Crime & Delinquency recent issues

The Victim-Offender Overlap and Fear of In-School Victimization: A Longitudinal Examination of Risk Assessment Models

Melde, C., Esbensen, F.-A. — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 11:44:01 PDT

Reports of serious violence in schools have raised general awareness and concern about safety in America’s schools. In this article, the authors examine the extent to which in-school victimization is associated with students’ perceived risk and fear of victimization. By expanding on Ferraro’s risk assessment framework, the current study explores the etiology of fear of in-school victimization using longitudinal data from 1,450 youth between the ages of 10 and 16. Along with prior literature, current findings suggest that victimization and fear are empirically distinct. By focusing educational material on the social determinates of victimization, school administrators may be able to simultaneously reduce fear among youth least likely to be victimized and instill a realistic level of fear among students most at-risk of future victimization.

Social Capital, Social Control, and Changes in Victimization Rates

Hawdon, J., Ryan, J. — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 11:44:01 PDT

A neighborhood-level model of crime that connects the central dimensions of social capital with specific forms of social control is developed. The proposed model is tested using a structural equation model that predicts changes in empirical Bayes log odds of neighborhood victimization rates between 2000 and 2001 in 41 neighborhoods in South Carolina. Results support the integrated model and illustrate the importance of including direct measures of social control in neighborhood models of crime. Although the dimensions of social capital are related to private, parochial, and public controls, the relationships among these concepts are not consistent. Instead, the relationships vary in strength and direction.

The Predictive Validity of a Gender-Responsive Needs Assessment: An Exploratory Study

Salisbury, E. J., Van Voorhis, P., Spiropoulos, G. V. — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 11:44:01 PDT

Risk assessment and classification systems for women have been largely derived from male-based systems. As a result, many of the needs unique to women are not formally assessed or treated. Emerging research advocating a gender-responsive approach to the supervision and treatment of women offenders suggests that needs such as abuse, mental health, substance abuse, relationship difficulties, self-esteem, self-efficacy, and parenting issues are important treatment targets. Although these needs may be highly prevalent among women offenders, they have not been adequately tested to determine their relationships with future offending. In response, the present study sought to understand whether gender-responsive needs contributed as risk factors to poor prison adjustment and community recidivism. Additionally, several types of risk assessment models were explored to determine whether gender-responsive needs enhanced the validities of currently established risk classification systems (i.e., a state’s institutional custody scale and the Level of Service Inventory-Revised). Patterns of results differed across prison and community outcomes, with some gender-responsive needs contributing to more valid risk assessment systems. As a pilot study, the results, although mixed, appear to support continued research on this topic.

The Role of Empathy and Parenting Style in the Development of Antisocial Behaviors

Schaffer, M., Clark, S., Jeglic, E. L. — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 11:44:01 PDT

This study examined the relationship among parenting, empathy, and antisocial behavior. Two hundred forty-four undergraduate students attending an urban university completed self-report questionnaires assessing their antisocial behavior, empathy, and mothers’ and fathers’ parenting styles. Support was found for a model in which maternal permissive parenting contributed directly and indirectly to antisocial behavior, through its effects on cognitive and emotional empathy development. Findings are discussed in relation to the current literature on empathy, parenting, and adult antisocial behavior.

Evidence for Connections Between Prosecutor-Reported Marijuana Case Dispositions and Community Youth Marijuana-Related Attitudes and Behaviors

Fri, 28 Aug 2009 11:44:01 PDT

This article examines relationships between local drug policy (as represented by prosecutor-reported case outcomes for first-offender juvenile marijuana possession cases) and youth self-reported marijuana use, perceived risk, and disapproval. Interviews with prosecutors and surveys of 8th-, 10th-, and 12th-grade students in the United States were conducted in 2000. Analyses include data from 97 prosecutors and students from 127 schools in 40 states. Results indicate significant relationships between local drug policy and youth marijuana use and attitudes. In general, more-severe dispositions are associated with less marijuana use, higher disapproval rates, and increased perceptions of great risk. Associations primarily appear to be specific to marijuana-related outcomes. Results are discussed within the framework of both deterrence and broader social norms regarding substance use.

