Showing papers in "Crime & Delinquency in 2004"
TL;DR: Data show that the implementation of such programs could bring about significant reductions in both drug use and drug-related crime.
Abstract: With growing numbers of drug-involved offenders, substance abuse treatment has become a critical part of corrections. A multistage therapeutic community implemented in the Delaware correctional system has as its centerpiece a residential treatment program during work release—the transition between prison and community. An evaluation of this program followed 690 individuals. At 5 years, those who participated in the program were significantly more likely to be drug and arrest free. Furthermore, treatment graduates with or without aftercare had significantly greater probabilities of remaining both arrest free and drug free than did ano treatment comparison group in regular work release. Dropouts also were significantly more likely to be drug free, although not significantly less likely to have a new arrest than those without treatment. These data show that the implementation of such programs could bring about significant reductions in both drug use and drug-related crime.
252 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the behavioral differences between Black and White police officers in handling interpersonal conflicts were examined along two behavioral dimensions: coercion and support, and it was found that Black officers are more coercive than their white counterparts in responding to conflicts.
Abstract: This study examined the behavioral differences between Black and White police officers in handling interpersonal conflicts. Observational and survey data from the Project on Policing Neighborhoods and the 1990 census data were used. Actions taken by officers are examined along two behavioral dimensions: coercion and support. Findings show that Black officers are more coercive than their White counterparts in responding to conflicts. Black officers are also more likely than White officers to conduct supportive activities in predominantly Black neighborhoods, whereas they do not differ in initiating supportive actions in racially diverse communities. Situational characteristics play a strong role in determining police actions during conflict resolution. Implications for policy and future research are discussed.
183 citations
TL;DR: This paper found that low self-control was negatively related to social bonds and positively related to drug use and association with substance-using peers, and that the relationship between low self control and drug use was fully mediated by moral belief and associations with substance using peers.
Abstract: With longitudinal data from a sample of adult male drug offenders, this study tested 4 aspects of social bonding (attachment, involvement, religious commitment, and moral belief) and association with substance-using peers as outcomes of low self-control and as mediators of the relationship between low self-control and drug use. Low self-control was negatively related to social bonds and positively related to drug use and association with substance-using peers. The relationship between low self-control and drug use was fully mediated by moral belief and association with substance-using peers. These results support the utility of integrating self-control and social bonding perspectives on deviance.
180 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present the assessment of an initiative developed to reduce truancy in three elementary schools and find that the program was successful in substantially reducing absenteeism among those with chronic attendance problems.
Abstract: Chronic school absenteeism has been identified as a precursor to undesirable outcomes in adolescence, including academic failure, school dropout, and juvenile delinquency. In spite of its effect on adolescent functioning, little research has been conducted to identify effective methods of truancy reduction, particularly among elementary-aged students. This article presents the assessment of an initiative developed to reduce truancy in three elementary schools. Findings suggest that the program was successful in substantially reducing absenteeism among those with chronic attendance problems. Implications for future programs targeting at-risk youth are discussed.
177 citations
TL;DR: Interview and focus group methods were used to study the intersections of childhood trauma, drug use, and violent victimization among 325 women in Miami to suggest that female sex workers experience a continuing cycle of violence throughout their lives.
Abstract: This article examines the subculture of violence thesis as it relates to female street sex workers in Miami. Interview and focus group methods were used to study the intersections of childhood trauma, drug use, and violent victimization among 325 women. Using targeted sampling, crack- and heroin-using sex workers were recruited through street outreach into an HIV-prevention research program. Interviews used standard instrumentation and focused on drug-related and sexual risk for HIV, sex work, violence, childhood trauma, and health status. Nearly half of the respondents reported physical (44.9%) and/ or sexual (50.5%) abuse as children, and over 40% experienced violence from clients in the prior year: 24.9% were beaten, 12.9% were raped, and 13.8% were threatened with weapons. Consistent relationships between historical and current victimization suggest that female sex workers experience a continuing cycle of violence throughout their lives. The policy and research implications of these findings are discussed.
165 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors found evidence that offenders who victimized females received substantially longer sentences than offenders who victimized males, and that victim gender effects on sentence length were conditioned by offender gender.
