In 1996 violence was declared and identified globally as a health problem. The risk of homicide and suicide reached epidemic proportions and affected specific segments of the population, including youth and members of minority groups. Suicide rates among adolescents and young adults (15 to 24 years) almost tripled between 1950 and 1990. Similarly, from 1985 to 1991 homicide rates among 15 to 19-year-old males almost doubled. These trends raised alarms on a global level and called for new solutions.
The motivation of this study was to compare the emotional intelligence levels of the criminals confined in prisons and in forensic psychiatric institutions.
The main objective of this analysis is to focus on emotional intelligence training recommendations in order to decrease violence rates of inmates on a global scale.
The Hypothesis of lower levels of emotional intelligence in criminals presenting higher aggression levels has been confirmed.
The Hypothesis stating that men act more violently than women and that men were predetermined to act physically more aggressively has been established. Additionally, this research analysed the role of physical violence in correlation with emotional intelligence an simultaneously showcased protective factors and the maladaptive essence of emotional intelligence within the prison systems.
Furthermore, the research is focusing on epigenetic factors and extrinsic stressors of violence and is presenting evolutionary theories which were demonstrated with the help of several transgenerational studies focused on gender roles.
Conclusively, there were found early interventions methods and training methods to increase emotional levels, which were highly oppositional as they diverged based on gender roles and differed from institution to institution. The need for a consensus in the matter of emotional intelligence and implementation of gender-oriented preventive methods and training techniques within the prison system and forensic psychiatry have been identified.
The question remains the same: what are we going to do about it ?