Combating Methamphetamine Use in the Community: The Efficacy of the Drug Court Model

Listwan, S. J., Shaffer, D. K., Hartman, J. L. — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 11:44:01 PDT

Methamphetamine use was historically a problem facing Western states; however, in recent years it has methodically spread throughout the nation. Methamphetamine use impacts communities, families, and the criminal justice system in a variety of ways. As such, many jurisdictions are developing policies to reduce the sale and consumption of this drug as well as increase penalties for its use. The question of whether methamphetamine users can be safely and effectively treated in the community is unresolved. This study explores whether community-based drug courts are a reasonable option for treating this population. Results of the study indicate that drug of choice does not influence outcome in a drug court setting. Policy implications are discussed.

The Effect of Urban Neighborhood Disorder on Evaluations of the Police and Courts

Sprott, J. B., Doob, A. N. — Fri, 29 May 2009 10:39:27 PDT

Are people dissatisfied with the courts as well as the police when they perceive high levels of disorder in their neighborhoods? Consistent with previous research, this study, using a representative sample of Canadian adults, demonstrates that people are significantly more negative about the police when they perceive high levels of disorder. They are not, however, more negative toward the courts when confronted with these social problems. It is possible that they have heard the police rhetoric—namely, that the police form the "thin blue line" between order and chaos. Although the public holds the police and the courts responsible for increasing rates of crime, victimization, and fear, they do not see the courts as being responsible for neighborhood disorder, which they see as being the sole responsibility of the police.

Gender and Gangs: A Quantitative Comparison

Bell, K. E. — Fri, 29 May 2009 10:39:27 PDT

Research and theory about female gang involvement remain scarce. Drawing on the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, this study addresses whether males and females differ in risk factors associated with gang membership (e.g., community characteristics, parent-child relationships, associations with deviant friends). Integrating theory and research from social disorganization, social control, and feminist perspectives on crime/ delinquency, few differences are found between boys and girls in terms of risk factors associated with gang membership and outcomes associated with gang involvement. Instead, the results indicate that parental social control, attachment, and involvement; school safety; peer fighting; age; and race similarly influence boys' and girls' gang involvement.

Substance Abuse Treatment, Anticipated Maternal Roles, and Reentry Success of Drug-Involved Women Prisoners

Robbins, C. A., Martin, S. S., Surratt, H. L. — Fri, 29 May 2009 10:39:27 PDT

This article reports analyses of recidivism and relapse experiences of substance-abusing women inmates as they reenter the community. Outcomes are compared for women who completed a work-release therapeutic community program, women who entered but did not complete the program, and those who did not receive work-release therapeutic community treatment. Additionally, this article compares women who anticipated living with their children following release to those who did not have children with whom they expected to live. Women who completed the treatment program were more likely to remain arrest-free during the first 18 months following prison, and they used drugs less frequently. Women who expected to live with their minor children were significantly more likely to enter the treatment program, but maternal role expectations had no direct effect on reentry outcomes once treatment experience and background factors were controlled.

Parent--Child Conflicts, School Troubles, and Differences in Delinquency Across Immigration Generations

Bui, H. N. — Fri, 29 May 2009 10:39:27 PDT

This study examines delinquent behavior among schoolchildren in a nationally representative sample from the United States and seeks an understanding of the factors contributing to variances in delinquency across immigration generations. Data analysis indicates that the levels of self-reported substance use, property delinquency, and violent delinquency among first-generation students are significantly lower than those among students from later immigration generations. These differences are explained in part by family relationships and school bonding, particularly parent—child conflicts and school troubles that increase with later immigration generations. These findings suggest that there are negative effects of acculturation on family and school processes, which in turn affect delinquency.

