Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Social Disorganization Theory: Examining The Mediating Effects Of Social Ties And Disorder On Crime, Matasha L. Harris

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

Using study data collected for a larger research project entitled Project on Policing Neighborhoods in Indianapolis, Indiana, 1996, the relationship between social ties and disorder on neighborhood structural characteristics and crime rates was tested. Using two Structural Equation Models the mediating effects of social ties and disorder on neighborhood structural characteristics and crime received partial support from the analysis of Indianapolis data.

The results revealed that poverty and family disruption exerts a positive impact on crime rates. The results also revealed that neighborhoods with high levels of racial heterogeneity have a negative effect on social ties. As well, the study …

An Analysis Of The Relationship Between Exposure To Risk, Gender, And Delinquency: An Exploratory Case Study, Rosanne D. Walters

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Management

This case study explored the interactive relationship between the type and level of risk experienced by males and females entering the Norfolk Juvenile Detention Home in 2000, differences in delinquent behaviors of males and females, and differences in responses to that behavior. The study was an outgrowth of a previous report to the Norfolk Juvenile Detention Home Utilization Task Force suggesting that females experienced a higher level of risk than males and that they were detained for lesser offenses. The study also was motivated by data from the Office on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention indicating that there had been …

It Does Take A Village To Raise A Child, Rebecca J. Boyd

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

Utilizing Cullen's (1994) Social Support Theory and Hunter's (1985) three dimensions of social life, this study is a quantitative, cross-sectional secondary data analysis designed to examine the relationship between institutional social support and rates of juvenile crime for counties and cities in Virginia for the year 2000. Resting on the contention that an inverse, significant relationship exists between measures of institutional support and rates of juvenile property and violent crime, this study examines types of support provided by the institutions of family, school, and the government. These measures of institutional support include 1) familial support: median income, marriage support; 2) …

Justifications For The Probation Sanction Among Residents Of Virginia--Cool Or Un-Cool?, Brian K. Payne, Randy R. Gainey, Ruth A. Triplett, Mona J. E. Danner

Sociology & Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

Perhaps as evidence of a growing cultural gap between our students and ourselves, one of the authors was recently amused when a student asked whether probation was a "cool" sanction. In this study, we begin an investigation into how cool the probation sanction is in the eyes of residents of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Specifically, we use data from a telephone survey of 840 registered voters to explore three questions. First, how often would they recommend the probation sanction in comparison to other sanctions? Second, how do they justify the sanction relative to justifications for other sanctions? Finally, are their …