bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENTAL THEORY: A Basis for Juvenile Correctional Reform?
Authors: MORASH MERRY ANN
Published: March 2006

Cognitive developmental theory has been increasingly offered as on explanation for lawbreaking. The theory suggests that lawbreaking results from individuals not having sufficiently developed reasoning abilities to resolve moral dilemmas, specificially those involving illegal acts. This article reports on on original test of the association between reasoning and law‐breaking and addresses shortcomings of prior research. The article concludes that although the theory has been recommended and used as a basis for program design, there is little evidence to suggest that reasoning is, indeed, related to lawbreaking. Since ideological appeal of the theory may result in its adoption in program settings, continued empirical testing of hy‐potheses derived from the theory is of considerable importance.
PATTERNS OF FORGETTING AND TELESCOPING: An Analysis of LEAA Survey Victimization Data
Authors: SCHNEIDER ANNE L. , SUMI DAVID
Published: March 2006

The research reported in this article sought to estimate the feasibility of measuring patterns of forgetting and forward telescoping in victimization survey data. It was suggested that if these two sources of memory bias could be accurately and reliably measured, victimization survey data could be adjusted to produce improved estimates of both the amount of crime and of changes in the crime rate over time. Examination of the data suggests that the likelihood of developing a general model for correcting mnemonic biases is very low. ll˜is conclusion follows from: (I) evidence indicating differential victimization survey recall across reported and unreported crime events; (2) the apparent dissimilarities of telescoping/forgetting patterns across samples and seasons; and (3) the lack of a stable comparison estimate of the “true” distribution of incidents with which to calibrate a correction model.
RECIDIVISM AMONG OFFENDERS AND EX‐MENTAL PATIENTS: A Comparative Analysis
Authors: RIBNER STEPHEN A. , STEADMAN HENRY J.
Published: March 2006

Prior work has demonstrated a consistently higher rate of arrest for ex‐offenders than for ex‐mental patients. although as a group ex‐patients are more often arrested than the general population. From 1968 and 1975 data, the current study examines some of the possible explanations for the higher rates of offenders as compared to ex‐mental patients. Even when age and prior arrests are controlled, the variables with the strongest association with subsequent arrest, a higher proportion of offenders are arrested after release than ex‐patients.
MASCULINITY AND DELINQUENCY
Authors: NORLAND STEPHEN , WESSEL RANDALL C. , SHOVER NEAL
Published: March 2006

A strong positive association between masculinity and delinquency is on important assumption in theories which explain why (1) males are more delinquent than females and (2) females are becoming increasingly delin‐quent. Self‐report measures obtained from 1002 junior and senior high school students from a large Southeastern city constitute the data for an examination of the first of these relationships. Factor analytic procedures were used to identify the components of masculinity: leadership, aggressive‐ness, competitiveness, ambitiousness, and successfulness. Separate models of masculinity, opportunity, attachment to conventional others, and belief in the moral validity of low are constructed for status, property, and aggressive offenses. For females, masculinity has no direct effects on any type of delinquency. For males, masculinity is directly related only to status offenses. The results are inconsistent with analyses of females' delinquency that emphasize their adoption of masculine characteristics.
SELF‐CONCEPT, NEGATIVE FAMILY AFFECT, AND DELINQUENCY: A Comparison Across Mexican Social Classes
Authors: MEADOW ARNOLD , ABRAMOWITZ STEPHEN I. , DE LA CRUZ ARNOLD , BAY GERMAN OTALORA
Published: March 2006

Using a semistructured measure to minimize cross‐cultural biases, we examined the relationship between negative self and family‐other affect and delinquency among 135 Mexican families of varying social class. The results indicated that: (a) both processed and released delinquent youths and their parents evaluated themselves more negatively than nondelinquent youths and their parents; (b) appraisals in the families of processed and released delinquents did not differ appreciably; (c) migrant families tended to manifest the most negativity and lower‐class families the least, with middle‐class families in between; and (d) socioeconomic status did not predict the relationship between family hostility and delinquency. The results are seen as providing more support for the family control theory of delinquency than for processing‐labeling theory.
CRIME AS COMMONSENSE THEORY
Authors: HARTJEN CLAYTON A.
Published: March 2006

This article examines sex differences in middle–class delinquency, using self‐report data drawn from junior and senior high school students in an affluent suburb of a large midwestern city. A number of familiar techniques are used to assess both quantitative and qualitative sex differences, but none identify strong and systematic patterns of the type commonly expected. In this particulor middle‐class population, there is little evidence that there are marked differences in the delinquent activities reported by girls and boys.
QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE SEX DIFFERENCES IN MIDDLE‐CLASS DELINQUENCY
Authors: RICHARDS PAMELA
Published: March 2006