The Impact of Residential and Nonresidential Drug Treatment on Recidivism Among Drug-Involved Probationers: A Survival Analysis

Krebs, C. P., Strom, K. J., Koetse, W. H., Lattimore, P. K. — Fri, 29 May 2009 10:39:27 PDT

A variety of approaches for addressing drug use and drug-related crime among the nearly 5 million offenders on community supervision in the United States has been tried and evaluated, but questions remain about which policies or programs are most effective. The authors use a large data set to assess the impact of residential and nonresidential drug treatment on recidivism. Propensity score matching is used to establish equivalent treatment and comparison groups and to enable comparisons of treatment type. Survival analysis is used to determine the extent to which each treatment modality and numerous covariates were associated with time until recidivism. Compared to those receiving no treatment, those receiving nonresidential treatment took longer to fail or recidivate. However, those receiving residential treatment did not differ from those who received no treatment in time to failure. In the treatment-only model, nonresidential treatment participants took longer to fail than their matched residential treatment counterparts.

Operationalizing Crime Over the Life Course

Bosick, S. J. — Fri, 29 May 2009 10:39:27 PDT

Pointing to declines in self-reported criminality across waves of the National Youth Survey, several researchers have concluded that "testing effects" may render longitudinal self-report data unreliable. This article argues that the issue remains unsettled on two accounts. First, alternative explanations for the declines have not been fully addressed. These include matters of scale construction, item-specific age—crime curves, and selective attrition. Second, previous research tends to conflate two types of testing effects explanations: panel fatigue and changing content validity. Each of these five explanations has different implications and is explored in the present article. Through this series of analyses, the author concludes that the declines stem from item-specific issues, namely, the inclusion of early-peaking offenses in the scales and the changing content validity of some survey items. Implications are discussed with respect to how criminologists operationalize key constructs such as crime and deviance and how we study the age—crime relationship.

Gender Issues in Juvenile and Criminal Justice: Introduction to the Special Issue

Wolf, A. M., Kempf-Leonard, K. — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 12:59:00 PDT

Gender Differences in Delinquency and Juvenile Justice Processing: Evidence From National Data

Tracy, P. E., Kempf-Leonard, K., Abramoske-James, S. — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 12:59:00 PDT

This article traces the historical coverage of the gender issue in the criminological literature. It also provides contemporary empirical evidence about differences and similarities between girls and boys with respect to juvenile crime and to processing by the juvenile justice system, by analyzing several national juvenile crime data series, all of which have been recently updated. This research has produced numerous results that indicate that female and male delinquents possess more similarities than differences concerning arrest rates, arrest statistics, juvenile court data, and juvenile corrections data.

A Gender-Specific Pathway to Serious, Violent, and Chronic Offending?: Exploring Howell's Risk Factors for Serious Delinquency

Johansson, P., Kempf-Leonard, K. — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 12:59:01 PDT

In Preventing and Reducing Juvenile Delinquency, Howell proposes a female-specific pathway to serious, violent, and chronic offending. Incorporating ideas from feminist research about risk factors for female delinquency, he proposes five distinct and interrelated risk factors—child abuse victimization, mental health problems, running away, gang involvement, and juvenile justice involvement—as those that lead to serious, violent, and chronic offending for girls. This study is an exploration of Howell's hypothesis, assessing the independent effect of the suggested risk factors on girls' and boys' involvement in serious, violent, and chronic offending. The sample consists of 10,405 youths, one third of whom are females, who were referred to a metropolitan juvenile court in Texas and tracked in official records from 1997 to 2003. This large sample allows for robust statistical analysis of the independent effect of the risk factors on serious, violent, and chronic offending by gender.

