Showing papers in "Criminal Justice and Behavior in 2007"
TL;DR: In this paper, a sample of 432 adults from a nationwide telephone survey conducted in spring 2005, factor-analytic procedures were used to develop more valid scales and to test process-based model hypotheses.
Abstract: Prior tests of Tyler's process-based model of policing have left basic measurement questions unanswered. With a sample of 432 adults from a nationwide telephone survey conducted in spring 2005, factor-analytic procedures were used to develop more valid scales and to test process-based model hypotheses. Regression analyses confirmed that procedural justice judgments affect police legitimacy, which in turn influence both cooperation with police and compliance with the law. When legitimacy was disaggregated, trust in the police predicted both of the outcomes of interest. Obligation to obey, however, was not significantly associated with either compliance or cooperation. Finally, distributive fairness appeared to be as salient as legitimacy in facilitating participant cooperation.
477 citations
TL;DR: The findings indicate that varying levels of education and experience are related to differences in the use of coercion in encounters with citizens.
Abstract: Police researchers have devoted a considerable amount of empirical attention to testing the impact college education has on police performance. The counterargument to the education debate is that experience, in learning the police craft, is what contributes to differences in performance. The current study adds to both lines of research by examining the impact of education and experience on one of the core features of the police role: the use of coercion. The findings indicate that varying levels of education and experience are related to differences in the use of coercion in encounters with citizens. Encounters involving officers with any college education result in significantly less verbal force compared to those with a high school education. However, only those encounters involving officers with a 4-year degree result in significantly less physical force. Finally, encounters involving officers with greater experience result in less verbal and physical force.
262 citations
TL;DR: Ullman's review of empirical studies of rape avoidance is updated to illuminate what has been learned in the past 10 years and what is needed to continue to promote this important form of secondary prevention.
Abstract: Ullman’s review of empirical studies of rape avoidance is updated to illuminate what has been learned in the past 10 years and what is needed to continue to promote this important form of secondary prevention. Following a brief historical review, empirical studies of resistance strategies to sexual assaults since 1997 are reviewed. Studies of the effects of situational factors, rapist types, and victim-offender relationships on women’s resistance are included. Selected literature on self-defense training and rape prevention related specifically to women’s resistance also are reviewed, as these related areas of research have grown substantially in the past decade and can inform intervention and prevention efforts with women. Recommendations for future research and practice are offered.
218 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors identified three hunting process scripts that take into account both behavioral and geographic aspects of crime were identified, including the home-intrusion rape track and the outdoor rape track.
Abstract: This study identified hunting process scripts in a sample of 361 serial sex crimes committed by 72 serial sex offenders, using multiple correspondence analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis. Three hunting process scripts that take into account both behavioral and geographic aspects of crime were identified. These three scripts included different tracks of the hunting process. The coercive script includes the home-intrusion rape track and the outdoor rape track. The manipulative script includes the sophisticated rape track and the family-infiltrator rape track. The nonpersuasive script includes only the direct action rape track. The theoretical relevance of these three scripts and their practical implications for crime prevention strategies and geographic profiling are discussed.
206 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors used data from Project Metropolitan (Sweden) on 15,117 children born in the same year as the English cohort (1953) to test whether results in England were replicated in Sweden.
Abstract: Studies from several countries suggest that parental criminality is a strong predictor of children's own criminal behavior. Recently, the authors found that parental incarceration predicted boys' delinquency in an English cohort, even after controlling for parental criminality and other childhood risks. The present study uses data from Project Metropolitan (Sweden) on 15,117 children born in the same year as the English cohort (1953) to test whether results in England were replicated in Sweden. In Sweden, parental incarceration predicted children's own criminal behavior, but unlike in England, the effects of parental incarceration disappeared after statistically controlling for the criminality of the parent. This cross-national difference may have been the result of shorter prison sentences in Sweden, more family friendly prison policies, a welfare-oriented juvenile justice system, an extended social welfare system, and more sympathetic public attitudes toward crime and punishment.
205 citations
TL;DR: Prevalence rates of inmate-on-inmate physical violence in the previous 6 months were equal for males and females, and men had significantly higher rates of physical violence perpetrated by staff than by other inmates.