The purpose of this investigation was to study relationships between psychological characteristics and type of criminal involvement among four groups of female offenders. The vocabulary subtest from the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, Category Test, Trail Making Test, Tactual Performance Test, and Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory were administered to 63 prostitutes, 64 addict‐prostitutes, 69 addicts, and 66 nonaddictt/nonprostitute offenders. No reliable relationships were found between ability structure or personality traits and type of criminal activity. Like male addicts. however, female addicts were found to experience greater sociopathy and psychological discomfort than were nonaddict female offenders.
CRIMINAL INVOLVEMENT OF FEMALE OFFENDERS
Authors: TOWNES BRENDA D. , JAMES JENNIFER , MARTIN DONALD C.
Published: March 2006

Two theoretical approaches tend to dominate the literature on the manner in which exoffenders reintegrate into society. These are the structural and subcultural models. The structural model (Merton, 1938; Cloward and Ohlin, 1960: Ohlin, 1970) posits that closing of the legitimate opportunity structure leads to secondary deviation and it also traces initial criminality to a discrepancy between means and ends for achieving success goals. The subcultural model (Cohen, 1955; Pownall, 1969) views the primary factors explaining the failure of the exoffender to adjust to society as influences exerted by the criminal subculture. These have traditionally been treated as competing theoretical models. The research reported here sought to evaluate these two approaches and to combine them in an applied framework called differential integration. Data on 874 exoffenders provided with job placements during 1976 show that structural variables tended to differentiate the employment outcomes of exoffenders much more than subcultural variables and that there is partial support for the differential integration concept.
CULTURE CONFLICT, URBANISM, AND DELINQUENCY
Authors: RAHAV GIORA
Published: March 2006

Society is not static; rather, it changes over time, and for this reason, the concept of social control takes on dynamic properties. At a most basic level, the intention of social control is to maintain coherence within the social order. Some degree of stability is necessary if this purpose is to be accomplished; however, stability should not be interpreted as synonymous with social control. A society must adapt to its changing internal and external environment if it is to be guarded from some cataclysmic change which would threaten coherence. Control must, therefore, incorporate the capacity for change. This article analyzes the ability of four forms of crime control to provide these two criteria of social control: stability and adaptability. From this perspective, the proscriptive nature of criminal justice is critiqued and suggestions for future directions are made.
WOMEN, CRIME, AND DEPENDENCY An Application of the Theory of Law
Authors: KRUTTSCHNITT CANDACE
Published: March 2006

This article seeks to show how economic dependency, a characteristic which is particularly representative of a woman's location in social life, is related to the outcome of criminal prosecution. A stratified random sample of 1034 cases of women offenders was drawn from the files of on Adult Probation Deportment in northern California. Based on multiple regression analysis, the findings give tentative support to the expectation that sentencing disparities within offense categories can be predicted from the degree to which a woman is economically dependent upon someone else for her day‐to‐day existence: the more dependent she is. the less severe her disposition.
DENSITY, DELINQUENCY, AND DESIGN Formal and Informal Control and the Built Environment
Authors: GILLIS A. R. , HAGAN JOHN
Published: March 2006

This study reviews the literature concerning the general impact of the physical environment on social disorganization, crime, and juvenile delinquency, with a specific focus on the relationship between household density, building density‐design, and juvenile delinquency. Two perspectives on control are shown to have developed in an environmental context. One emphasizes the capacity of the built environment to impair informal social control, and the other focuses on the attraction of the same environments for agents of formal social control (the police). A path model is presented. showing that building density‐design is an independent predictor of marijuana use and supporting the view that the physical environment can affect informal control. The model also shows that building density‐design is a significant predictor of police presence. thus giving empirical support to the notion that the physical environment can affect formal control.
“REPEAT PLAYERS” IN A CRIMINAL COURT The Fate of their Clients
Authors: PHILLIPS CHARLES DAVID , EKLAND‐OLSON SHELDON
Published: March 2006

That judges, defense attorneys, and prosecutors are part of a courthouse community that responds to organizational pressures is no longer questioned. What remains puzzling is exactly what impact organizational factors have on case outcomes. In this research, one aspect of this general question is investigated‐whether the clients of “repeat‐players” enjoy special benefits or bear special burdens when punishments are distributed. Previous research has found that the clients of repeat‐players frequently fare worse than other defendants. In the court under study, we find the distribution of justice unaffected by this variable. The task for future research is to specify those conditions under which the level of attorney‐court contact either will or will not have an impact on the distribution of punishment.
RADICAL CRIMINOLOGY: An Explication
Authors: BOHM ROBERT M.
Published: March 2006

This study addresses the current controversy involving radical criminology. It is argued that much of the polemic related to radical criminology is directed at a “straw man.” a monolithic conception of the perspective that fails to consider important philosophical, theoretical, practical, and nominal dfferences among those who write radical criminology (i.e.p “radical criminologists”). Furthermore, although radical criminologists share many philosophical, theoretical, and practical assumptions, it is emphasized that they hold to these shared assumptions with dffering degrees of sensitivity, sophistication, andsubtlety a point often ignored by critics and enthusiasts alike. Consequently, this study explicates not only some of the shared assumptions of radical criminologists, but also some of the dfferences.
CAPITAL PUNISHMENT AND LETHAL ASSAULTS AGAINST POLICE
Authors: BAILEY WILLIAM C.
Published: March 2006

