Showing papers in "Criminal Justice Review in 2005"

Correctional Officers’ Perceptions of Equitable Treatment in the Masculinized Prison Environment:

Abstract: Research suggests that employee perceptions of an organization’s support for policies that promote an equitable work environment may differ significantly by race and gender groups. This study examines such perceptual differences and their attitudinal effects on employee experiences within the unique context of a prison setting. Significant differences in correctional officer perceptions of policies are found to exist by race and gender groups. Contrary to expectations, all race and gender groups perceive strong organizational support for equal treatment policies. Moreover, the work experiences of White males are not negatively affected by perceptions of organizational support for equal treatment as had been hypothesized.

Explaining Suspect Resistance in Police-Citizen Encounters:

Abstract: The authors analyzed police records to explore why suspects resist arrest. The analysis was based on a sample of 400 police reports from a mid-size urban police department in Southern California. Two hundred cases involved suspects who were charged with resisting arrest. The remaining 200 cases involved arrested suspects who did not resist. The authors used logistic regression to explore the association between several demographic factors and a binary outcome measuring suspect resistance. They found that suspects arrested in police beats characterized by a disproportionate number of calls for service were more likely to resist. They further found that Black suspects were more likely to resist relative to their White and Hispanic counterparts. The authors also explored interaction effects.

The Continuing Myth of the Violent Female Offender

Abstract: There have been periodic “discoveries” of the violent female offender as well as dire predictions of an increase in violence committed by women. The authors examine the pattern of violent crime by ...

Explaining Police Officer Discretionary Activity

Abstract: Existing research on the activities of police officers has examined a range of police behaviors and decision processes. The present article attempts to delineate factors that influence the daily discretionary choices of officers concerning the activities they undertake on a daily basis. By empirically examining the contribution of officer and community factors on decisions to engage in a variety of typical police activities, this article provides a more complete understanding of factors that influence the work-related decisions of street-level police officers. Using systematic social observation data on both community-oriented and traditional beat officers, multivariate models are developed to explain officers’ daily activities. The findings reveal that neighborhood-level and attitude variables influenced community and traditional police officers differently. Overall, the individual-level attributes of officers did not influence activity choices of either type of officer. These findings are discussed in t...

Recidivism Rates of Sexual Offenders up to 7 Years Later: Does Treatment Matter?

Abstract: This article critically reviews the evidence on sex offender treatment and subsequently provides new estimates on short-term recidivism among sexual offenders released from prison in New Jersey. Th...

Weeding Criminals or Planting Fear: An Evaluation of a Weed and Seed Project

Abstract: This study employed a quasi-experimental design to test the effect of a “Weed and Seed” program in a Santa Ana, California, neighborhood. The authors were specifically interested in learning how it affected the residents’attitudes about their neighborhood and their fear of crime. Interviews were conducted before and after a major “gang sweep” and Seeding in a targeted community. The results of the analyses failed to reveal any positive effects of the program on residents’ attitudes and may have had the unintended consequence of enhancing citizens’ fears of gang activity and crime.

Kids and Assault Weapons: Social Problem or Social Construction?

Abstract: The sunset of the federal assault weapons ban in September 2004 increased the political and scholarly debate about the criminal use of such firearms. Some of the debate is alarmist, suggesting that juveniles have easy access to these firearms and are likely to use them in violent offenses. These perspectives are reinforced on television and in films and contribute to perceptions about the sophistication of weapons that juveniles possess, as well as to the punishments that juveniles should face. This study examines firearms recovered from juvenile offenders in both national and city samples from 1992 to 2000 and finds that assault weapons are seldom used or possessed by juveniles. Our findings suggest that the disjuncture between popular perceptions and the reality of juvenile gun use has been socially constructed by four different groups: the police, news and entertainment organizations, interest groups, and juveniles themselves.

Insiders’ Views of Prison Amenities Beliefs and Perceptions of Correctional Staff Members

Abstract: Existing research on views of prison amenities has largely focused on the general public. This research assesses the perceptions and views of correctional staff regarding what should be provided. Based on data from 554 Kentucky Department of Corrections staff members, results show that correctional staffers tend to have favorable views regarding the presence of prison amenities. Furthermore, analyses of patterns and trends across types of jobs, experience, and educational attainment show that prison staffers are accepting of most particular amenities. Finally, views on prison amenities are related to one’s position and length of experience in the prison, as well as one’s educational level. Policy and practical implications are discussed.

