Publications & Reports

Abstract/Summary: Cross-national research on the relationship between alcohol consumption and homicide focuses on (a) the amount of alcohol consumed rather than the manner of consumption and (b) the direct relationship between alcohol consumption and homicide rates. The current study addresses these limitations by considering consumption patterns rather than consumption levels and exploring whether the alcohol–homicide relationship is moderated by features of the social structure including youth population size, quality of governance, and the prevalence of drinking. Using a broad sample of 85 countries, we find no relationship between consumption levels and homicide rates. In contrast, hazardous consumption patterns were positively associated with homicide rates. Study results also suggest that the prevalence of drinking and the quality of governance moderate this relationship.

Abstract/Summary:  Air travel is one of the few situations in which individuals are encouraged to refrain from securing their valuables to facilitate screening, thereby providing an opportunity to some airport employees to use the privileged access offered by their jobs to steal from passengers’ luggage. The goal of this research is to analyze whether some US airports experience more theft by employees from passengers’ luggage than others, and to understand why, using the risky facilities framework (Eck et al. in Imagination for Crime Prevention. Crime Prevention Studies, Criminal Justice Press, Monsey, 2007). Data on passengers’ claims to the Transportation Security Administration in 2009 were used. Results show that, contrary to what is usually depicted in the media, smaller airports experience higher theft rates than larger airports, and could therefore constitute vulnerable points of entry into the aviation industry. Practical implications of this research are discussed.

Abstract/Summary: Section 14141 of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 granted the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) the authority to investigate, intervene into, and force reforms within any police department deemed to exhibit a pattern or practice of police misconduct. The DOJ's primary enforcement mechanism is to sue the offending jurisdiction. Such lawsuits are typically settled with “consent decrees” or court-ordered legal agreements to implement specified reforms. We assembled a panel data set to explore the relationship between consent decrees and civil rights litigation in 23 targeted jurisdictions. The results suggest that DOJ intervention may be associated with modest reductions in the risk of civil rights filings.

Abstract/Summary of Book: Presented from a criminal justice perspective, Cyberspace, Cybersecurity, and Cybercrime introduces students to the interdisciplinary field of cybercrime by exploring the theoretical, practical, and legal framework it operates under, along with strategies to combat it. Authors Janine Kremling and Amanda M. Sharp Parker provide a straightforward overview of cybercrime, cyberthreats, and the vulnerabilities individuals, businesses, and governments face everyday in a digital environment. Highlighting the latest empirical research findings and challenges that cybercrime and cybersecurity pose for those working in the field of criminal justice, this book exposes critical issues related to privacy, terrorism, hacktivism, the dark web, and much more. Focusing on the past, present, and future impact of cybercrime and cybersecurity, it details how criminal justice professionals can be prepared to confront the changing nature of cybercrime.

Abstract/Summary: In a criminal justice system in which almost every adjudicated defendant, regardless of age, pleads guilty, it becomes important to understand the decision-making process underlying this choice. In the present research, we examined how age (juvenile vs. young adult), guilt versus innocence, and plea comprehension influenced the decision to plead guilty and the underlying plea rationale. We found that whereas age did not affect willingness to plead guilty when participants were asked to assume guilt in a hypothetical scenario, juveniles were more than twice as likely as young adults to plead guilty when asked to assume innocence. In addition, consistent with past research and developmental theory, juveniles were significantly less likely than adults to consider the short- and long-term consequences of the decision, and to understand and appreciate plea-related information. We also found that legal knowledge, after controlling for age, was positively (albeit weakly) related to plea decisions, but only for guilty participants. Implications for juveniles and adults involved in the criminal justice system, as well as wrongful convictions, are discussed.

Abstract/Summary: Recent court decisions and state legislation have highlighted the significance of ensuring that criminal defendants are represented by counsel at their first appearances in court, where judges make critical decisions on pretrial release, bail, and detention. Yet many jurisdictions do not routinely provide counsel to indigent defendants at this stage. We hypothesize that when defendants are represented by counsel at first appearance (CAFA), they are more likely to be released on recognizance, are less likely to have high bail set, and are consequently less likely to be jailed pending disposition. We explore the impact of lawyers’ presence by comparing pretrial decisions and bail outcomes across samples of misdemeanor cases in three rural counties in upstate New York: cases with and without CAFA. We find that these counties saw shifts in decisions or outcomes. We consider the implications of these findings for future research, court practices, and public policy.

Abstract/Summary of Book:  Tackling issues that range from disruptive street gangs to online illicit markets, the authors use the insights of network analysis—a sophisticated methodology for illuminating individual and group interconnections—to suggest practical, highly targeted ways to prevent criminal behavior. 

• Why Networks?—the Editors.

• Street Gangs and Co-offending Networks—J.M. McGloin and Z. Rowan.

• Applying Group Audits to Problem-Oriented Policing—M. Sierra-Arevalo and A.V. Papachristos.

• Network Stability Issues in a Co-Offending Population—C. Morselli, T.U. Grund, and R. Boivin.

• Identifying Key Actors in Drug Trafficking Networks—D.A. Bright.

• Predicting Organized Crime Leaders—F. Calderoni.

• Defection from a Fraud Network—R.R. Faulkner and E.R. Cheney.

• Discrediting Vendors in Online Criminal Markets—D. Décary-Hétu and D. Laferrière.

• Vulnerabilities in Online Child Exploitation Networks—K. Joffres and M. Bouchard.

• Measuring Disruption in Terrorist Communications—S. Bush and G. Bichler.

• Using Space Syntax to Inform Crime Prevention—L. Summers and S.D. Johnson.

• Appendix: Networks in a Nutshell—G. Bichler and S. Bush.