This investigation provides a multivariate analysis of the deferrent effect of the death penalty on the rate of lethal assaults against the police. Examining statelevel data for the period 1961 to 1971, we hypothesize a significant inverse relationship between the rate of police killings and (1) the statutory provision for capital punishment and (2) the execution rate of convicted murderers. Contrary to the deferrence hypotheses, no support is found for the argument that the provision and use of the death penalty provides an added measure of protection for the police. Rather, variation in police killings rates, like the general homicide rate, would appear to be largely a function of various sociodemographic factors.
RESPONDING TO THE “CALL FOR PAPERS”: Participation at A.S.C. Annual Meetings
Authors: DOERNER WILLIAM G. , De ZEE MATTHEW R. , LAB STEVEN P.
Published: March 2006

The purpose of this study is to examine the participation of criminology and criminal justice graduate departments at the 1977‐1979 American Society of Criminology meetings. Results show that institutional prestige. not productivity, is the leading predictor of meeting participation. In addition, meeting participation does not appear to be influenced by meeting site. Finally, it is suggested that criminologists focus more attention upon professional activities in order to facilitate our understanding of criminology as a science.
Delinquent Careers A Test of the Career Escalation Model
Authors: ROJEK DEAN G. , ERICKSON MAYNARD L.
Published: March 2006

In the treatment of status offenders, the espousal of a medical therapeutic model has led to the development of diversion programs designed to offset a progressive career escalation from petty to serious delinquent acts. Using the offense histories of 1200 juveniles, transition probabilities were created to test for offense specialization and offense escalation. Controlling for age, sex, and race or ethnicity, the career transition configurations were reflective of homogeneous, number‐independent Markov processes. The implications of these findings run counter to many popular assumptions of delinquency causation and treatment and challenge the basic tenets of many status offender programs.
Genetics and Criminal Behavior Evidence Through the End of the 1970s
Authors: ELLIS LEE
Published: March 2006

Research reported up through and including the 1970s directly bearing upon the relationship between genetics and criminality is reviewed. Studies using four classes of research designs are considered: general pedigree (or family) studies, twin studies, karyotype studies, and adoption studies. Only the latter three offer solid evidence at least consistent with a partial genetic etiological hypothesis, and of these, only one type of karyotype study and the adoption studies appear to be on the verge of definitely settling the matter. Among the fairly definitive types of studies, most of the evidence is extremely supportive of the proposition that human variation in tendencies to commit criminal behavior is significantly affected by some genetic factors.
Release on Recognizance: Substantive or Superficial Reform?
Authors: BYNUM TIM S.
Published: March 2006

In the early 1960s, release on recognizance was hailed as a method through which inequities inherent in the system of monetary bail could be reduced. This goal was to be accomplished through the revision of the criteria on which pretrial release decisions were made; the defendant's ties to the local community and not his financial status were to be emphasized. Although the use of release on recognizance has become an accepted practice, these programs have escaped close examination. Using logit analysis, this article investigates the factors upon which release on recognizance was based in a western city. The findings suggest that decisions to release on recognizance were made more in accord with traditional criteria rather than those espoused by this reform movement.
Poverty, Inequality, and the Urban Homicide Rate: Some Unexpected Findings
Authors: MESSNER STEVEN F.
Published: March 2006

The purpose of this article is to report findings concerning the relationship between poverty, inequality, and the homicide rate for a sample of 204 SMSAs. A measure of family income inequality exhibits a moderate zero order correlation with the homicide rate, but the effect becomes insignificant in the regression analysis. A second economic measure, that of the size of the poverty population, also exhibits a moderate zero order correlation with the homicide rate, but the partial effect is significant and the sign is quite unexpectedly negative. Additional unexpected results include strong partial effects for measures of Southern regional and racial composition. These findings suggest the need for reconsideration of the role of economic and perhaps subcultural factors in the explanation of urban homicide.
The Elderly Victim at Risk: Explaining the Fear‐ Victimization Paradox
Authors: LINDQUIST JOHN H. , DUKE JANICE M.
Published: March 2006

Current research argues that criminal victimization of the elderly is less of a problem than advocates for the elderly have argued it was in the past. The rate of victimization has been empirically demonstrated to be lower than for most other age groups. At the same time, the elderly express high levels of fear regarding criminal victimization. This article seeks to explain this apparent paradox through an “at risk” hypothesis that accounts for both low rates and high fear.
Family Correlates of Male and Female Delinquency
Authors: CANTER RACHELLE J.
Published: March 2006