Survey of pennsylvania jail wardens: An examination of visitation policies within the context of ecosystem theory

Abstract: In recent years, jails have become more interdependent with the community, and policy demands have helped create a system that is becoming more open. The research discussed in this article focuses on the changes involving inmate visitation and attitudes of jail administrators using the concepts of ecosystem theory. The authors use an ecosystem perspective to suggest that clarifying and standardizing policies, increasing collaborative efforts between county facilities, developing specialized training for correction officers, and improving methods of disseminating information to visitors will help lessen some of the problems administrators normally associate with visitation.

Food for Thought An Investigation of Food and Drug Administration Reporting Practices, 1995-1999

Abstract: Criminologists and criminal justice researchers have neglected the behavior of regulatory agencies. Furthering the goal of focusing on the behavior of regulatory agencies, this article analyzes the reporting practices of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on its activities as found in two publications produced by that agency: FDA Enforcement Report, its official data report, and FDA Consumer, a public information magazine. Results suggest that the FDA uses these mediums to construct different images of its activities. The authors examine reasons why the FDA engages in image management and the differences across different FDA publications. The authors also introduce the idea of public health justice to identify the social control concerns of agencies ostensibly charged with protecting the public‟s health.

Book Review: “If Women Want Equality of Opportunity They Can Also Have Equality of Punishment”

Abstract: Debates about the nature and extent of women’s offending, whether women’s crime rates are rising faster than men’s and whether women offenders are becoming more masculine (Adler, 1975; Simon, 1975) have been highly contested criminological issues since the 1970s (Box & Hale, 1983). At the turn of the century, in the wake of the antifeminist backlash (Faludi, 1991), arguably a more pertinent, less mediacentric question needs to be addressed: Why is it that there has been a significant increase in women’s imprisonment? International research points to the increasing rates of women’s imprisonment globally (see, for example, Collins, 1997; Gelsthorpe & Morris, 2002) as a by-product of the so-called gender-blind treatment of women in the criminal justice system. The adage if women “want equality of opportunity they can also have equality of punishment” (van Wormer & Bartollas, 2000, p. 74) seems to be alive and well. What connects the books under review within this article is that they all variously explore, in the American context, (a) the issue of women’s imprisonment, (b) how women’s imprisonment far from reflects an equality of punishment, and (c) the debate on women’s empowerment. Empowerment of women, in turn, is an underlying goal of all three texts. The primary audience for all three books are students from the various disciplines of criminology and social work, and any other students interested in women’s involvement in the criminal justice system. Sharp’s text is also intended for contemporary feminist criminologists, policy makers, and correctional officers. Each of the books is presented in textbook style, with chapters divided by frequent subheadings; highlighted boxes are used to distinguish important points and examples; and key statistics are listed and bullet pointed. The layout of Sharp, with references at the end of each chapter, instead of being a single list at the end of the book, and without an index, makes it hard to relocate citations and occasional references. Taking the texts in chronological order then, van Wormer and Bartollas have produced a succinct, well-written overview of women in the criminal justice system. From the outset, the

Attorneys’ Self-Reported Perspectives and Criteria for Requesting Competency Evaluations in Criminal Defense Cases

Abstract: It is hypothesized that attorneys with more experience and attorneys with a more favorable opinion of the usefulness of competency to stand trial evaluations will adopt a more paternalistic approach in the application and use of competency evaluation. The criteria by which attorneys adopting the paternalistic approach decide to have certain defendants evaluated for their competency to stand trial is focused more on the client’s best interests, such as mental welfare, rather than strictly on case outcome, or the least restrictive measures. This study surveys criminal defense attorneys in a large, urban, North Texas county as to which decisional approach, paternalism or pure advocacy, they follow. The study finds that attorneys with a more favorable opinion of the usefulness of competency evaluations express a greater degree of support of the use of both paternalistic and pure-advocacy items as solitary criteria for seeking a competency evaluation.

Book Review: School Community and Disorder: Communal Schools, Student Bonding, Delinquency, and Victimization:

Abstract: parts containing information from articles published previously. Because the book does not flow well, readers will find themselves turning from section to section to make sense of what is being discussed. Given the amount of technical and legal information in this book, it would be better if there were more of a straightforward delivery of material. Students and professionals alike would be able to understand more fully if there were an introduction that discussed the basic issues comprehensively. Aside from this concern, the book is a wealth of information. This book currently is the definitive work when it comes to the issue of competency and a sufficient way to measure it. It is a must read for everyone concerned about the issue of adjudicative competency.