Abstract: Theoretical and empirical research pertaining to the influence of gender on sentencing outcomes has focused almost exclusively on the gender of offenders. What this literature has not fully considered is how the gender of crime victims might affect sentencing outcomes. Using data for offenders convicted of three violent crimes in the seven largest metro counties in Texas in 1991, the authors find evidence that offenders who victimized females received substantially longer sentences than offenders who victimized males. Results also show that victim gender effects on sentence length are conditioned by offender gender, such that male offenders who victimize females received the longest sentence of any other victim gender/offender gender combination. However, whereas these effects are observed for sentence length, no victim gender effects are observed on whether offenders received an incarcerative or nonincarcerative sentence. The authors address the implications of their findings for theory and subsequent re...
130 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the effects of victimization while incarcerated and pre-existing conditions on prisoners' distress were assessed using path analysis and found that victimization in prison significantly predicts the occurrence of post-traumatic stress [PTS] and depressive symptoms.
Abstract: Victimization is a significant part of the incarceration experience. In this study, we assessed the effects of victimization while incarcerated and pre-existing conditions on prisoners’ distress. Data are drawn from surveys administered to 208 men recently released from prison. Using path analysis, we examined the direct effects of victimization and the direct and indirect effects, via victimization, of preprison characteristics and other control variables on distress (symptoms of post-traumatic stress [PTS] and depression). Findings reveal that victimization in prison significantly predicts the occurrence of PTS symptoms and depressive symptoms. Previous trauma, self-control, and race also have direct effects, and previous trauma and race have indirect effects on PTS and depressive symptoms.
114 citations
TL;DR: The authors found that police-community collaboration is associated with higher aggregate quality of life assessments and that community policing as a form of public social control mediates the adverse effects of concentrated disadvantage.
Abstract: Community policing advocates argue that reforms designed to break down barriers between police and citizens can produce favorable outcomes. The authors test a series of related hypotheses in a multivariate context by using four independent data sources— community surveys, patrol officer interviews, Census Bureau, and police crime records— to estimate hierarchical linear models. The results show that citizens who perceive police partnerships favorably report fewer problems related to incivilities and also express higher levels of safety. Findings from models including cross-level interaction terms indicate that the positive outcomes associated with police partnerships are not restricted to citizens residing in affluent neighborhoods. In our ecological analysis, we find that police-community collaboration is associated with higher aggregate quality of life assessments and that community policing as a form of public social control mediates the adverse effects of concentrated disadvantage. The findings suppor...
105 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors studied the career-length issue and provided important descriptive and etiological information, and also presented some comparisons across race to determine if race differences emerge in career length and its correlates.
Abstract: Much of the research on criminal careers has concentrated on the dimensions of prevalence, frequency, specialization, and desistance. One dimension that has not been the focus of research is career length. Knowledge on the distribution of—and correlates associated with—career length is important for matters related to theory and policy. Using data from a sample of parolees from the California Youth Authority, the authors studied the career-length issue and provide important descriptive and etiological information. The authors also present some comparisons across race to determine if race differences emerge in career length and its correlates. Theoretical and empirical directions for future research are also addressed.
83 citations
TL;DR: Logistic regression analyses indicate that age, gender, seeing other students carry weapons, and involvement with student clubs/organizations significantly affect fear of weapon-associated victimization.
Abstract: This article presents data obtained from a survey of high school students in Brownsville, Texas. Almost half of the students reported having seen other students carry knives at school, roughly 1 in 10 reported having seen other students carry guns at school, and more than 1 in 5 reported being fearful of weapon-associated victimization at school. Logistic regression analyses indicate that age, gender, seeing other students carry weapons, and involvement with student clubs/organizations significantly affect fear of weapon-associated victimization. Using language spoken at home as a measure of acculturation, it was also determined that immigrant juveniles are more fearful of weaponassociated victimization than nonimmigrant juveniles. The theoretical and policy implications of the findings are discussed.
74 citations
TL;DR: Results indicate that officers who believed that their department would support arrest of both parties are more likely to arrest both parties, while experienced officers were more likely than novice officers to use dual arrest.
Abstract: Dual arrests in family violence cases have increased following passage of proarrest laws. This study examined the relationship between officers’perceptions of their departmental policies and arrest outcomes. Each officer was given 1 of 6 hypothetical scripts that varied as to whether the wife only was injured or the wife and husband were injured. They were then asked what action they would take. Results indicate that officers who believed that their department would support arrest of both parties are more likely to arrest both parties. Officers who perceived that their department encouraged arrest of the primary aggressor only are more likely to arrest the husband only. When both parties were injured, officers were likely to arrest both. Experienced officers were more likely than novice officers to use dual arrest. Implications for the importance of primary aggressor language are discussed.