This article examines sex differences in family bonds as a possible explanation of sex differences in self‐reported delinquent behavior (SRD) among a national probability sample of 1725 adolescents. It was hypothesized that girls would report significantly stronger family bonds and significantly lower delinquency than boys. The findings provide limited support for these hypotheses. The expected sex differences in SRD were observed. males report significantly greater involvement in all forms of delinquent behavior. However, the expected sex differences in family bonds were not observed. Family bonds are modestly correlated with delinquency, but at comparable rates for males and females, and with evidence of their greater association among males in many cases. Theoretical and methodological explanations are suggested for the divergence of the observed findings from existing research.
A Critical Analysis of the Changing Concept of Criminal Responsibility
Authors: LILLY J. ROBERT , BALL RICHARD A.
Published: March 2006

By critically examining the concept of criminal responsibility we learn how the concept has undergone three major transformations. The changes are illuminated by focusing on structural transformations underlying legal theory and changes in the application of legislation and case law. Attention is also directed to the changing rhetoric of legitimation associated with each transformation.
A Commentary on Victimization Research and the Importance of Meaning Structures
Authors: JOHNSON KIRK ALAN , WASIELEWSKI PATRICIA L.
Published: March 2006

This article examines the largely atheoretical tradition of victimization research and some of the unintended consequences of work in the area. In using a legalistic definition of crime, victimization research has failed to incorporate the public's definition of crime and victimization. While “street” and property crime have a decided impact upon people's lives, the consequences of real or alleged corporate and political crimes also affect people's concep‐tions of their lives. The authors outline the beginnings of a theoretically apposite reinterpretation of perceptual victimlogy findings and related methodological concerns, and suggest ways that social scientists can become actively involved in the debunk‐ing of the “crime wave” mentality perpetuated through the media by providing alternate interpretations of crime statistics.
Mapping Police Organizational Change: From a Mechanistic Toward an Organic Model
Authors: KUYKENDALL JACK , ROBERG ROY R.
Published: March 2006

Community police organizations have been the focus of substantial research since the 1960s. Recommendations from this research have frequently suggested some degree of reform. This reform effort has been directed in part at the oragnizational design of police departments, emphasizing movement away from a mechanistic to more of an organic approach. This article describes mechanistic and organic model constructs and relates them to both continuum and matrix change perspectives and a change problem‐intervention strategy typology. The matrix and typology are used to “map” the change process associated with team policing, which is one example of attempts to make police organizations more organic.
Socioeconomic Status and Perceptions of Personal Arrest Probabilities
Authors: RICHARDS PAMELA , TITTLE CHARLES R.
Published: March 2006

This article examines the relationship between individual's perceptions of arrest probabilities and socioeconomic status. Although actual arrest probabilities are generally thought to vary inversely with socioeconomic status, no theories predict how this should translate into patterns in perceived sanction risks. Variables that would influence socioeconomic patterns in risk assessment are identified and related to estimates of arrest probabilities. Survey data from a three‐state sample of adults show that lower‐status respondents perceive higher arrest risks than do upper‐status respondents. However, none of these differences can be explained by the theoretically relevant variables available in these data.
Diversion and Crime Prevention: A Tim‐Series Analysis
Authors: SELKE WILLIAM L.
Published: March 2006

The following study was aimed at assessing the impact of juvenile diversion program. A time‐series analysis was wed to examine the hypothesized systems level change for each of the programs. Reported crime levels and arrest rates for targeted offense categories are analyzed for each jurisdiction, and implementation evaluations are discussed in an attempt to clarify the findings.
Women's Liberation and Increases in Minor, Major, and Occupational Offenses
Authors: AUSTIN ROY L.
Published: March 2006

Previous studies have been unable to determine a satisfatory starting point for female emancipation in order to examine the proposition that this variable caused an increase in female criminality. This study uses arithmetic coordinate charts and polynomial regression to set 1967 and 1968 as years when changes in female emancipation, as measured by female labor force participation and divorce rates, should be followed by noticeable effects. The same procedures also show take‐off points for the percentage female contribution to various criminal offenses occuring in close proximity and subsequent to exceptional changes in female emancipation and to the 1966 founding of the National Organization for Women. Contrary to the dominant position in the literature, increases in female involvement for the serious offenses of auto‐theft and robbery, which may be attributed to women's liberation, are greater than increases in larceny‐theft and fraud/embezzlement, which may be attributed to the same cause.
Crime Rate and Social Integration The Impact of Metropolitan Mobility
Authors: CRUTCHFIELD ROBERT D. , GEERKEN MICHAEL R. , GOVE WALTER R.
Published: March 2006

This article examines the effect of residential mobility on the crime rates of the 65 largest Standard Metropolitan Statistical Areas in the country. Mobility variables and population size are found to be better predictors of some crimes than measures traditionally used to measure the opportunity structure. A contextual interpretation of the mobility/crime rate relationship is posited. High rates of mobility are believed to negatively affect social integration, which decreases the effectiveness of community informal control mechanisms.
Social Structure and Swedish Crime Rates A Time‐Series Analysis, 1950‐1979
Authors: STACK STEVEN
Published: March 2006