Book Review: Mentally Ill People and the Criminal Justice System:

Abstract: Because of the revolving nature of incarceration and release back into the community, incarceration presents an opportunity for the state to treat mentally ill offenders while confined. Many offenders within the criminal justice system are individuals whose main problem is mental illness, not serious criminal behavior. Mentally ill offenders are frequently arrested by police officers on minor charges (a “mercy arrest”) to remove them from the street and place them in jail where they will receive food and shelter. In the past, psychiatric hospitals would have housed the mentally ill, but because of a reduction in psychiatric hospital beds, jails now serve as a substitute for inpatient treatment (Teplin & Pruett, 1992). Regardless of the reasons for entering the criminal justice system, courts mandate that the government treat serious medical conditions of those incarcerated, including mentally ill detainees, and that the government provide help for those who cannot take care of themselves. The books in this article detail how the criminal justice system treats mentally ill offenders while they are in custody and a wealth of information about specific treatments. Although legal and correctional workers are required to deal with mental illness, it can be difficult to do so in an adversarial system that has become increasingly punishment oriented. Criminal defendants and convicts may strategically claim to be mentally ill in an attempt to evade or at least reduce their punishment. This places correctional officials in the position of having to decide whether an inmate is faking an illness. These books deal with a variety of subtopics concerning the mentally ill in the criminal justice system: how the law has evolved to deal with persons with mental illness since the 1970s (Frost & Bonnie); a practical guide of current mental health and substance abuse therapies, including one chapter on implementing treatment in a correctional setting (Mueser, Noordsy, Drake, & Fox, 2003); and a thorough discussion of how to design and deliver mental health treatment in correctional environments (Fagan & Ax). Although the Mueser et al. text was written by four authors and reads like a treatment manual complete with a workbook, the other two books were edited and have been written by nearly three dozen authors. Some

Book Review: Patuxent Institution: An American Experiment in Corrections

Abstract: inextricably linked in areas of public policy, but the political reasoning introduced in chapter 13 is inherent in management decisions under scrutiny here. The final chapter, I think, is helpful to the reader not only in summing up the issues but also in outlining myths that beset juvenile justice systems and challenges for the future in dispelling them. Overall, the authors have achieved their aims. The book is well presented, and the publishers themselves are to be congratulated for allowing timelines that cut across pages, charts, and photographs, and the authors’ case studies and glossaries of key terms are to be welcomed too. I approached this book with some knowledge of U.S. systems of juvenile justice but not with precise knowledge. That this book passes the test of a transatlantic journey I think is to the authors’ credit. Certainly, the book fills in a number of gaps in my knowledge, although I found myself asking more questions along the way. A second edition of the book might need to address some of the points raised, but as an introduction to juvenile justice, the book works very well. It merits attention from not only students in criminology but those in related disciplines as well.

Book Review: Understanding Police Use of Force: Officers, Suspects, and Reciprocity

Abstract: In democratic societies, people hand over their right to seek justice to legally established institutions, including law enforcement agencies. For the private citizen, the agencies assume the responsibility of distributing justice and assuring public order. In Understanding Police Use of Force: Officers, Suspects, and Reciprocity, Alpert and Dunham focus on police use and abuse of force. They argue that police use of force should be demystified and analyzed in order to reestablish and strengthen the trust between the institution of law enforcement and the community. Although abuse of force is a rare event, it causes public unrest and raises doubt about the credibility of law enforcement. The authors provide readers with very important arguments that result in increased understanding of police use of force. They meticulously analyze the concept, use of force, and examine definitions varying between police agencies across three distinct periods of police history. These periods are characterized by nonregulation, professionalism, and contemporary practices. One of the major difficulties in understanding use of force results from the lack of adequate data. The authors categorize data sources into three types: (a) official records, representing the police standpoint, (b) researchers’ observations, and (c) citizens’ complaints and attitudes. They then discuss each source’s advantages, shortcomings, and reliabilities in relation to contributing to a better understanding of the use and abuse of force. Besides discussion of these main data sources, factors affecting the interpretation of major surveys about the use of force are analyzed from the standpoint of different parties. Suggestions and measures to improve the response rate, the quality of data, and accurate interpretation are included in the first chapter. Alpert and Dunham’s approach is to dismantle and interpret police reports of interactions between police and suspects, to identify patterns of interaction, and to use this information to prevent or at least reduce abuse of force in the future. They bring to their task their own perspectives in analyzing police-suspect interaction in data gathered from the Miami Dade, Florida, and the Prince George’s County, Maryland, police departments. Data for the original research described in the book are based on reports prepared by law enforcement officers after their encounters with suspects. Alpert and Dunham acknowledge that there are discrepancies in the accounts of the interactions depending on the standpoints of the parties and on differences between police jurisdictions. They therefore used a new approach to evaluate discrepancies. To reveal the interaction and sequencing of the use of force, they created new data reflecting three versions for each police-suspect encounter. First, the police department’s official “control of persons report” served as a benchmark. The second source of information was the suspect’s testimonial about his or her interaction with the police. The third was data collected through a telephone interview with the former suspect 1 year after his or her release.