Table 4 - uploaded by Jeremy F. Mills
Content may be subject to copyright.
Source publication
This User Guide is meant to assist those interested in using the MCAA. In addition to tapping into domains of antisocial attitudes, the MCAA offers a standardized approach to identifying and quantifying criminal associates. It is commonly understood that criminal associates play an important role in antisocial behaviour and we believe that the MCAA...
Similar publications
Cooperative breeders are species in which individuals beyond a pair assist in the production of young in a single brood or litter. Although relatively rare, cooperative breeding is widespread taxonomically and continues to pose challenges to our understanding of the evolution of cooperation and altruistic behavior. Bringing together long-term studi...
URA99 is a component of ARBAC99 1 for user-role assignment. It enhances URA97, a user-role assignment component from ARBAC97. 2 URA97 allows a member of a role to use all the permission in that role and makes the user eligible for assignment to other roles. ARBAC99 decouples these two aspects by introducing a notion of mobility and immobility. Immo...
In TV broadcasting the whitespace refers to TV channels that are allocated to licensed operators but not being used by them locally. This results in inefficient utilization of the resource. On the other hand the increased usage of wireless communicating devices, especially unlicensed devices are facing difficulty in finding frequency spectrum to op...
The Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing (HEARTH) Act addressed the cruel and unusual punishment of the urban homeless under quality of life ordinances by requiring constructive alternatives to criminalizing homelessness. As enforced, these quality of life ordinances move homeless and poor people about cities and downtown a...
Citations
... Offence-supportive attitude measures. The Measure of Criminal Attitudes and Associates Part B (MCAA-Part B; Mills & Kroner, 1999) is a 46-item measure of antisocial attitudes. It consists of four subscales that examine the extent to which the individual holds attitudes that endorse (a) violence (e.g. ...
Deliberate firesetting is a prevalent issue. While a number of psychological treatment needs have been identified for adults who set fires, their association with multiple firesetting has received limited attention. This study examined whether demographics, offence histories, firesetting behaviours and psychometric assessments of psychological vulnerabilities hypothesised to be associated with firesetting discriminate between adults who have set only one fire and those who have set multiple fires. Participants (N =128) were recruited from prisons and categorised according to whether they self-reported having set only a single fire (n = 60) or multiple fires (n = 68) as an adult. Our findings provide evidence that identification with fire, antisocial attitudes and anger-related cognition and arousal are associated with multiple firesetting, and therefore represent key treatment targets for interventions. Furthermore, a history of setting fires within prison was the largest unique predictor of multiple firesetting (odds ratio, OR = 6.83), highlighting the urgent need for research on institutional firesetting.
... Dominant criminal thinking refers to a belief in one person's complete control or influence over others (Sana & Rafiq, 2017). This concept is closely linked to entitlement and power orientation, where an individual seeks influential control over others and feels entitled to privileges and special treatment (as previously elucidated by researchers like Knight et al., 2006;Mills & Kroner, 1999;Sana & Batool, 2017;Sana & Rafiq, 2017;Walters, 2002;Yochelson & Samenow, 1977). Furthermore, when considering an individual's thinking pattern in terms of cultural aspects and the age of offenders, the construct of domination varies, as discussed by Walters (2006) in his inventory (Sana & Rafiq, 2017). ...
The aimed of the present study was to develop a reliable and valid selfreport measure for Juvenile Domination. The items of the scale were based on information obtained through interviews with 30 juvenile delinquents. A pool of 35 statements was generated. After initial screening and piloting, 22 items were selected for the self-report measure, named the Juvenile Domination Scale, which used a 5-point rating scale. This scale was finalized and administered to a sample of (N=211) juvenile delinquents. Along with the newly developed scale, the Measure of Criminal Social Identity Scale (Boduszek et al., 2012) and a demographic form were also administered. Based on Principal Component Factor Analysis, a three-factor solution was established, with subscales labeled as Self-assertive, Hubristic Pride, and Indomitable. The scale demonstrated satisfactory internal consistency and concurrent validity. Furthermore, an independent sample of (N=200) participants was used for Confirmatory Factor Analysis, yielding satisfactory results for the newly developed scale. Thus, the Juvenile Domination Scale has proven to be a reliable and valid indigenous measure for delinquents. The study's implications suggested that the Juvenile Domination Scale could be valuable for screening and correctional counseling services.