Abstract: This study estimates prevalence rates of inmate-on-inmate and staff-on-inmate physical victimization. Inmate participants were drawn from 13 adult male prisons and 1 female prison operated by a single mid-Atlantic state. A total of 7,221 men and 564 women participated. Rates of physical victimization varied significantly by gender, perpetrator, question wording, and facility. Prevalence rates of inmate-on-inmate physical violence in the previous 6 months were equal for males and females. Men had significantly higher rates of physical violence perpetrated by staff than by other inmates. By facility, inmate-on-inmate prevalence rates ranged from 129 to 346 per 1,000, whereas the range for staff-on-inmate was 83 to 321 per 1,000 (but the difference was not statistically significant).
203 citations
TL;DR: Although recent empirical research has shown that Blacks and Hispanics are consistently overrepresented among police stops, searches, and arrests, few criminologists have attempted to provide a the... as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: Although recent empirical research has shown that Blacks and Hispanics are consistently overrepresented among police stops, searches, and arrests, few criminologists have attempted to provide a the...
181 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the treatment literature on offender rehabilitation is reviewed with the purpose of deriving further direction for researchers and clinicians in the field of correctional psychology, and a review is presented.
Abstract: The treatment literature on offender rehabilitation is reviewed with the purpose of deriving further direction for researchers and clinicians in the field of correctional psychology. After addressi...
171 citations
TL;DR: The authors provided an overview of the taxometric method's inferential framework and data-analytic procedures, and provided guidelines for implementing taxometric analyses and interpreting their results. But they did not provide any guidelines for interpreting the results.
Abstract: Whether individual differences are treated as categorical or continuous has consequences for theory, assessment, classification, and research in criminal justice. Paul Meehl's (1995) taxometric method allows investigators to test between these two competing structural models. This article provides an overview of the method's inferential framework and data-analytic procedures. Because guidelines for implementing taxometric analyses and interpreting their results have received little research attention, investigators are encouraged to adopt an empirically grounded approach to taxometric analysis rather than following conventions or relying on personal opinion. The guidance afforded by Monte Carlo studies, including the two reported here, can be supplemented by simulating comparison data. This empirically grounded approach, described and illustrated below, helps to implement the taxometric method effectively and to draw valid conclusions.
166 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors identify the typical stressors affecting individuals working in the prison system in Israel and assesses the outcomes resulting from these stressors using a representative sample of prisoners.
Abstract: This study identifies the typical stressors affecting individuals working in the prison system in Israel and assesses the outcomes resulting from these stressors. A representative sample of Israel ...
164 citations
TL;DR: The authors examined the predictive strength of family processes both for low self-control and for a variety of deviance measures based on data from youth in seven different cultural and national groups (N = 8,997) from Hungary, Japan, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and the United States (nonrural high school, rural high school in the “Black Belt,” and university students).
Abstract: The current investigation examined the predictive strength of family processes (closeness, support, and monitoring) both for low self-control and for a variety of deviance measures based on data from youth in seven different cultural and national groups (N = 8,997) from Hungary, Japan, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and the United States (nonrural high school, rural high school in the “Black Belt,” and university students). Findings from multigroup structural equation modeling analyses provided consistent support for highly similar patterns of associations among family processes, low self-control, and deviance measures across groups. In addition, they also indicated that family processes had both direct and indirect effects, through low self-control, on deviance. Together, family processes and low self-control explained between 25% and 36% of the variance in deviance across samples, net the effects by age, sex, family structure, and socioeconomic status.
TL;DR: In this article, the relationship between psychopathic traits and the perception of nonverbal communication, including facial expressions and body language, is investigated, and a trend for the PCL-R to be positively correlated with the inmates' accuracy of emotional intensity ratings.
Abstract: The relationship between psychopathic traits and the perception of nonverbal communication, including facial expressions and body language, is investigated. Participants include 59 prison inmates and 60 community members. Psychopathic traits among inmates are measured using the Psychopathy Checklist–Revised (PCL-R) and Levenson’s Self Report Psychopathy Scale. Participants categorize the emotion of posed facial photographs and rate intensity of emotion. They view videotaped interactions of a confederate and a target individual and rate assertiveness using the Rathus Assertiveness Scale. There is a trend for the PCL-R to be positively correlated with the inmates’ accuracy of emotional intensity ratings. Psychopathic traits are also positively associated with the accuracy of assertiveness ratings.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined the relations among psychopathic traits, empathy, attachment, and motivations for violence in 51 incarcerated adolescent offenders and found that adolescents who were classified as instrumentally violent scored higher on psychopathy than those who were not, which could be attributed to the interpersonal and affective features of psychopathy.