TL;DR: In this paper, a quasi-experimental design is used to compare juveniles assigned to drug court with those assigned to standard probation in Maricopa County, Arizona, finding that drug court participants were less likely to recidivate than youths in the comparison group.
Abstract: Prior studies of juvenile drug courts have been constrained by small samples, inadequate comparison groups, or limited outcome measures. The authors report on a 3-year evaluation that examines the impact of juvenile drug court participation on recidivism and drug use. A quasi-experimental design is used to compare juveniles assigned to drug court with those assigned to standard probation in Maricopa County, Arizona. Findings indicate drug court participants were less likely to recidivate than youths in the comparison group. Analyses of drug use show no significant difference between groups in marijuana use but reveal that drug court participants were more likely than juveniles in the comparison group to test positive for cocaine. Family stability, school attendance, and legal indicators were important predictors of drug court effectiveness. Last, findings indicate the majority of juveniles in drug court were unsuccessful in meeting program requirements and subsequently released to state-operated facilitie...
TL;DR: This article argued that the conclusions of previous research on the impact of sentencing guidelines may be misleading due to the cross-sectional methodologies employed in these studies and suggested that a theoretically driven longitudinal analysis of mandatory guidelines offers a more appropriate way to study these policies.
Abstract: This article argues that the conclusions of previous research on the impact of sentencing guidelines may be misleading due to the cross-sectional methodologies employed in these studies. This study will suggest that a theoretically driven longitudinal analysis of mandatory guidelines offers a more appropriate way to study these policies. Specifically, the author proposes that over time, guidelines that link sentencing decisions to correctional resources help to mitigate prison populations, while those that do not tend to contribute to growth in that area. An analysis of prison populations in the American states between 1975 and 1998 confirms this proposition. The results suggest that mandatory guidelines have increased both commitment and incarceration rates in states where sentencing decisions are not resource driven. Alternatively, when mandatory guidelines are linked to capacity and expenditures, these policies have had either a negative or an insignificant impact on prison populations.
TL;DR: This paper examined the influence of type of counsel across race on juvenile court outcomes and found that non-White youth represented by a private attorney were significantly more likely than similar White youth to receive a secure confinement disposition.
Abstract: The objective of this study was to examine the influence of type of counsel across race on juvenile court outcomes. Using data from a sample of juvenile court referrals from two midwestern juvenile courts, this study examined the interaction of race and type of counsel on disposition outcome. The results indicated that youth without an attorney were the most likely to have the charges dismissed, and this effect was more pronounced for non-White youth. In addition, non-White youth represented by a private attorney were significantly more likely than similar White youth to receive a secure confinement disposition.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present an evaluation of the Client Management Classification System (CMC), a method for assessment and differential supervision of offenders that embodies the principle of responsivity, and they find that training in CMC successfully heightened officers' understanding of offender motivations and needs, leading them to view probationer misconduct in a more lenient and flexible context.
Abstract: This article presents an evaluation of the Client Management Classification System (CMC), a method for assessment and differential supervision of offenders that embodies the principle of responsivity. As in prior evaluations of the CMC, probationers whose officers were trained in CMC techniques experienced lower rates of revocation compared with regularly supervised subjects. However, the experimental group incurred similar or higher rates of rules violations and arrests. Of particular interest, the study found that supervision of experimental subjects did not conform to recommended CMC strategies. In combination, these results suggest the possibility that training in CMC successfully heightened officers’ understanding of offender motivations and needs, leading them to view probationer misconduct in a more lenient and flexible context—and thereby producing the appearance of favorable outcomes. The findings have implications for the design of evaluations of efforts to implement principles of effective offe...
TL;DR: The authors extended literature on recidivism after teen court to add system-level variables to demographic and sentence content as relevant covariates, and found that sentencing and referral-based models support an interpretation in which judgment of the offender's character is central, and post hoc analysis points to possible netwidening effects for certain teen court youths.
Abstract: This study extends literature on recidivism after teen court to add system-level variables to demographic and sentence content as relevant covariates. Interviews with referral agents and survival analysis with proportional hazards regression supplement quantitative models that include demographic, sentencing, and case-processing variables in a database of 648 youths participating in an Illinois teen court over an 8-year period. Findings suggest that sentencing and referral-based models support an interpretation in which judgment of the offender’s character is central, and post hoc analysis points to possible net-widening effects for certain teen court youths.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors developed a census instrument to collect descriptive information about 118 prison-based drug treatment programs in 24 state prisons, and assessed program content and structure (e.g., program type, duration, and primary treatment approach), program staff, duties and staffing ratios, and inmates.
