of CSA. In addition, ASA survivors negotiated the narrative of being an adult male survivor of sexual assault using three strategies: detachment from the experience, minimization of the experience, and hypersexuality. Accordingly, we conclude that the perception of the assault by ASA survivors is shaped by both their masculinity and their maturity.

This study examined 150 at-risk juveniles in Israeli youth villages to analyse the role of police procedural justice, effectiveness, sense of belonging to Israel, social resistance, and police legitimacy in predicting their willingness to cooperate with police and their self-report engagement in risky and criminal behaviours. The results revealed that police effectiveness was the sole and strongest predictor of at-risk juveniles' willingness to cooperate with law enforcement, significantly enhancing their willingness to report to the police. Moreover, police effectiveness emerged as the most potent predictor of at-risk juveniles' self-report engagement in risky and criminal behaviours when compared to a sense of belonging to Israel and social resistance. Interestingly, while police effectiveness acted as a deterrent, which decreased their engagement in risky and criminal behaviours, both a sense of belonging to Israel and social resistance were associated with an increase in such behaviours. These results indicate that at-risk juveniles' interactions with police are guided by rational self-interest, aiming to ensure safety and avoid conflict with the police, which they perceive as a symbol of discrimination and exclusion. The results highlight the importance of implementing balanced crime prevention in marginalised neighbourhoods. These strategies should effectively control crime and deter criminals while upholding dignity, respect, and freedom. Adopting problem-oriented policing principles (POP) can assist in achieving this balance. Furthermore, expanding community-oriented policing (COP) programs such as the Police Studies Program in youth villages could strengthen the relationship between police and at-risk juveniles.

Male sexual victimization is more commonly examined in the context of child sexual abuse than adult sexual assault (ASA; 18+), with therapeutic research largely centering on female survivors, who constitute the main focus of scholarly attention. Consequently, this study explored how the therapeutic alliance is built and what in-session therapy needs emerge for male ASA survivors, as shaped by masculinity and adulthood. Data were collected from 39 in-depth interviews with Jewish Israeli participants, comprising two distinct groups: 19 male ASA survivors and 20 sexual trauma therapists. The data were analyzed separately through reflexive thematic analysis, and only at the final stage were the two groups examined together. Three key findings were identified: (1) facilitators of therapeutic alliance with male ASA survivors include awareness of how age and masculinity shape their experiences, psychoeducation for bonding, and present-focused listening; (2) barriers to therapeutic alliance include an overemphasis on the traumatic event itself, with a therapeutic focus that prioritizes trauma details at the expense of attending to the survivor's broader identity, current needs, and lived experiences; and (3) in-session therapy needs include psychoeducation, present-focused therapy, and changing the therapeutic setting (e.g., stepping out of the therapy room or going for walks). Accordingly, we conclude that the therapeutic alliance and in-session therapy needs of male ASA survivors are shaped by the dual lenses of age and masculinity, highlighting the necessity of adapting therapeutic approaches to address these factors.

This mixed-methods study examines the objective and subjective behavioral and emotional changes experienced by adolescent girls participating in gender-sensitive and trauma-informed care in a court-order out-of-home care setting. It does so based on surveys on behavioral, cognitive, and emotional aspects of their experience and relationships and semi-structured in-depth interviews. The qualitative findings point to positive changes experienced in the girls’ behavioral and academic functioning, their mental condition, and the relationships among them, between them and the facility staff, and between them and their parents. Conversely, the quantitative findings point to a relationship between the duration of stay at the facility and increased problem behaviors, reduced family support, and reduced happiness. The discussion addresses the gap between the qualitative and quantitative findings, as well as the theoretical and practical implications of the findings. Based on the literature and the current findings, we conclude that gender-sensitive and trauma-informed care provides girls with a safe space to reflect on their life circumstances and experiences. This can contribute to a sense of personal progress in a protected space, but on the other hand, to additional emotional and behavioral difficulties due to the preoccupation with traumatic contents both past and present.

This study examines blame attributions of victims and perpetrators in female-on-male rape cases and event severity attributions as affected by three victim-related variables: prior sexual victimization, resistance during the rape, and sexual arousal during the rape. It assesses the relative weight of each of these variables in determining the attribution of blame to the victim and perpetrator and the attribution of severity to the event. The study found that sexual arousal and absence of resistance correlated with higher victim blame attribution, lower perpetrator blame, and lower event severity attributions, while prior sexual victimization had the opposite correlations. We therefore conclude that blame and severity attributions are affected by the victim's behavior prior to the rape and during the rape.

OBJECTIVE:Very few studies have examined the association between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom clusters and aggression since the change in PTSD diagnosis criteria a decade ago. Furthermore, these studies have used measures based on PTSD criteria of the DSM-IV. The current study therefore examines the association between PTSD symptom clusters, exposure to potentially morally injurious events (PMIEs), and various types of aggression following the change in PTSD criteria and in accordance with the criteria of the DSM-5-TR. METHOD:A sample of 167 Israeli combat veterans completed validated self-report questionnaires tapping PTSD symptoms, exposure to PMIEs, and aggression levels. RESULTS:Our analysis revealed a significant positive relationship between the number of court-martials, betrayal-based PMIEs, all PTSD symptom clusters, and aggression. We also found that the arousal cluster, as well as the number of court-martials and age, predicted aggression, whereas the re-experiencing cluster predicted lower aggression levels. CONCLUSION:Besides an updated understanding of the association between all PTSD symptom clusters and various forms of aggression, these findings emphasize the importance of targeting arousal symptoms and especially anger in treatment of veterans with PTSD symptoms and those who report experiences of betrayal. The findings also suggest clinicians to consider arousal symptoms, age, and history of court-martials when conducting either clinical or actuarial risk assessments of veterans.