Abstract: Psychopathy in adults has been well documented as a robust predictor of violence. Explanations for this relation have focused on the affective deficit that characterizes psychopathy. This study examined the relations among psychopathic traits, empathy, attachment, and motivations for violence in 51 incarcerated adolescent offenders. Psychopathy scores were related to both instrumental and reactive violence. Youths who were classified as instrumentally violent scored higher on psychopathy than those who were not, which could be attributed to the interpersonal and affective features of psychopathy. These findings provide support for the construct of psychopathy existing in youths. Implications of the current study for potential interventions and prevention of persistent violent offending are discussed.
TL;DR: The impact of CAEs on traumatic distress was strong and cumulative for both men and women and indicate the need for early prevention and intervention as well as trauma-based treatment within the correctional setting.
Abstract: This study describes the prevalence of childhood adverse events (CAEs) among men and women prisoners and assesses the relationship of CAEs to adult symptoms of traumatic distress. Interview data fo...
TL;DR: According to Gottfredson and Hirschi as mentioned in this paper, levels of self-control are determined by parental management techniques, not by biological and genetic influences, and this is the case even for children.
Abstract: According to Gottfredson and Hirschi (1990), levels of self-control are determined by parental management techniques, not by biological and genetic influences. Recent behavioral genetic and neurosc...
TL;DR: Time spent in prison had a direct effect on prisoners' participation in programs, their thoughts of needing control over their lives, their feelings of hopelessness, and their disciplinary infractions in prison.
Abstract: The study investigated the effects of time spent in prison and quality of life before prison on male, federally sentenced prisoners’ adaptations to imprisonment, controlling for sentence length and prison security level. Data consisted of responses on a self-administered survey completed by 712 prisoners. Findings tended to support the independent effects of the indigenous (deprivation) and importation approaches rather than their interaction effects. Time spent in prison had a direct effect on prisoners’ participation in programs, their thoughts of needing control over their lives, their feelings of hopelessness, and their disciplinary infractions in prison. Prisoners’ quality of life before prison had a direct effect on their participation in programs, their feelings of happiness, and their prison infractions. Finally, time spent in prison and quality of life before prison interacted to affect prisoners’ contact with their family and friends.
TL;DR: The occupation of correctional officers has received relatively scant attention, contributing to a recent increase in workplace stress as discussed by the authors, which is an increasing health problem for the high-risk industries in the US.
Abstract: Occupational stress is an increasing health problem for the high-risk industries. The occupation of correctional officers has received relatively scant attention, contributing to a recent increase ...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors compared a set of widely employed actuarial risk assessment schemes as well as a new instrument, the Static-2002, in a sample of 468 sex offenders followed for an average of 5.9 years.
Abstract: This study extended previous research comparing a set of widely employed actuarial risk assessment schemes as well as a new instrument, the Static-2002, in a sample of 468 sex offenders followed for an average of 5.9 years. All of the risk assessment instruments (Violence Risk Appraisal Guide [VRAG], Sex Offender Risk Appraisal Guide [SORAG], Rapid Risk Assessment for Sex Offense Recidivism [RRASOR], Static-99, Static-2002, and Minnesota Sex Offender Screening Tool-Revised [MnSOST-R]) were found to predict the recidivism outcomes for which they were designed. Although significant, indices of accuracy were generally lower than those reported by the developers of these instruments, even under conditions that have been shown to optimize predictive performance. For serious recidivism, the predictive accuracy of the Static-2002 and SORAG was significantly superior to that of the RRASOR, and the SORAG was significantly superior to the MnSOST-R as well. There were no significant differences among instruments in ...
TL;DR: In this paper, the integration of statistical and psychological risk factors using psychometric markers of psychopathology and psychosexual characteristics from the Static-99 in 119 sexual offenders was examined, and the results support the use of integrating statistical and psychologically markers within a risk domains framework in predicting sexual reconviction.