... Dominant criminal thinking refers to a belief in one person's complete control or influence over others (Sana & Rafiq, 2017). This concept is closely linked to entitlement and power orientation, where an individual seeks influential control over others and feels entitled to privileges and special treatment (as previously elucidated by researchers like Knight et al., 2006;Mills & Kroner, 1999;Sana & Batool, 2017;Sana & Rafiq, 2017;Walters, 2002;Yochelson & Samenow, 1977). Furthermore, when considering an individual's thinking pattern in terms of cultural aspects and the age of offenders, the construct of domination varies, as discussed by Walters (2006) in his inventory (Sana & Rafiq, 2017). ...
The aimed of the present study was to develop a reliable and valid selfreport measure for Juvenile Domination. The items of the scale were based on information obtained through interviews with 30 juvenile delinquents. A pool of 35 statements was generated. After initial screening and piloting, 22 items were selected for the self-report measure, named the Juvenile Domination Scale, which used a 5-point rating scale. This scale was finalized and administered to a sample of (N=211) juvenile delinquents. Along with the newly developed scale, the Measure of Criminal Social Identity Scale (Boduszek et al., 2012) and a demographic form were also administered. Based on Principal Component Factor Analysis, a three-factor solution was established, with subscales labeled as Self-assertive, Hubristic Pride, and Indomitable. The scale demonstrated satisfactory internal consistency and concurrent validity. Furthermore, an independent sample of (N=200) participants was used for Confirmatory Factor Analysis, yielding satisfactory results for the newly developed scale. Thus, the Juvenile Domination Scale has proven to be a reliable and valid indigenous measure for delinquents. The study's implications suggested that the Juvenile Domination Scale could be valuable for screening and correctional counseling services.
... Criminal attitudes. The Measures of Criminal Attitudes and Associates (MCAA; Mills & Kroner, 1999) was used to measure respondents' criminal attitudes. Specifically, for the aim of the current study we only used some items of the second part of the scale assessing three dimensions: Violence (Item example: "Someone who makes you very angry deserves to be hit," α = .82), ...
The adjustment of prison inmates is recently becoming a social concern. In the current study we focused on the role of gratitude, interpersonal forgiveness, and anger, which have been widely addressed as likely to influence people's health and adaptive behaviors, in shaping prison inmates' psychological wellbeing and criminal attitudes. Participants were 104 male prison inmates aged between 24 and 75 (Mage = 46.63, SD = 11.38) imprisoned in Northern Italy who were asked to fill in an anonymous self-report questionnaire. Results highlighted that all dimensions considered play an important, albeit different and highly specific, role; Gratitude is a promotional factor that enhances psychological wellbeing, whereas interpersonal forgiveness appears to be a protective factor against the adoption of a criminal attitude as violence or antisocial intent. Finally, anger is a risk factor toward both psychological wellbeing and violent behaviors. Implications of these results and further developments of the study are discussed.
... The Measure of Criminal Attitudes and Associates. The Measure of Criminal Attitudes and Associates (MCAA; Mills & Kroner, 2001) is a self-report scale designed to measure criminal associates (Part A) and attitudes (Part B). Part A is comprised of four, five-part questions, and quantifies the number and frequency of contact with persons that have engaged in criminal behaviors; because it does not produce a scale relevant to attitudes or cognitions, it was not relevant to the current study and was therefore excluded. ...
The Psychological Inventory of Criminal Thinking Styles-Short Form (PICTS-SF) is an abbreviated 35-item version of the PICTS, a measure of cognitions that support a criminal lifestyle. Despite use in research and clinical work, the PICTS-SF’s psychometric properties have not been tested. Using two archival datasets, we analyzed the PICTS-SF’s reliability and structural validity in multiply imputed data from adult males and females on probation in a residential treatment facility ( n = 514). We also tested the PICTS-SF’s reliability and discriminant and postdictive validities among adult males in administrative segregation in prison ( n = 95). We found evidence for the PICTS-SF’s internal consistency (α and ω ≥ .89), structural validity (CFI = .90, RMSEA = .05), discriminant validity (.22 ≤ r ≤ .39), and postdictive validity for receiving disciplinary infractions (incident rate ratio = 1.04). These results support the PICTS-SF’s use in research, and qualified use in clinical applications.