Violent Girls or Relabeled Status Offenders?: An Alternative Interpretation of the Data

Feld, B. C. — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 12:59:01 PDT

Policy makers and juvenile justice officials express alarm over the rise in arrests of girls for simple and aggravated assault. Others see this perceived increase as an artifact of decreased public tolerance for violence, changes in parental attitudes or law enforcement policies, or heightened surveillance of domestic violence, which disproportionately affects girls. The author contends that the social construction of girls' violence may reflect policy changes in the juvenile justice system itself, especially the deinstitutionalization of status offenders. The Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act deinstitutionalization mandates encouraged "bootstrapping" or "relabeling" female status offenders as delinquents to retain access to facilities in which to confine "incorrigible" girls. The author analyzes data on changes in arrest patterns and confinement for boys and girls charged with simple and aggravated assault, arguing that differences in rates, victims, and confinement for "violent" boys and girls support a relabeling interpretation of the supposed rise in girls' violence consistent with the social construction thesis.

Determining What Works for Girls in the Juvenile Justice System: A Summary of Evaluation Evidence

Zahn, M. A., Day, J. C., Mihalic, S. F., Tichavsky, L. — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 12:59:01 PDT

Despite increasing attention on gender-specific programming for girls involved in the juvenile justice system, not much is known about the effectiveness of gender-specific programs. The authors review the evidence base for the effectiveness of programs for girls in custody or under supervision by examining the evaluation evidence for nine gender-specific programs (which exclusively target girls) and six gender-non-specific programs (which target both girls and boys). Through this process, the authors summarize the evidence of effectiveness available to researchers and practitioners, identify barriers to determining what programs work for adjudicated girls, and make recommendations for building a solid evidence base on what works for adjudicated girls.

The Provision and Completion of Gender-Specific Services for Girls on Probation: Variation by Race and Ethnicity

Wolf, A. M., Graziano, J., Hartney, C. — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 12:59:01 PDT

Beginning in the late 1980s, the number of girls entering the juvenile justice system increased dramatically. Although historically girls had entered the justice system with status offenses, recent examinations suggest a sharp rise in the number of girls charged with more serious crimes. Researchers and policy makers have increasingly acknowledged the need for a gender-specific approach, which has prompted the development of gender-responsive theories, strategies, and programming to specifically address female delinquency. This article focuses on an evaluation of a gender-specific intervention and examines factors that contribute to its efficacy. More specifically, the current article explores the provision and completion of services by girls in the Reaffirming Young Sisters' Excellence Program, paying particular attention to variations by race and ethnicity.

Reentry and Renegotiating Motherhood: Maternal Identity and Success on Parole

Brown, M., Bloom, B. — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 12:59:01 PDT

Parenting women emerging from prison on parole face numerous challenges to their successful reentry into the community. Along with finding housing, employment, and satisfying the conditions of their supervision, parenting women must also reassume their roles as mothers. This article adds to the literature on reentry by placing women's maternal concerns at the forefront of this process. Combining quantitative explorations of women's parole case files (203) with in-depth interviews (25), this research demonstrates that reentering mothers confront many of the same problems that mediated their incarceration: poverty, lack of education, unstable housing, lack of access to social services, underemployment, and addiction. While the maternal role may constitute a conventional identity "script" for these ex-inmates and motivate their success on parole, the challenges they face that impact their childrearing before prison make reassuming their maternal roles a precarious enterprise. Recommendations for gender-responsive policies and programs are provided.

Organizational, Administrative, and Environmental Correlates of Complaints About Police Use of Force: Does Minority Representation Matter?

Hickman, M. J., Piquero, A. R. — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 10:45:40 PST

Minority representation among police personnel, relative to the communities they serve, has long been advanced as an explanatory factor for the prevalence of negative police—public interactions as well as police agency responsiveness to public concerns, particularly with regard to the use of force. But minority representation has rarely been studied empirically and on a large scale. The present study examined minority representation and additional organizational, administrative, and environmental correlates of citizen complaints about police use of force in 496 large municipal police departments. Data were drawn from the 2003 Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) survey administered by the Bureau of Justice Statistics. Results indicate that (a) rates of force complaints were higher among agencies having greater spatial differentiation, internal affairs units, and higher violent crime rates; (b) the percentage of complaints sustained was higher among agencies characterized by greater formalization and lower where collective bargaining was authorized for officers; and (c) minority representation was unrelated to complaint rates nor to the percentage of complaints sustained. Implications for the policing literature as well as future refinements for the LEMAS survey are discussed.