Abstract: Despite a growing realization that unmeasured programmatic differences influence prison-based drug treatment effectiveness, few attempts to systematically measure such differences have been made. To improve program planning and evaluation in this area, we developed a census instrument to collect descriptive information about 118 prisonbased drug treatment programs in 24 state prisons. The census assessed program content and structure (e.g., program type, duration, and primary treatment approach), program staff (e.g., duties and staffing ratios), and inmates (e.g., eligibility and intake procedures). Collection of descriptive program information can greatly facilitate drug treatment program and policy planning, and meaningfully inform the design of subsequent outcome evaluations.
TL;DR: This article examined court records, probation records, and collection office records in four counties in Pennsylvania, which were chosen because they varied along two dimensions: (a) population size and (b) the use of specialized units for the collection of monetary sanctions.
Abstract: This study examined court records, probation records, and collection office records in four counties in Pennsylvania, which were chosen because they varied along two dimensions: (a) population size and (b) the use of specialized units for the collection of monetary sanctions. From each county, restitution-eligible cases were sampled from both 1994 and 1996 to test the effect of a 1995 statutory change mandating restitution. Multivariate models indicated that restitution was significantly more likely to be ordered for property crimes, for offenses that were more easily quantified, for offenses against businesses, and for offenses after the statutory change. Moreover, restitution was more likely to be imposed and a higher percentage was likely to be paid in counties with smaller populations and in counties in which probation officers handled the collection of economic sanctions than in counties in which they were handled by specialized collection units.
TL;DR: This article found a board membership that is generally representative of the community, highly supportive of the program, and knowledgeable of restorative justice principles, and found that board members meet with probationers to negotiate a "reparative contract" that may include apologies, restitution, community service, and other tasks.
Abstract: Criminal justice agencies often call for partnerships with the community. In restorative and community justice initiatives, citizen volunteers often serve as decision makers in nonadversarial sanctioning. Although prior research has reported the attitudes of other participants in restorative decision making, such as victims and offenders, none have examined those of community volunteers. We report on findings from a state-wide survey of volunteers serving on Vermont Reparative Probation Boards. In this program, board members meet with probationers to negotiate a “reparative contract” that may include apologies, restitution, community service, and other tasks. We found a board membership that is generally representative of the community, highly supportive of the program, and knowledgeable of restorative justice principles.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined the relationship between drug charge and adjudication outcomes providing treatment versus a deterrence/punitive approach for first-time juvenile marijuana, cocaine, or crack possession/sales offenders.
Abstract: Although there is a vigorous national debate regarding effective drug policy, such policies are implemented at the local level. Using a national sample of prosecutors, we examine reported typical processing for first-time juvenile marijuana, cocaine, or crack possession/sales offenders. The relationship between drug offense charge and adjudication outcomes providing treatment versus a deterrence/punitive approach is explored. Findings indicate that marijuana offenses and possession offenses generally are more likely to result in access to treatment services for juveniles whereas cocaine/crack offenses and sales offenses generally are more likely to result in the application of punitive penalties such as transfer to criminal court.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined the reliability of the arrest and incarceration questions on the Risk Behavior Assessment (RBA) and found that the 30-day and 90-day items provided poor reliabilities that they would yield unreliable data with limited clinical use.
Abstract: We examined 48-hour test-retest reliability of the arrest and incarceration questions on the Risk Behavior Assessment (RBA; National Institute on Drug Abuse, 1993). Participants were 229 street-drug users recruited in 11 cities throughout the United States. Results revealed that lifetime arrest and incarceration items demonstrated good to excellent reliability. The 30-day arrest and incarceration items provided such poor reliabilities that they would yield unreliable data with limited research or clinical use. Future research needs to identify alternative items that can yield reliable data regarding recent arrest history; until then, it is recommended that the recent arrest items be used with caution.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors analyze data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY), using multiple regression models to examine whether the occupational status of mothers has criminogenic effects on their children during adolescence and early adulthood (15- to 19-year-olds).
