Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice recent issues

Innovation in Community Corrections and Probation Officers' Fears of Being Sued: Implementing Neighborhood-Based Supervision in Spokane, Washington

Drapela, L. A., Lutze, F. E. — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 10:53:41 PDT

Probation departments are emphasizing a greater level of community interaction between officers and ordinary citizens as an integral part of effective offender supervision. This trend is due in part to the prisoner reentry correctional paradigm, which conceptualizes probation officers as relationship brokers between offenders and their employers, family members, and community stakeholders. Field probation officers are a critical part of implementing this community-oriented approach. Few scholars, however, have evaluated probation departments’ organizational capacities to implement this change in light of the legal vulnerabilities to torts faced by these officers. We use in-depth interview data from a sample of field probation officers in eastern Washington State to understand how probation officers’ concerns about being sued and their trust in the organization may affect its capacity to innovate. The theoretical and policy implications of our findings are discussed.

Chaos Theory and Correctional Treatment: Common Sense, Correctional Quackery, and the Law of Fartcatchers

Gendreau, P., Smith, P., Theriault, Y. L. — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 10:53:41 PDT

Despite a substantial empirical literature on what works in offender treatment, programs based on common sense dominate the corrections landscape. We explain how commonsense approaches have led to correctional quackery (CQ) and draw on chaos theory to show that there is actually an underlying order to what appears to be a literature in complete disorder. Specifically, it is proposed that the law of fartcatchers can account for a significant amount of the CQ that occurs in corrections. A brief history of the conditions that led to the development of the law is provided, and we trace how it has evolved over time. Finally, the long-term viability of the law and whether its influence can be mitigated is discussed.

The Giant That Never Woke: Parole Authorities as the Lynchpin to Evidence-Based Practices and Prisoner Reentry

Paparozzi, M. A., Guy, R. — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 10:53:41 PDT

This article argues that discretionary parole is the lynchpin to improved correctional practice. Calls to abolish discretionary parole have failed to consider its potential to steer correctional agendas toward sustainable evidence-based practices (EBPs) and effective reentry/transitional services. The history of corrections and parole is marked by tension between the goals of warehousing and correcting prisoners. Notwithstanding a growing body of impressive research that clarifies the importance of the implementation of EBPs to recidivism reduction, their ubiquitous implementation has been impeded by structural flaws within correctional organizations. Moreover, corrections practitioners and scholars have not addressed issues related to the professional competency of discretionary parole authorities as well as their potential to serve as a protective organizational factor that promotes offender rehabilitation and reintegration.

The Organizational Politics of Implementing Risk Assessment Instruments in Community Corrections

Schlager, M. D. — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 10:53:41 PDT

Much talk has surrounded the use of risk assessment in community corrections. Community corrections agencies continue to struggle with what risk instrument to adopt and how to implement it in a comprehensive way. One of the most important factors that impedes the successful implementation of risk assessment instruments is organizational politics. This essay evaluates some of the organizational politics that inhibit the successful implementation of risk assessment instruments and highlights several factors that can mitigate this effect.

Discretionary Decision Making by Probation and Parole Officers: The Role of Extralegal Variables as Predictors of Responses to Technical Violations

Kerbs, J. J., Jones, M., Jolley, J. M. — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 10:53:41 PDT

This study examines the predictors of discretionary decisions made by probation and parole officers (PPOs) when they face clients who commit technical rule violations during community supervision. Although prior studies of discretionary decisions in criminal justice systems typically focus on legal predictors of discretion (i.e., offense- and offender-based variables), this study examines extralegal predictors to include PPOs’ sociodemographical, occupational, and organizational characteristics. The study uses data collected from a national self-report survey of 332 PPOs who worked with adults and who were members of the American Probation and Parole Association in 2005. Logistic regression analyses examine extralegal predictors of PPO support for formal hearings (i.e., judicial or parole board hearings) in response to technical rule violations. Analyses identify significant occupational and organizational factors that predicted discretionary decisions. Policy implications and directions for future research are examined.