Cause or Consequence?: Suburbanization and Crime in U.S. Metropolitan Areas

Jargowsky, P. A., Park, Y. — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 10:45:40 PST

Inner-city crime is a motivating factor for middle-class flight. Therefore, crime is a cause of suburbanization. Movement of the middle and upper classes to the suburbs, in turn, isolates the poor in central-city ghettos and barrios. Sociologists and criminologists have argued that the concentration of poverty creates an environment within which criminal behavior becomes normative, leading impressionable youth to adopt criminal lifestyles. Moreover, from the perspective of routine activity theory, the deterioration of social capital in high-poverty areas reduces the capacity for guardianship. Therefore, suburbanization may also cause crime. The authors argue that prior research has not distinguished between the causal and compositional effects of suburbanization on crime. They show that the causal component can be identified by linking metropolitan-level crime rates, rather than central-city crime rates, to measures of suburbanization. Using Uniform Crime Reports and census data from 2000, they find a positive relationship between suburbanization and metropolitan crime.

Reconsidering Child Saving: The Extent and Correlates of Public Support for Excluding Youths From the Juvenile Court

Applegate, B. K., Davis, R. K., Cullen, F. T. — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 10:45:41 PST

The 1990s saw concerted legislative efforts to increase the mechanisms through which juveniles could be transferred to the adult court. Beginning research exists on how the public feels about transferring youths out of the juvenile justice system, but it is somewhat dated and does little to illuminate the reasons people support transfer. Using a statewide sample and factorial survey design, this study assesses how public views are related to multiple factors, including offense and offender characteristics, views on the appropriate aims of juvenile sentencing, perceptions of juvenile maturity, and expectations about the results of transferring juvenile cases to the adult criminal justice system. Our findings suggest that people want transfer used sparingly and selectively and that support is greatest when they believe that the adult system can provide effective rehabilitation as well as punishment. Implications are discussed.

Proactive Policing by Post and Community Officers

Famega, C. N. — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 10:45:41 PST

Using data collected through social observations of 188 police officer shifts, the current research examines the time allocated to proactive and reactive activities by traditional and community police officers to assess (a) the extent to which post officers engage in proactive activities, (b) whether these activities differ from the (proactive) activities conducted by community officers, (c) whether post and community officers' activities reflect an emphasis on different functions of policing, and (d) to what extent the activities of both types of officers reflect community policing philosophy.

Day Reporting Center Completion: Comparison of Individual and Multilevel Models

Craddock, A. — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 10:45:41 PST

This study of 14 day reporting centers demonstrated that findings from analyses that take into account the clustering of clients into programs differ from those that ignore it. The multilevel analysis found that a higher likelihood of completion is associated with being older, White/non-Hispanic, having a current "other" offense, and having emotional problems. Probationers were less likely to complete if they had drug or alcohol problems, primarily criminal companions, and poor living situations. The more time spent in the program and the more contact hours received in employment services were also positively associated with completion. Although a substantial proportion of the variation in the likelihood of completion was found to be due to program-level factors, no specific program characteristics were significant.

Assessing Static and Dynamic Influences on Inmate Violence Levels

Steiner, B. — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 10:45:41 PST

Inmate misconduct creates problems for other inmates as well as correctional staff. Most empirical assessments of the correlates of inmate misconduct have been conducted at the individual level; however, a facility's level of misconduct may be of equal importance to prison management and state officials because these numbers can reflect order, or lack thereof, within an institution. Prior prison research also has typically been cross-sectional and conducted at one time point. In this study, the relative contributions of facility-and state-level predictors of misconduct, considered elements of the social organization of a prison, are examined across two time points for 512 state-operated prisons housing adult men. Cross-sectional and longitudinal findings reveal that predictors such as the racial composition of the inmates and staff, measures of administrative control, and state-level factors have both static and dynamic effects on levels of violent misconduct.

Erratum

Tue, 25 Nov 2008 10:45:41 PST