The present article tests Cohenetal 's recent opportunity theory of crime with time series data from Sweden. Swedish welfare capitalism is viewed, from an economic perspective on crime, as possibly counteracting propensities toward crime generated from increased opportunity based, in turn, on the increased production of goods. Control variables are introduced from major alternative theories, including the econcmic, deterrence, and social bonds perspectives. The results of Cochrane‐Orcutt timeseries analyses indicate that the greater the availability of goods, the greater the rate of traditional property crime. Support is also found for an economic theory based on unemployment rates and a social bonds theory based on age. The availability of goods measure from an opportunity theory of crime, however, was the variable most closely associated with the variance in crime. The four‐fold increase in crime in Sweden was larger than that in the United States.
Gender, Police Arrest Decisions, and Notions of Chivalry
Authors: VISHER CHRISTY A.
Published: March 2006

ABSTRACT* * *

The extent of preferential treatment toward female offenders during arrest has been a neglected topic in research on female criminality. This article uses data collected in 1977 during police‐suspect encounters with 785 males and females to explore the existence of chivalrous treatment of female offenders in the initial stages of criminal processing. These data indicate that chivalry exists at the stage of arrest for those women who display appropriate gender behaviors and characteristics. In general, the findings suggest that female suspects who deviate from stereotypic gender expectations lose the advantage that may be extended to female offenders. Specifically, older, white, female suspects are less likely to be arrested than their younger, black or hostile sisters. In addition, in the initial stage of criminal processing, female property offenders receive no leniency, and some evidence suggests that offenses against property weigh more heavily in arrest decisions for females than for males. Differences in the factors influencing police arrest decisions for male and female suspects are also examined.
Correlates of Institutional Misconduct Among State Prisoners
Authors: FLANAGAN TIMOTHY J.
Published: March 2006

ABSTRACT* * *

As with participation in illegitimate activities in the larger society, involvement in rule infractions within prisons is not normally distributed among prisoners. Rather, a small segment of the inmate population is disproportionately represented in official records of disciplinary activity. In this research, factors associated with differential levels of involvement in prison disciplinary infractions were examined.

The findings indicate that the inmate's age at commitment, history of drug use, current offense (particularly homicide/nonhomicide categories), and the type of sentence that the inmate served were significantly related to high‐rate infraction status. For one subgroup of the inmate population, race was also significantly related to infraction‐rate status. However, these variables are not sufficiently predictive of institutional misconduct to justify their use as classification factors. The implications of the findings for the study of social control mechanisms in prisons are discussed.
Judicial Discretion and Defendant's Sex
Authors: CURRAN DEBRA A.
Published: March 2006

ABSTRACT* * *

The judicial treatment of adult female relative to male criminal offenders is theoretically and empirically examined in this paper. After discussing various problems with the chivalry hypothesis and labeling theory–the two major explanations of gender disparities‐an empirical test is made to determine the accuracy of both perspectives. An analysis of 543 adult felony cases in Dade County, Florida, using multiple regression to control for the effects of relevant legal and nonlegal variables, indicated inconsistent differences in treatment by sex at the h e k of negotiations, prosecution, conviction, and sentence. These differences also vary over the three time periods examined: 1965–1966, 1971, and 1975–1976. The findings do not support any existing theory of the differential legal handling of male and female offenders, clearly indicating a need for the development of theory that takes into account the growing body of empirical work in this area.
Social Class and Delinquent Behavior in a National Youth Panel: 1976–1980
Authors: ELLIOTT DELBERT S. , HUIZINGA DAVID
Published: March 2006

ABSTRACT* * *

This article addresses the question of whether or not a more adequate measure of self‐reported delinquency applied to a representative national sample would reveal class differences in r l e l i m that have not been found in earlier self‐report studies. The methodological criticisms of earlier self‐report measures are reviewed, a new self‐report measure is described, annual sex‐by‐class‐specific prevalence and incidence rates based on this measure are presented for a national youth panel for the years 1976 through 1980, and the implications of the class findings are discussed. Class differences in both prevalence and incidence are found for serious offenses. For males, class differences are also found in the incidence of nonserious offenses and global delinquency Class differences are more pervasive and stronger when using an incidence as opposed to a prevalence measure. Criticisms of earlier self report measures appear Justified, calling into Question conclusions about the distribution of delinquency in the adolescent population which are based on prim self‐report data.
Inequality, Opportunity, and Crime Rates in Central Cities
Authors: CARROLL LEO , JACKSON PAMELA IRVING
Published: March 2006