Applying Evidence-Based Practices to Community Corrections Supervision: An Evaluation of Residential Substance Abuse Treatment for High-Risk Probationers

Perez, D. M. — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 10:53:41 PDT

This study sought to evaluate the effectiveness of residential substance abuse treatment in reducing recidivism among high-risk offenders. The study employed a quasi-experimental research design to match 82 probationers who participated in residential drug treatment program to 82 probationers with similar demographics and criminal history who did not attend treatment. The findings revealed that residential substance abuse treatment had no statistically significant effect on several dichotomous measures of recidivism but that treatment participation substantially reduced the amount of criminal activity in which offenders engaged in during the 18-month follow-up period. Furthermore, among those arrested, the treatment group was more likely to be charged with a probation violation, whereas controls were substantially more likely to be arrested for a new criminal offense. The results serve as the foundation for future examinations into the efficacy of residential drug treatment for high-risk offenders under community supervision.

Gender and the Predictive Validity of the LSI-R: A Study of Parolees and Probationers

Vose, B., Lowenkamp, C. T., Smith, P., Cullen, F. T. — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 10:53:41 PDT

The Level of Service Inventory—Revised (LSI-R) is a classification instrument used to identify the risks and needs of offenders. Originally validated for use with male offenders, some scholars have questioned the instrument’s suitability for use with female offenders. The current study attempts to contribute to the discussion on gender and the predictive validity of the LSI-R. A sample of 2,849 probationers and parolees were administered the LSI-R at two points in time. This design allows for the analysis of the instrument’s predictive validity at Time 1 and Time 2, and of the impact that changes in LSI-R scores may have on rates of recidivism. The results suggest that the LSI-R is a valid instrument for predicting recidivism with male and female offenders and thus should be viewed as a useful resource for practitioners engaged in correctional treatment.

Unpacking the Relationship Between Gender and Fear of Crime: Explaining Why There Are Similarities and Differences

Lane, J., Fisher, B. S. — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 17:36:53 PDT

Perceptions of Neighborhood Problems, Fear of Crime, and Resulting Behavioral Precautions: Comparing Institutionalized Girls and Boys in Florida

Lane, J. — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 17:36:53 PDT

Researchers rarely study perceptions of disorder, fear of crime, and behavioral precautions among youths, especially juvenile offenders. This study examines perceptions of neighborhood disorder, fear of general and gang crimes, and resulting precautionary behaviors while on the street among a sample of 149 incarcerated youths in Florida. The results show that neither girls nor boys perceived neighborhood disorder. Most are also not afraid. There are few significant differences between girls and boys on disorder and precautionary behaviors, but no significant differences on fear. These unexpected results may be due to sample characteristics, pointing to the need for more research.

Considering the Gendered Nature of Constrained Behavior Practices Among Male and Female College Students

Rader, N. E., Cossman, J. S., Allison, M. — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 17:36:53 PDT

Previous research suggests that individuals engage in a variety of constrained behaviors to protect themselves from potential victimization. Although research controls for gender and constrained behaviors in fear of crime models, few studies consider constrained behaviors through a gendered lens. Using university survey data as an exploratory case study, this article hypothesizes that men and women use different types of constrained behaviors and, using factor analysis, constructs a gender-sensitive typology of four distinctive types of constrained behaviors. The results suggest that women are more likely to engage in all four types of constrained behaviors and that a variety of gender differences in behavioral responses to fear in crime are apparent when comparing across the four categories.

College Students' Crime-Related Fears on Campus: Are Fear-Provoking Cues Gendered?

Fisher, B. S., May, D. — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 17:36:53 PDT

Gender plays a central role in the study of crime-related fear as does the description of various fear-provoking cues in the environment. Despite the ever-growing body of crime-related fear research, few researchers have examined which fear-provoking cues, if any, are gendered. Using a large sample of undergraduates from a public university, this article explores the gendered nature of fear-provoking cues and crime-related fears while on campus. Bivariate and multivariate results suggest that fear-provoking cues are not gendered for fear of larceny-theft or fear of assault. These results inform the fear of crime research on a number of dimensions and have implications for future research.