Abstract: Social critics and the general public have for some time voiced a variety of concerns related to the increasing entrance of women into the paid labor market A popular assumption has been that the children of working women are prone to criminal activity The authors analyze data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY), using multiple regression models to examine whether the occupational status of mothers has criminogenic effects on their children during adolescence and early adulthood (15- to 19-year-olds) After tracing the effects of maternal resources, work hours, and occupational controls to criminality, the authors find that cumulative time spent by mothers in paid employment had no measurable influence on criminal involvement On the other hand, coercively controlled maternal work over time was related to greater criminal involvement (in their children) in adolescence
TL;DR: This article explored a representative sample of all sworn police officers serving in the New Zealand Police, including a subsample of youth aid officers, looking at the nature of support for the philosophical underpinnings of restorative justice and the likely impact of such work and values on officer attitudes toward the workplace.
Abstract: In New Zealand, selected sworn police officers called youth aid officers participate in discussions and deliberations concerning the actions required to restore the sense of community balance upset by the actions of juvenile offenders. The author explores a representative sample of all sworn police officers serving in the New Zealand Police, including a subsample of youth aid officers, looking at the nature of support for the philosophical underpinnings of restorative justice and the likely impact of such work and values on officer attitudes toward the workplace. A 1996 management survey of all branches of the New Zealand national policing organization contained a number of specific questions that tap dimensions of both restorative justice philosophy and workplace orientations. This study represents a descriptive examination of these self-reported perspectives for all sworn officers, including breakdowns by selected personal-biographical variables. Implications for the implementation of restorative justic...
TL;DR: In this paper, a factorial design methodology was used to examine public attitudes toward varied PB scenarios, and it was hypothesized that opening up PB procedures to parties other than the traditionally involved insiders would enhance public support for PB.
Abstract: Although a common practice in many legal systems, plea bargaining (PB) tends to be held in low esteem by the public at large. In the present study, which was based on a survey of a national sample of Israeli respondents, a factorial design methodology was used to examine public attitudes toward varied PB scenarios. It was hypothesized that opening up PB procedures to parties other than the traditionally involved “insiders” would enhance public support for PB. The findings of the study generally confirmed this hypothesis, albeit not completely: The effect of decreased covertness was minimal. This article concludes with a discussion of the policy implications of the findings.
TL;DR: The authors examined perspectives on jail crowding and perceived inter-agency relationships using interviews and surveys of criminal justice leaders in a large southern metropolitan county, and found that the respondents agreed that jail overcrowding is a problem and that the consequences of crowding extend beyond the correctional facility.
Abstract: Jail crowding is a substantial concern for many local jurisdictions. Although several authors have suggested a system-wide approach to reduce crowding, relatively little is known about how top local criminal justice officials viewthis issue. Using interviews and surveys of criminal justice leaders in a large southern metropolitan county, this study examined perspectives on jail crowding and perceived interagency relationships. Consistent with prior studies, the respondents agreed that jail crowding is a problem and that the consequences of crowding extend beyond the correctional facility. Greater discord was observed on issues of agency responsibility for changing policies to effect reductions in crowding. Findings are interpreted within the context of a “loose coupling” framework of criminal justice organizations.
TL;DR: Ass associations between ever having been arrested and other variables among 490 male drug users found that men who had been arrested were more likely to have had syphilis and gonorrhea, exchanged sex for either drugs or money, and exchanged money or drugs for sex.
Abstract: This study explored associations between ever having been arrested and other variables among 490 male drug users. Participants were classified into three groups based on recent sexual history: men who had not had sex (NOSEX), men who had had sex with women (HETERO), and men who had had sex with men (MSM). We found thatMSMwho had been arrested were more likely to have had syphilis and gonorrhea, exchanged sex for either drugs or money, and exchanged money or drugs for sex. Given concerns about the syphilis epidemic in California among MSM, we recommend that correctional facilities engage in a vigorous syphilis-screening program.
TL;DR: This article used a four-wave panel design to analyze the criminal behaviors and substance-use frequency of 534 welfare recipients in Houston, Texas and found that a minority of welfare recipients were involved in criminal activity.
Abstract: The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) of 1996 instituted a compulsory work mandate for welfare recipients. However, recipients who experience difficulties finding employment may increase their involvement in criminal activities and their frequency of substance use as a means to deal with changes precipitated by PRWORA. This study used a four-wave panel design to analyze the criminal behaviors and substance-use frequency of 534 welfare recipients in Houston, Texas. Data were collected from the Attitudes, Behaviors, and Skills Assessment (ABSA) instrument designed specifically for this study. Results show that a minority of welfare recipients were involved in criminal activity. Furthermore, although participants were losing their welfare benefits, both criminal activity and substance use declined over time.