Abstract/Summary: Objective: Despite the high prevalence of substance use disorders, mental disorders, and co-occurring disorders among persons in the justice system, there is a fairly low rate of treatment utilization among this population. This study explored rates of lifetime behavioral health treatment utilization and factors associated with involvement in treatment. Methods: The study examined data from the Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring II program from 2007 to 2010, including over 18,000 arrestees in 10 U.S. metropolitan jails. Logistic regression and χ² analyses were used to explore the relationship between self-reported lifetime treatment history and sociodemographic characteristics, self-reported substance use, and severity of substance use. Results: Over half of arrestees reported no history of behavioral health treatment (62%), and Caucasians were significantly more likely to have received treatment than African Americans and Hispanics. Rates of treatment for substance use disorders or for both substance use and mental disorders were lowest among arrestees reporting marijuana and alcohol use and highest for heroin users. Methamphetamine users were the most likely to have received prior mental health treatment. Severity of alcohol and drug use was the highest among arrestees who had received both substance abuse and mental health treatment. Conclusions and Implications for Practice: Considering the high rates of mental and substance use disorders in this population, the overall lack of behavioral health service utilization among offenders is concerning and points to the need to engage offenders in mental health and substance abuse treatment and to expand these services in jails, prisons, diversionary programs, and community corrections settings. 

Abstract/Summary: Objective: Recent studies have shown that there are spatio-temporal patterns in the distribution of motor vehicle thefts, but micro-level research has not considered the different forms of the crime. This research utilizes data on vehicle theft incidents (N=9417) from 2007 to 2009 in a mid-sized US city to determine whether repeat and near repeat patterns exist across overall, temporary and permanent thefts. The results show that there is an increased risk for repeat victimization in the days following an initial incident for all forms of vehicle theft. Near repeat patterns are found for temporary vehicle thefts but not for permanent thefts. The research and policy implications derived from this study include a more crime-specific research agenda and increased consideration of offender motivation in the development of crime prevention programmes.

Abstract/Summary: Researchers modeling offender travel patterns typically assume that crime locations are well within the offenders’ activity space. Using information about the places frequented by 2,563 delinquent youths residing in Southern California, this study examined distances traveled to delinquent and nondelinquent hangout locations. Travel to known delinquent sites was substantively farther from home than expected and exhibited a segmented nonlinear curve, joining logarithmic and negative exponential functions. Significant variation was found for place-specific (trip distance) and person-specific (individual travel) distances by city classification, travel method, and age cohort; age effects disappeared in multivariate analyses. Several implications follow, highlighting the need to infuse a place-oriented approach to studying journey-to-crime.

Abstract/Summary:  Most research indicates that males comprise the greatest proportion of gang members. Since the 1990s, however, there has been an increasing interest in female gangs and gang members. The current study builds on this research interest by examining differences between female gang members and non-gang members who participated in a juvenile probation program designed to identify and intervene with youth considered to be high risk for subsequent criminal and delinquent activity. The results of a logistic regression analysis revealed that two factors significantly influenced a female offender's likelihood of being rearrested: she did not complete the program, and she did not live with her natural parent(s). We conclude that the significant results do support findings from previous research in this area; we also discuss possible explanations as to why other factors were not significantly related to rearrests.

Abstract/Summary: This article describes a traffic stop study in Riverside, California, with an effort to identify evidence of racial profiling. Racial profiling was defined using the California Statute, which is limited relative to other definitions. All traffic stops for 2003 were examined. The data were disaggregated into stops made by the traffic unit and stops made by patrol and investigative units. No disparity was found in the traffic unit stops, but there was minority over-representation in the patrol and investigative stops, but differences were not statistically significant. The patrol and investigative stops were then correlated with the crime and calls for service for the department’s 133 reporting districts, which produced high correlations. Race and ethnicity of those stopped were correlated with racial and ethnic suspect information in the reporting districts, and it was found that there were high correlations. In addition, the dispositions of stops were examined by race and ethnicity.

Abstract/Summary: Contemporary police practice advocates the importance of proactive policing activities. Proactive policing reforms emphasize self‐initiated tasks during unassigned patrol time and directed activities based on supervisor review of crime analysis and problem identification. Our study analyzes data from systematic social observations of police patrol officers to examine how officers spent their discretionary time. We find that, on average, over three quarters of a patrol officers’ shift is unassigned. During this time, officers primarily self‐initiate routine patrol, or back up other officers on calls to which they were not dispatched. Just 6 percent of unassigned time activities are directed by supervising officers, dispatchers, other officers or citizens. Moreover, directives provided by supervisors are vague, general in form, and do not operationalize problem‐oriented policing, community‐oriented policing, or proactive policing strategies. We conclude that first, a very significant proportion of patrol officer time is spent uncommitted that could be better utilized doing proactive, problem‐oriented policing activities, and second, supervisors need to provide patrol officers with much more detailed directives, based on sound crime analysis, to help capitalize on the under‐utilization of patrol officer time. 

Abstract/Summary:  This study examines differences between juvenile gang and nongang members participating in a juvenile probation program designed to identify and intervene with youth considered to be high risk for subsequent criminal and delinquent activity. After participating in the Multidisciplinary Team Program, both gang and nongang members significantly improved their grade point average, lowered the number of classes missed, and reduced the number of suspensions. Both groups also improved on family functioning and a decrease in reported alcohol and substance abuse. There were also improvements for gang and nongang members concerning subsequent delinquent activity. The results suggest that at some levels, gang affiliation is not an impediment to treatment programming. A limitation to the study was that gang membership was based on self-report and law enforcement identification, which results in false positive and false negative designations. Additionally, the nongang group may have included youths who escaped being identified as gang members.