Gender Differences in Fear of Terrorism

Nellis, A. M. — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 17:36:53 PDT

Researchers have long been curious about the mismatch between women's fear of crime and their objective risk of victimization. The present research, which examines fear of terrorism, provides a unique opportunity to explore gender differences in reactions to a specific type of violent victimization, terrorism. The article analyzes data collected from a telephone survey of 532 inhabitants from New York and Washington on the topic of reactions to terrorism-related information. Analysis of these data finds that women are more fearful, engage in more avoidance behaviors, and are more likely to seek information in response to terrorism-related information. Moreover, women differ from men in predictors of their terrorism fears as well as engagement in terrorism-related avoidance and information-seeking behaviors. Possible explanations for these results are discussed.

Gender and Fear of Terrorism in Turkey

Wilcox, P., Ozer, M. M., Gunbeyi, M., Gundogdu, T. — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 17:36:53 PDT

Fear of crime research has highlighted women's differential perceptions and emotions regarding particular offenses—sexual assault, most notably. However, the gendered nature of other crime-specific fears remains understudied. The authors used survey data from high school students in Turkey to examine (a) whether there are gender differences in fear of terrorism, (b) how correlates of terrorism—including media exposure, proterrorism associations, attitudes about terrorism, and demographic and contextual background characteristics—might mediate effects of gender, and (c) whether correlates of terrorism vary by gender. Findings indicated that women were more fearful of terrorism than men and that this difference persisted even after accounting for differences in the measured correlates of media exposure, proterrorism associations, attitudes about terrorism, and demographic and contextual variables. Furthermore, the effects of several of these correlates of fear were significantly different across gender.

Crime and Justice in India

Prabha Unnithan, N. — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 17:08:19 PDT

Crime, Criminals, Treatment, and Punishment: An Exploratory Study of Views Among College Students in India and the United States

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 17:08:19 PDT

Views toward crime, criminals, punishment, and treatment are shaped by social forces, which differ across nations. Most of the research in this area has been conducted among citizens of Western nations, yet crime and responding to it is a worldwide occurrence. This study compared the crime views of Indian and U.S. college students. It was found that there were significant differences between Indian and U.S. respondents in their views toward crime, criminals, punishment, and treatment. There were mixed views on punishment and rehabilitation among both groups of students. In a multivariate analysis controlling for gender, age, academic level, and religious saliency, nation of the respondent was one of the best predictors for these views. The differences in views were attributed partly to the cultural differences between the two nations.

Public Order in India: An Empirical Study

Vinod Kumar, T.K. — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 17:08:19 PDT

The nature of public order varies across societies and time. The analysis of public order and social control of disorder requires an understanding of the nature of public order in society. This article analyzes public events that occurred in a city in India in a year. After empirically examining each event, a classification system for public events and for quantifying disorder is proposed. Based on these aspects, the contours of public order in India are defined.

The Depiction of Corruption in English-Language Indian Fiction

Geis, G. — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 17:08:19 PDT

India stereotypically is regarded as a country riddled with corruption, although international surveys indicate that it ranks in about the middle of the world's nations in terms of corruption. The article surveys novels and short stories by more than two dozen writers, primarily native Indians, to discover how they depict episodes of corruption. It determines that they focus particularly on miscreant behavior in politics and the government, the police, petty officials, the postal service, transportation, and on smuggling. The writers flesh out and make more vivid information that is presented in criminological writing about corruption in India.

An Assessment of the Mental Health of Street-Based Sex Workers in Chennai, India

Suresh, G., Furr, L. A., Aylur Kailasom Srikrishnan, — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 17:08:19 PDT

Prostitution, which is considered a public-order crime in India, is a way of life and employment for a large number of Indian women. Most choose prostitution for a living, in the absence of other opportunities for employment. The psychological costs of prostitution, however, are high. Violence against sex workers is common and is believed to affect their psychological well-being in general and affective disorders in particular. To date, little empirical research on this subject exists. This cross-sectional study attempts to fill this gap in the literature by investigating the relationship between workplace violence and mental health among sex workers in Chennai (formerly Madras), India. The study analyzes the social pathways to depression and suicidal ideations and found that workplace violence was the key variable that predicted higher depression scores. The article concludes that this group of marginalized women has major mental health needs that are currently unidentified and unmet.