Abstract: This study examines the integration of statistical and psychological risk factors using psychometric markers of psychopathology and psychosexual characteristics from the Static-99 in 119 sexual offenders. Psychological risk markers are combined to approximate four deviancy domains: sexual interests, distorted attitudes, socio-affective functioning, and self-management. The sexual interests domain predicts sexual reconviction independent of Static-99. The four deviancy domains are used to calculate the Psychological Deviance Index, which was also found to predict sexual reconviction independent of Static-99. Organizing the Static-99 risk items into three subscales (sexual deviance, general criminality, and immaturity) reveals a distinct pattern of correlations within the psychological markers and risk domains. The Static-99 sexual deviance and general criminality subscales make modest predictions. Results support the use of integrating statistical and psychological markers within a risk domains framework in predicting sexual reconviction.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors determine whether suicide ideation among uniformed police officers of the South African Police Service could be predicted on the basis of occupational stress, personality traits, and coping strategies.
Abstract: The objective of this study is to determine whether suicide ideation among uniformed police officers of the South African Police Service could be predicted on the basis of occupational stress, personality traits, and coping strategies. Using a cross-sectional survey design, the Adult Suicide Ideation Questionnaire, the Police Stress Inventory, the Personality Characteristics Inventory, and the Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced are administered to a stratified random sample of 1,794 police employees from eight South African provinces. A logistic regression analysis shows that low scores on conscientiousness, emotional stability, approach coping, and turning to religion as well as high scores on avoidance coping are associated with more suicide ideation.
TL;DR: The authors examined the relation between psychopathic features and treatment progress in a group of 86 delinquent boys and found that on admission to a specialized intensive treatment program, Psychopathic Check-out, the psychopathic check-out rate increased with the number of delinquent boys.
Abstract: This study examined the relation between psychopathic features and treatment progress in a group of 86 delinquent boys. On admission to a specialized intensive treatment program, Psychopathic Check...
TL;DR: The Implicit Association Test (IAT) was adapted to measure cognitions regarding self and children in 27 male child molesters and 29 male non-sexual offenders.
Abstract: The Implicit Association Test (IAT) is adapted to measure cognitions regarding self and children in 27 male child molesters and 29 male nonsexual offenders. As expected, child molesters view children as more sexually attractive than do nonsexual offenders. Among the child molesters, viewing children as more sexually attractive is associated with greater risk of sexual recidivism as measured by the Static-99. Viewing children as more powerful is associated with greater risk of sexual recidivism as measured by the Rapid Risk Assessment for Sexual Offense Recidivism. Although not all hypotheses are supported, this study demonstrates that the IAT has much promise as a tool with which to study cognitions associated with sexual abuse of children. Language: en
TL;DR: In this article, the authors used the Violence Risk Appraisal Guide (VRG) and relative operating characteristic (ROC) statistics to evaluate the performance of actuarials and ROCs.
Abstract: Using the Violence Risk Appraisal Guide, relative operating characteristic (ROC) statistics are exemplified. Criticisms of actuarials and ROCs as measures of accuracy are discussed—ROC statistics are independent of base rates, but optimal decisions are not. Using sex offenders, the importance of accurate base rate information in the relevant population is examined. Although Bayes affords estimates of posterior probabilities for any base rate, Bayesian corrections can be too extreme in practice. This article illustrates that undesirable posterior probabilities are improved by superior selection ratios and refutes the criticism that “confidence intervals around individual scores” are so large as to make actuarial assessment meaningless. Personal values play a role in forensic decision making, and actuarial methods sharpen the focus on such values.
TL;DR: In this paper, the validity of scores on pre-hire administration of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI-2) Clinical, Restructured Clinical (RC), and Substance Abuse scales in Minnesota was examined.
Abstract: The study examined the validity of scores on pre-hire administration of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI-2) Clinical, Restructured Clinical (RC), and Substance Abuse scales in ...
TL;DR: A national survey of adult prisons, jails, and community correctional agencies was conducted to examine the practices used to place offenders in appropriate treatment services, suggesting agencies desiring to improve correctional programming should consider different dissemination, implementation, and technology transfer strategies.