ABSTRACT* * *

In a recent paper, Cohen and Felson argue that changes in our routine activities since World War 11 have contributed to the increase in predatory crime by creating additional opportunities for it. In particular, they found that a measure of the dispersal of activities away from the home‐the household activity ratio‐has had a significant effect on crime rate trends since 1947. The aim of the present research is twofold: (1) to determine if this relationship occurs across space as well as over time, and (2) to see i f economic inequality may be an intervening variable between the household activity ratio and the crime rate. The sample consists of 93 nonsouthern cities of over 50,000 population in 1960. Data are drawn from the 1970 Census und the U n i f m Crime Reports. Using path analysis, it is determined that the effects of the household activity ratio cm rates of predatory crime are entirely indirect, and are transmitted by income inequality.
Violence in Juvenile Institutions
Authors: POOLE ERIC D. , REGOLI ROBERT M.
Published: March 2006

ABSTRACT* * *

This study assesses the impact of selected deprivation and importation variables on inmate violence in four juvenile correctional institutions. While both sets of variables were shown to exert independent effects on inmate aggression, variations in the institutional context mediated the impact of inmate characteristics on levels of p r i s m violence. Preinstitutional violence emerged as the best predictor of inmate aggression, regardless of institutional setting. Race was shown to affect inmate violence directly m l y in the most treatment‐oriented facility, while the inmate code was found to exert effects only in the most custodial institution.
Developing Aggregate Measures of Disparity
Authors: VINING AIDAN R.
Published: March 2006

ABSTRACT* * *

The empirical evidence on the determinants of sentencing outcomes has been increasingly utilized in debates on the nature of sentencing. Often the characterization of the impact of a variable as “appropriate” or “inappropriate” is controversial, and consequently there is wide disagreement as to the meaning of disparity. This article presents a method of clarifying this debate by developing aggregate measures of disparity. The value of such aggregate measures is illustrated using data from California. The exemplary models suggest that, given relevant data sets, it is possible to develop viable measures of disparity and that an estimation of the extent of disparity is highly dependent on normative beliefs about disparity.
Structural Density and Criminal Victimization
Authors: SAMPSON ROBERT J.
Published: March 2006

ABSTRACT* * *

This study examines the relationship between neighborhood structural density and rates of robbery and assault victimization. A theoretical framework linking defensible‐space theory with an opportunity model of predatory criminal victimization suggests that structural density has a positive relationship with victimization, independent of victim characteristics. This perspective is compared to recent empirical and theoretical works that argue that denisty has either no relationship or an inverse relationship to crime. Hypotheses are tested with National Crime Survey victimization data for the years 1973 to 1978. The results support the major hypothesis and s h that structural density is positively related to rates of robbery and assault victimization, controlling for age, race, and sex of victim, and for extent of urbanization. Surprisingly, the positive relationship between structural density and victimization is stronger in rural areas than in urban areas.
Ethical Dilemmas in the Research Setting
Authors: LONGMIRE DENNIS R.
Published: March 2006

ABSTRACT* * *

The frequency with which criminological researchers are confronted with various ethical dilemmas is ascertained through a survey of members of the American Society of Criminology (ASC). The results of this survey reveal that approximately 63% of those criminologists who have been active in research since 1975 have experienced one or more of eight types of ethical dilemmas. Further analysis demonstrates that criminologists favor developing a professional code of conduct as well as some legal guidelines in this area. The majority of those surveyed do not believe governmental regulations or a general sense of morality among the researchers are effective mechanisms in preventing ethical dilemmas.
The Effect of Police Employment on Crime
Authors: GREENBERG DAVID F. , KESSLER RONALD C. , LOFTIN COLIN
Published: March 2006

ABSTRACT* * *

The effects of police employment on index violent trim rates and index property crime rates are studied using a maximum likelihood technique to estimate two‐wave multivariate panel models. Separate analyses are carried out for a sample of 252 U.S. suburbs and for a sample of 269 U.S. cities for the years 1960 and 1970.
Victim Noncooperation in the Prosecution of Domestic Assault
Authors: McLEOD MAUREEN
Published: March 2006

ABSTRACT* * *

In recent years increased attention has been focused on the response of the criminal justice system to domestic violence. Several studies have attributed the low rate of prosecution for spousal assaults to noncooperation on the part of police, prosecutors, and judges. A discussion of the role played by victim noncooperation in the prosecution process has been conspicuously absent. This article presents preliminary findings from a study of approximately 6,200 cases of domestic assaults reported to law enforcement authorities. The incidence and correlates of victim noncooperation are outlined at four decision points.
Is Chivalry Dead?
Authors: KROHN MARVIN D. , CURRY JAMES P. , NELSON‐KILGER SHIRLEY
Published: March 2006