Police Handling of Domestic Violence Cases in Tamil Nadu, India

Kethineni, S., Srinivasan, M. — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 17:08:19 PDT

Police in the state of Tamil Nadu, India, use a two-tier system in domestic violence cases. More serious cases, such as dowry deaths and murders resulting from domestic disputes, are registered in the First Information Report for official police investigation and filing of charges. All other domestic violence cases are initially registered in a register called Community Service Register before further investigation. This article will compare the types of domestic violence cases officially registered by the police and the cases disposed of informally and will examine how recent domestic violence legislation affects the role of women police in dealing with domestic violence case.

Does Higher Education Affect Perceptions Among Police Personnel?: A Response from India

Scott, J., Evans, D., Verma, A. — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 17:08:19 PDT

Police personnel in India are poorly educated and are notorious for extortion, misbehavior, and poor services to citizens. There is constant demand to improve their quality, but good training and performance requires better education to comprehend the demands of a democratic polity. But do better educated police personnel perceive their responsibilities differently? This research seeks to understand the impact of education on police personnel in terms of their perceptions of role, work values, stress, and management issues. Our research suggests that education makes only a marginal difference and provides evidence for a policy change in this direction.

Police Use of Deadly Force: Police Perceptions of a Culture of Approval

Belur, J. — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 17:08:19 PDT

This article examines police officers' perceptions of their colleagues, the police organization, other criminal justice agencies, the media, the politicians, and the public toward the use of deadly force against criminals in situations known as encounters , portrayed as spontaneous shootouts between the police and hardened criminals. Interviews with 38 police officers of various ranks in Mumbai, India, reveal that they perceive an overall sense of approval or complicity for shootouts, sometimes of dubious legality, which made accountability mechanisms more a paper exercise than in actually ensuring compliance with legal and ethical standards. Though the abuse of deadly force is not unique or limited to the police force reported in this study, the perception of police officers that there is general support for, or even apathy toward, shortcut methods to deal with alleged criminals is noteworthy and has implications for policing elsewhere.

Research on Firearms and Violent Crime

Petee, T. A., Corzine, J. — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 18:01:28 PST

Self-Defensive Gun Use by Crime Victims: A Conjunctive Analysis of Its Situational Contexts

Hart, T. C., Miethe, T. D. — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 18:01:28 PST

As a means for analyzing categorical data, conjunctive analysis is an emerging analytic approach used in both exploratory and confirmatory research. This technique is applied in the current study to examine two important issues related to the use of firearms as a means of self-defense by crime victims. Using data from the National Crime Victimization Survey, the current study uses conjunctive analysis (a) to examine the contextual factors associated with the use of a firearm by crime victims as a means of self-defense and (b) to identify the situational factors most closely associated with instances where the self-defensive use of a firearm is most and least effective. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for future research.

Peers and Gun Use Among Urban Adolescent Males: An Examination of Social Embeddedness

Wilkinson, D. L., McBryde, M. S., Williams, B., Bloom, S., Bell, K. — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 18:01:28 PST

Youth gun violence is most often a group phenomenon yet most empirical examinations ignore this fact. Using interview data with 416 violent male offenders from two disadvantaged New York City neighborhoods, this paper examines the roles that the peer contexts play in explaining the nuanced patterns of respondent gun-related behaviors. We hypothesize that respondents who are comparatively more embedded in networks of peers who carry and use guns will also report greater involvement in serious gun violence. We found that guns were equated with self-protection and the most prevalent reason given for possession and carrying behaviors of peers. Belonging to a group of associates was also perceived to have protective value. Guns and armed peers played a role in heightened risk for lethal conflict. Peers are involved as co-offenders in the majority of gun events reported. We discuss the implications of our findings for violence intervention policy and future research.