Abstract: The use of screening and assessment tools to gauge substance abuse disorders and the risk for recidivism are two widely recommended practices. A national survey of adult prisons, jails, and community correctional agencies was conducted to examine the practices used to place offenders in appropriate treatment services. Study findings indicate that 58.2% of the surveyed respondents report the use of a standardized substance abuse-screening tool, and that 34.2% use an actuarial risk tool. The provision of higher intensity treatment programs, the use of standardized risk tools, and the provision of more community referral services were all independently associated with the use of a standardized substance abuse-screening tool. Because practices vary considerably, agencies desiring to improve correctional programming should consider different dissemination, implementation, and technology transfer strategies.
TL;DR: Cluster analysis is used to replicate and extend findings to an independent sample and a Psychopathy Checklist—Revised factor model that reduces predictor-criterion contamination, showing that psychopathy subtypes are replicable across methods.
Abstract: Psychopathy is an important construct in offender classification. Although several studies have suggested that there are two distinct subtypes of psychopaths, these studies have considerable limitations, including reliance on self-report measures, a failure to adequately address heterogeneity within the construct of psychopathy, and predictor-criterion contamination. A recent taxonomic study identified four subgroups of offenders, including primary and secondary psychopaths. We used cluster analysis to replicate and extend those findings to: 1) an independent sample; and 2) a PCL-R factor model that reduces predictor-criterion contamination. Additionally, we validated initial results using a novel clustering method. Results show that psychopathy subtypes are replicable across methods. Moreover, comparisons on other variables provide external validation of the subtypes consistent with prior theoretical conceptualizations.
TL;DR: The Corrections Victoria Treatment Readiness Questionnaire (VQQQ) as mentioned in this paper is a self-report measure designed to assess treatment readiness in offenders who have been referred to a cognitive skills program.
Abstract: Although the need to assess appropriate candidates for offender rehabilitation programs is widely acknowledged, few assessment tools are available that have been validated for use with offender populations. This article reports on the development and validation of a brief self-report measure designed to assess treatment readiness in offenders who have been referred to a cognitive skills program. The measure, the Corrections Victoria Treatment Readiness Questionnaire, displayed acceptable levels of convergent and discriminant validity, and was able to predict treatment engagement and treatment performance at the midpoint of the program. Suggested cutoff points are reported for use in assessing offenders for this type of program. It is concluded that the measure can play a valuable role in the assessment of offenders who are being considered for rehabilitative treatment.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors investigated the relationships among impulsivity, antisocial and violent behavior, and personality disorders in 590 female inmates of a maximum-security female prison, and found that impulsivity was associated with personality psychopathology and aggressive and antisocial behavior.
Abstract: This study investigated the relationships among impulsivity, antisocial and violent behavior, and personality disorders in 590 female inmates of a maximum-security female prison. Measures included the Barratt Impulsivity Scale, Prison Violence Inventory, Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Personality Disorders Screening Questionnaire, numbers of institutional infractions recorded in inmate files, and violent versus nonviolent offending. Results showed that impulsivity was associated with personality psychopathology and aggressive and antisocial behavior. In contrast to findings of studies with male inmates, female violent offenders did not demonstrate higher levels of impulsivity than nonviolent offenders.
TL;DR: The original Grasmick, Tittle, Bursik, and Arneklev self-control scale is frequently used in self control theory studies as discussed by the authors, and it has been used to measure self-confidence and self-awareness.
Abstract: The original Grasmick, Tittle, Bursik, and Arneklev self-control scale is frequently used in self-control theory studies. Examining self-control requires precision in measurement. Using the Rasch r...
TL;DR: Results indicated the instrument had acceptable psychometric properties, but that the predictive validity results were lower than previous studies on the LSI-R.
Abstract: The Level of Service Inventory—Revised (LSI-R) is a dynamic risk/needs assessment instrument that has been used extensively among a variety of offender samples. Validity research on the LSI-R, however, is based on samples consisting predominantly of Caucasian participants. The present study sought to examine the psychometric properties and validity of the instrument among a sample of African American and Hispanic male offenders. Participants were 446 male parolees residing in three halfway houses and one day reporting center. Three hundred and thirty-four offenders (75% of the sample) were of African American heritage and 112 (25%) were of Hispanic heritage. Analyses of the psychometric properties and validity of the LSI-R were conducted separately for each ethnic group. Results indicated the instrument had acceptable psychometric properties, but that the predictive validity results were lower than previous studies on the LSI-R. Results are discussed within the context of the invariance of risk variables ...