ABSTRACT* * *

An apparent decrease in differences between the sexes in criminal behavior and law enforcement outcomes has been attributed to changes in attitudes toward sex roles and increasing female labor force participation. The research reported here addresses two related questions in this area: (1) Have there been changes over time in sex differences in the disposition of police contacts with juveniles and adults? and (2) Do any observed changes account for increases in the female crime rate? Our analysis of data from 10,723 police contacts in a mid‐western city during the period 1948–1976 found a trend toward a diminished sex difference in police dispositions of juvenile and adult misdemeanors and adult felonies. There was no evidence for a similar trend for juvenile status offenses or juvenile felonies. The findings also suggest that part of the apparent increase in female crime may be due to changes in official reactions to female offenders.
U.S. Social Structure and Imprisonment
Authors: CARROLL LEO , DOUBET MARY BETH
Published: March 2006

ABSTRACT* * *

An article by Joubert, Picon and McIntosh (1981) is found to contain several serious methodological flaws. A second analysis using a similar data set suggests that these methodological problems may have caused them to draw erroneous conclusions regarding the effects of social structural variables on prison admission and release rates.
Periodical Prestige in Criminology and Criminal Justice
Authors: SHICHOR DAVID , O'BRIEN ROBERT M. , DECKER DAVID L.
Published: March 2006

ABSTRACT* * *

Journals in criminology and criminal justice have been ranked using subjective techniques to assess journal presitige as well as objective measures intended to assess journal eminence. Two recent studies have resulted in somewhat similar rankings of professional journals although each used distinct methods of data analysis and asked different research questions. This finding suggests that there is a consensus among professionals in the field concerning the importance of particular journals.
Newspaper Coverage of Corporate Price‐Fixing
Authors: EVANS SANDRA S. , LUNDMAN RICHARD J.
Published: March 2006

Among the reasons common corporate crimes such as price‐fixing lack the “brimstone smell” of common street crimes such as burglary is that newspapers fail to provide frequent, prominent, or criminally oriented coverage of corporate crime. This certainly was true of newspaper coverage of the heavy electrical equipment antitrust cases of 1961. Replicative analysis reveals that this also was true of newspaper coverage of the folding‐carton industry antitrust cases of 1976. Reasons for this continued lack of coverage are discussed, including the diffuse harm characteristic of price‐fixing, the general lack of recognition that corporations are juristic persons capable of criminal deviance, and the disinclination of large organizations to link other large organizations with criminality.
Parents and Drugs
Authors: JENSEN GARY F. , BROWNFIELD DAVID
Published: March 2006

This article examines three hypotheses about the relationship between attachment to parents and children's drug use when parents are perceived by their children as having used drugs. Hirschi's hypothesis that attachment to parents inhibits delinquency regardless of parental behavior is rejected in favor of hypotheses that predict variation in that relationship. In contrast to attachment to straight parents, attachment to drug‐using parents does not inhibit drug use significantly and there are occasional hints at reversals in the relationships.
The Dynamics of Female Delinquency, 1976‐1980
Authors: AGETON SUZANNE S.
Published: March 2006

This article employs self‐report delinquency data from a national probability sample of adolescents to describe the epidemiology and dynamics of female delinquency from 1976 to 1980. Both age and cohort effects are examined, utilizing incidence and prevalence data categorized by race, social class, and place of residence. Within years there are few consistent, significant differences in the incidence of delinquency by any of the demographic variables analyzed. Significant race and social class differentials exist, however, in the prevalence of assaultive crimes among the panel, with substantially higher proportions of black and lower‐class females reporting involvement in violent behavior for three of the five years. Strong cohort effects are observed for all delinquency measures. In general, the incidence and prevalence of serious female delinquency appear to decline with age, and the 15‐17‐year‐old females in 1980 are significantly less involved in delinquency than their same‐age peers were in 1976.
The Organizational Context of Legal Control
Authors: SMITH DOUGLAS A.
Published: March 2006

This article examines interorganizational variation in determinants of police arrest decisions. Drawing on Wilson, we identify four types of police agencies by cross‐classifying levels of bureaucratization with professionalism. Evidence from the analysis indicates that factors influencing arrest decisions are conditional on the organizational contexts in which such decisions occur. In different types of police agencies, officers respond to similar situations differently. Hence, “global” decision‐making models are we incomplete than incorrect. We argue that consideration of the contexts within which discretion is exercised is necessary for advancing our understanding of decision‐making in justice system agencies.
The Seriousness of Crime Cross‐Culturally:
Authors: EVANS SANDRA S. , SCOTT JOSEPH E.
Published: March 2006

This study examines the perceptions of the seriousness of offenses: first, by examining perceptions of a wide range of offenses for respondents from two very divergent cultures, the United States and the Middle East, second, by assessing the perceived severity of some 17 sanctions for respondents from these two cultures and finally, by assessing the impact of religiosity on the perceived seriousness of Crime. In addition, both the magnitude estimation and category techniques for measuring the seriousness of crime are utilized and the results from using these two techniques are compared.
Scaling Delinquent Careers Over Time
Authors: WANDERER JULES J.
Published: March 2006