City-Level Characteristics and Individual Handgun Ownership: Effects of Collective Security and Homicide

Kleck, G., Kovandzic, T. — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 18:01:28 PST

General Social Survey (GSS) data are used in a multilevel analysis to examine the relationship between an individual's decision to own a handgun and his or her city's (a) homicide rate and (b) police strength level. The cities in which respondents lived were identified using special supplementary codes provided by the National Opinion Research Center so that information about surrounding cities could be attached to each GSS respondent. Logistic regression analyses indicate that the likelihood of handgun ownership is increased by higher local homicide rates. The effects are not mediated by the individual's own victimization experiences or fear of crime. Positive macro-level associations previously found between homicide rates and gun ownership levels may be indicative of homicide effects on handgun acquisition rather than the reverse. Larger city police forces discourage handgun ownership, supporting the idea that the provision of greater collective security reduces the felt need of the citizenry to provide their own protection.

Intimate Partner Homicide: Relationships to Alcohol and Firearms

Roberts, D. W. — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 18:01:28 PST

An overwhelming proportion of intimate partner (IP) homicide perpetrators are under the influence of substances when the crime occurs, and alcohol consumption is a strong predictor of intimate terrorism of women. In IP homicide, female victims are twice as likely to die from a gunshot wound as from stabbing, strangling, or other methods; and firearm ownership is shown to increase the likelihood of IP homicide by a factor of 5.38. Compiled from publicly available data sources, the present study analyzes a database of all lethal events occurring in the U.S. from 1985 to 2004. Using a panel of counties and negative binomial regression, the influences of alcohol and firearms, controlling for other variables, on IP homicide and IP homicide by firearm are estimated. Alcohol consumption and firearm ownership increase both the incidence rates of IP homicide and IP homicide by firearm. However, highly restrictive firearms carry laws also increase the incidence of IP homicide. IP homicide is strongly influenced by alcohol and firearms availability, but some types of firearms carry laws might be counterproductive in decreasing the incidence of this crime.

Influence of Automatic Firearms on the Presence of Multiple Victims of Violence: A Research Note

Libby, N. E., Wright, J. D. — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 18:01:28 PST

This study investigates the impact of automatic firearm usage on the presence of multiple victims within a violent encounter. In addition, key situational and contextual variables from the criminal events perspective are controlled. Data were collected from the National Incident-Based Reporting System of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to determine if automatic firearms, compared to semiautomatic firearms, increased the chance of multiple victims appearing within incidents of serious violence. Results indicate that automatic weapons increase the likelihood of multiple victimization, although various situational and contextual factors such as incident circumstance and victim—offender relationship increase these odds as well.

To Heller and Back

Kopel, D. B., Blackman, P. H. — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 18:01:28 PST

Extensive legal research confirmed a Standard Model of the Second Amendment: the Founders' intended to recognize and protect a preexisting individual right to own and use firearms for self-defense. Although most gun laws will remain constitutional, despite their irrelevance to crime control, the Supreme Court's 2008 decision in District of Columbia v. Heller invalidated the nation's most restrictive law, which had banned the possession of handguns and had banned the use of any firearm for home protection. It remains to be seen whether the Supreme Court will "incorporate" the Second Amendment in the Fourteenth Amendment so that it limits excessively restrictive state and local laws as well. Criminologically, Heller will probably lead to an increase in gun use against home invasions and a possible decrease of such invasions. Unfortunately, specific data about home invasions are not collected, so the results may be impossible to measure.

The Heller Decision and Its Possible Implications for Right-to-Carry Laws Nationally

Neil, B. A., Neil, B. A. — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 18:01:28 PST

The decision by the United States Supreme Court in District of Columbia v. Heller, 554 U.S. 2008, together with the research of Professor and research scientist John Lott now opens a number of new discussions concerning handguns in the United States. Whereas Professor Lott maintains that allowing citizens to carry concealed handguns lowers crime rates. The Supreme Court has now established for the first time ever, that citizens may possess handguns and firearms for private use in their homes. Taken together, more questions have been created than answered.

District of Columbia et al. v. Heller: Another Round in the Debate Over Gun Control

Weaver, G. S. — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 18:01:28 PST