... The Measure of Criminal Attitude and Associates (MCAA) scale was developed by Mills and Kroner (1999) to assess criminal attitudes/beliefs and associates (i.e. antisocial cognitions). ...
Very little contemporary research has investigated the similarities and
differences between individuals convicted of sexual offences and
community samples with reference to beliefs supportive of sexual
violence. This study compared the rape supportive cognitions of a
group of high-risk individuals incarcerated for sexual offences to a
group of university students. Antisocial cognitions were also examined
in order to determine if such views accounted for any observed
findings. A group of 304 male university students were compared to
301 men convicted of sexual offences attending assessment or
treatment in an inpatient based treatment programme. Results
indicated no significant differences between the rape supportive
cognitions and antisocial cognition of people convicted of sexual
offences and university students. Further analyses revealed that
students who endorsed more rape supportive and antisocial cognitions
reported using more coercive and aggressive tactics.
... Nunes et al. (2015) also found attitudes toward violence were associated with violent behavior in a sample of 568 university students (76% female). Attitudes toward violence were measured by the CAVS and the Violence Attitudes scale of the Revised MCAA (MCAA-R-V; Mills & Kroner, 2007), as well as a semantic differential scale Nunes et al. developed for their study. In the semantic differential scale of attitudes toward violence, participants rated violence on seven different 7-point evaluative scales (e.g., violence is . . . ...
Attitudes toward violence are important in theoretical explanations of violent behavior and efforts to reduce violent behavior. Though an association between attitudes and violent behavior has been demonstrated, most studies have used correlational/observational research designs. We conducted a randomized experiment to test the effect of attitudes toward violence on violent behavior with 285 men from the community. Participants were randomly assigned to receive material to make attitudes toward violence more negative or to a control condition. Violent behavior was then approximated by asking participants to select from a range of violent and nonviolent options in response to a series of interpersonal conflict vignettes. Participants in the negative attitude condition responded with less violence on the vignette questionnaire than did participants in the control condition (Cohen’s d = −0.23, 95% CI [−0.46, 0.01]). Participants also completed a measure of attitudes toward violence at the end of the experiment; more positive attitudes toward violence showed a strong association with more violent responding on the vignette questionnaire (r = .62, 95% bootstrapped CI [.54, .69]). Consistent with theory and practice, our findings suggest that attitudes toward violence may play a role in violent behavior.
... We administered the Measures of Criminal Attitudes and Associates (MCAA) to Sample 2. The MCAA is a self-report assessment of one's number of criminal associates and criminal attitudes, as assessed by Part A and Part B (Mills & Kroner, 1999). Part A assesses up to four adult associates with whom one spends time, and the amount of time spent with these associates, and the degree to which these associates are involved in crime. ...
... Part A assesses up to four adult associates with whom one spends time, and the amount of time spent with these associates, and the degree to which these associates are involved in crime. Part B is 46 items with an Agree or Disagree response format that assesses 4 criminal attitudes scales: Attitudes Towards Violence (12 items), Antisocial Intent (12 items), Attitudes Towards Entitlement (12 items), and Attitudes Towards Criminal Others (10 items; Mills & Kroner, 1999). Higher scores indicate greater criminal attitudes (Mills & Kroner, 1999). ...
... Part B is 46 items with an Agree or Disagree response format that assesses 4 criminal attitudes scales: Attitudes Towards Violence (12 items), Antisocial Intent (12 items), Attitudes Towards Entitlement (12 items), and Attitudes Towards Criminal Others (10 items; Mills & Kroner, 1999). Higher scores indicate greater criminal attitudes (Mills & Kroner, 1999). The MCAA has yielded adequate to strong psychometric characteristics (Mills et al., 2002;Mills & Kroner, 1999). ...