Guttman scales, especially those produced from data collected over time, and the properties of Guttman scales–unidimensionality and cumulativeness–have been underutilized in the description and analysis of certain constructs in sociology that are dynamic, and of certain processes that are reversible. The Guttman scale reported here was produced from delinquency self report data gathered on 581 students at two different points in time. Two purposes are served by the scale: first, it illuminates the construct delinquent career by presenting delinquent acts over time, along a unidimensional normative gradient marked by increasing severity; and second, it operationalizes change in a student's delinquent commitment as change in that student's scale type (or scale location).
Universal Applicability of Probation Risk‐Assessment Instruments
Authors: WRIGHT KEVIN N. , CLEAR TODD R. , DICKSON PAUL
Published: March 2006

A probation risk‐assessment instrument developed by the State of Wisconsin is receiving wide use throughout the nation and has been recognized by the National Institute of Corrections as part of a “model system.” However, this has been done without extensive validation on populations other than Wisconsin probationers and parolees. The validity of the instrument for a population of City of New York probationers is assessed in this study. It was found that many of the variables contained in the instrument did not predict risk for the sample. On this basis. the validation of risk instruments before they are fully adopted is recommended. In addition, based on an analysis of split halves of our sample, the general weakness of statistically derived models is noted.
Race, Ethnicity, and Determinate Sentencing
Authors: ZATZ MARJORIE S.
Published: March 2006

A study of 4729 sentences handed out during the first year of determinate sentencing in California shows subtle differences in the sentencing of Whites, Blacks, and Chicanos. As expected, main effects of race/ethnicity are not found. However, the type of offense, mode of disposition, and the defendant's prior record do affect sentencing differently, even with determinate sentencing, depending on the defendant's race/ethnicity. The detrimental effect of a prior record for Chicanos is especially interesting as it can be invoked legally as a sentence enhancement. The findings reported here demonstrate that Chicanos constitute a separate group, distinct from both Blacks and Whites, and must be treated accordingly in criminological research. So doing clarifies many of the inconsistencies in prior sentencing research.
Social Class, Child Maltreatment, and Delinquent Behavior
Authors: BROWN STEPHEN E.
Published: March 2006

The relationship between social class and child maltreatment and between maltreatment and delinquency were examined, particular attention being paid to previous deficiencies in the operationalization of maltreatment and class. Maltreatment was operationalized with subscales for physical abuse, emotional abuse, and neglect, while social class was operationalized with multiple indicators. Survey data from 110 high school freshmen were analyzed and revealed the following: (a) a weak but consistent inverse correlation between social class and all forms of child maltreatment, (b) a stronger relationship between social class and maltreatment when lower‐class membership was operationalized in a manner consistent with the concept of an underclass, (c) that emotional abuse and neglect were correlated positively with all forms of delinquent behavior examined, and (d) that physical abuse was not correlated appreciably and positively with any form of delinquency.
Personal Control and Inmate Adjustment to Prison
Authors: GOODSTEIN LYNNE , MacKENZIE DORIS LAYTON , SHOTLAND R. LANCE
Published: March 2006

Although this concept has rarely been investigated systematically, the prison is an environment that severely limits inmates’personal control. This article applies theoretical and empirical advances in the area of personal control to the issue of inmate adjustment to prison. Personal control has three components: outcome control, choice, and predictability of future events. Research findings suggesting adverse impacts of limited control are discussed in light of their implications for prisoner adjustment. Several models of personal control, including the environmental/learned helplessness, individual difference/self‐efficacy, and incongruency/reactance models, are applied to the process of prisoner adjustment. Using these models, a conceptual framework for integrating past research in the sociology and social psychology of corrections is proposed, and directions for future research are discussed.
Legal and Extralegal Barriers to Delinquency
Authors: BISHOP DONNA M.
Published: March 2006

Recent research on deterrence has begun to couch discussions of legal sanctions in the context of broader perspectives that take account of other factors that may inhibit law violation. Such an approach can answer significant questions about the importance of legal sanctions relative to other variables. In this research, a three‐variable inhibitory model suggested by Grasmick and Green (1980) was tested using panel data from a large sample of adolescents. Internalized normative constraint was found to be the strongest predictor of subsequent delinquency. However, perceptions of the risk of both formal and informal sanctions add significantly to the model's explanatory power. Interaction effects were noted that suggest sanction threats may have a compensatory effect where internal constraints are weak.
Appearance and Delinquency
Authors: AGNEW ROBERT
Published: March 2006

This article examines the relationship between appearance and self‐reported delinquency. Based on prior research, it is hypothesized that (1) unattractive individuals will be more delinquent, and (2) strain, labeling, and social control variables will mediate the relationship between appearance and delinquency Data from a national sample of adolescent boys support the first hypothesis. Only partial support is provided for the second hypothesis, with social control variables explaining from 9% to 31% of the association between appearance and delinquency. Theoretical and methodological reasons for the limited support of the second hypothesis are discussed.