This study examines the impact of listening to prison radio on the well-being of inmates. Its main quantitative findings are that listening to the radio had no significant impact on inmates' anxiety, anger, emotional distress, or self-esteem. The qualitative results found that listening to the radio has a positive impact on inmates' well-being, their outlook, the atmosphere of the prison, and peer relationships. We conclude that the practice of prison radio reflects sophisticated prison administration, reducing feelings of hostility and anger on the part of the inmates and promoting trust among inmates and between them and the staff.

The growing numbers of women with substance use disorder (SUD) and the resulting establishment of dedicated treatment and rehabilitation services have spawned a rich literature on the etiology of addiction among women, their therapy needs and the effectiveness of the treatments they receive. Nevertheless, very few studies have examined the punitive methods applied to women with SUD as part of their treatment. This study examines the positions of thirteen Israeli women with SUD regarding punishments meted out in closed therapeutic communities (TCs), and their experienced short- and long-term implications. The findings suggest ambivalence toward the harsh treatment and punishment in the communities, and to their negative repercussions for the clients' mental condition after their release. We conclude that the methods of treatment and punishment in these settings must be changed and based on the clients' strengths and empowerment. Punishments should be meted out in a proportional way, and as a last resource.

The present article follows upon a previous one dealing with the discrimination of Arab defendants in Israel. If focuses on the effect of wartime on this discrimination by analyzing the acceptance or rejection of requests on behalf of Jewish compared to Arab defendants to revoke convictions in misdemeanors by Israeli magistrate courts in the past 20 years, as a function of periods of heightened hostilities and the judges' ethnicity. The findings contradict those of the few and outdated studies conducted in the West, by pointing to the lack of influence of wartime situations, regardless of the judges' or the defendants' ethnicity. The conclusion is that particular periods of heightened hostilities do not affect the punitive policy against ethnic minorities in a country that consistently discriminates such minorities and is constantly engaged in war or violent conflict.

This study examines the attitudes of 15 male ex-inmates toward heterosexual romantic relationships during imprisonment as viewed retrospectively. The interviewees expressed ambivalence regarding these intimate partnerships, which were a source of difficulty in prison and upon reentry into society. We conclude that prison services could better help inmates to improve these relationships, thus reducing the pains of imprisonment and enhancing their successful social reintegration.

The literature on white-collar crimes committed by women is sparse, dealing mostly with their motivations, the incidence of the phenomenon, and differences between the women who commit them and those who commit other types of offenses. This qualitative study maps factors leading women to commit such crimes, with particular focus on their family and personal histories, and on the various roles they played as children and adults, which prepared and “trained” them for future illegal behavior. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews with 18 women convicted and imprisoned for white-collar crimes. A relationship was found between problematic family background and difficulty in help seeking and a nearly obsessive need for love in adulthood, and between the latter and white-collar crime. Theoretical and practical conclusions are discussed and future directions proposed.

This qualitative study analyzes the effects of solitary confinement on prisoners and the strategies used by them to cope with its difficulties. The findings indicate that solitary confinement is perceived as unfair and as intensifying hostile emotions and physical aggression, and that it is related to a range of long-term physiological, mental, and behavioral disorders. Three strategies are used to cope with the difficulties of solitary confinement: keeping to a ritualistic routine, a religious lifestyle, and physical exercise. We conclude that solitary confinement exacerbates the difficulties of detention and affects prisoners’ health and well-being for short and long terms.

This article examines discrimination in the Israeli criminal justice system based on the ethnic origin (Jewish or Arab) of both defendants and judges. It does so by analyzing all the motions to revoke convictions of misdemeanors filed by defendants of both ethnicities in magistrate (trial-level courts) and district courts (middle-level courts) over the past twenty years, and by comparing the periods prior to and following the entering into effect of the Penal Law Amendment No. 113, 2012, “Structuring Judicial Discretion in Sentencing.” The findings indicate a significantly higher number of non-revocations of convictions of Arab defendants in comparison to Jewish defendants when tried by Jewish judges and a complete lack of discrimination when Arab judges tried defendants of both ethnicities. In other words, Arab judges did not favor one ethnicity over other. The study also found that district courts hardly ever changed decisions by magistrate courts with regard to either ethnic group. Finally, the structuring of judicial discretion did not have any impact on reducing ethnic gaps in revoking convictions. The overall conclusions are that the Israeli judicial and punitive system discriminates against Arab defendants and that for Jewish defendants, this discrimination occurs only in cases where all or most judges are Jewish.

This study examined the impact of prison officers' time on the job on changes in two personality factors, conscientiousness and agreeableness. The results confirmed the hypotheses that after four years of work, there was a clear interaction effect and significant difference between prison officers and the control group regarding the personality factors examined. A downward trend in conscientiousness and agreeableness was indicated, contrary to the trend that characterized the employees in the control organizations. These findings suggest a unique personality change among prison officers as a result of their work, which could have a negative effect.