Although the overrepresentation of people with mental illness in the criminal justice system is known, research is needed to identify the frequency of criminal justice involvement and criminogenic treatment needs in inpatient populations to improve continuity of care and access to appropriate treatments. The purpose of this study is to document the frequency of criminal justice involvement among people receiving inpatient community care, as has been done for persons with mental illness in correctional institutions, and to test the association between criminogenic risk and psychiatric symptomatology. The present study uses two samples (n = 94 and n = 142) of adults from two separate acute psychiatric inpatient hospitals in Texas. Data on psychiatric symptoms, mental health history, criminal risk, and criminal justice history were gathered from file review and self-report. Linear and negative binomial regressions were used to test associations of interest. In both samples, the frequency of prior criminal justice involvement was over 50%. The current results indicate there is a significant, positive association between measures of criminal risk and psychiatric symptoms. These findings highlight the need to address the reciprocal association between mental illness and criminal risk among people receiving inpatient psychiatric treatment with appropriate assessment and treatment. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).
... The Criminal Friend Index (CFI; Mills & Kroner, 1999) was used to measure the participants' criminal network. The CFI quantifies criminal associations/network be- *a recidivist is someone who has committed a crime in the past and has begun to commit crimes again after a period in prison fore incarceration. ...
Background: The purpose of the current study was to examine the differences in primary and secondary psychopathy scores, criminal social identity dimensions (cognitive centrality, in-group affect, and in-group ties), and criminal network between four groups of juvenile offenders: murderers, attempted murderers, recidivistic nonhomicidal offenders, and first-time nonhomicidal offenders.
Participants and procedure: Self-reported data were collected among 725 male youth offenders (Mage = 16.47 years) incarcerated in four prisons in Pakistan.
Results: The results revealed no significant differences in scores between the four groups of youth offenders on any of the measured variables.
Conclusions: It appears that psychosocial self-reported measures may not be effective in discriminating among youth prison populations.
... Consistent with this perception of discrepant conceptualizations of attitudes, preliminary evidence suggests that self-report scales often used to assess attitudes toward violence may not measure evaluative attitudes toward violence. In a sample of university students, Nunes et al. (2015) examined the overlap and distinctiveness between a measure designed to assess evaluative attitudes toward violence and two self-report measures commonly used to assess attitudes regarding violent behavior: Violence Scale of the Revised Measures of Criminal Attitudes and Associates (MCAA-R-V; Mills & Kroner, 2007) and Criminal Attitudes to Violence Scale (CAVS). Exploratory factor analyses (EFA) revealed that the MCAA-R-V and the CAVS formed correlated but distinct factors from the evaluative attitudes toward violence scale. ...
Objective: We developed a self-report measure to assess men’s evaluative attitudes toward violence (i.e., extent to which violence is viewed negatively or positively) and explored the construct validity of its scores. Method: In Study 1, we created a large pool of items, which we administered to two separate online samples of men from the community (N = 318; N = 226). In Study 2, we conducted a randomized experiment as an initial test of the construct validity of the retained items with a new online sample of 510 men from the community. If the measure assesses evaluative attitudes toward violence, then its scores should change in response to established evaluative-attitude-change procedures. Participants were randomly assigned to a condition to make evaluative attitudes toward violence more negative or to a control condition. Results: In Study 1, we retained 17 items to create the Evaluation of Violence Questionnaire (EVQ); selection was based primarily on item variance (to avoid floor effects), interitem correlations (to eliminate redundancy), and factor structure (to ensure unidimensionality). In Study 2, EVQ scores significantly decreased from pre- to posttest for participants in the experimental condition, but did not change for participants in the control condition (comparison of change between conditions: Cohen’s d = −0.52, 95% CI [−0.79, −0.25]). Similarly, posttest EVQ scores were significantly lower for participants in the experimental condition than for participants in the control condition (Cohen’s d = −0.36, 95% CI [−0.54, −0.17]). Conclusion: These results provide initial support for the construct validity of EVQ scores.
