Criminology Commons^™

Unf@Cking People’S Problems: A Theory Of Policing, Laura Huey, Stephen Johnston

Sociology Publications

One of the problems that has plagued policing researchers over the past few decades – ourselves included -- is the interminable question of ‘what do police do?’ Some ideas, tasks, roles, institutions and other social creations are easy to define. Policing has not been one of those. In part, it’s because it’s not only a descriptive problem, it’s also a normative one. Once you start to address the question of what do police do, then you also have to wrestle with the much meatier issue of ‘what do we want police to do’? In this paper, we exercise our theory …

Another Digital Divide: Cybersecurity In Indigenous Communities, Laura Huey, Lorna Ferguson

Sociology Publications

The Indigenous ‘digital divide’ relates to community-level disparities in access and use of online technologies, a prominent public policy issue that federal governments have attempted to address. Following from such efforts is an expected increase in communication and other technologies. However, concurrently, cybersecurity becomes a matter warranting consideration, as increased access means increased exposure to online harms for which many Indigenous communities may lack awareness, education, and prevention skills. To offer key insights relevant to this matter, this study conducted a systematic review of research pertaining to Indigeneity and cybersecurity issues. Findings show that critical subject areas, such as human …

Cyberpolicing In Canada: A Scoping Review, Laura Huey, Lorna Ferguson

Sociology Publications

A recent stream of government efforts have surfaced in an attempt to tackle cybercrime in Canada and improve law enforcement responses to cybercrime, such as funding, actionable intelligence, and the creation of new policing response units. However, we know little of ‘what works’ with respect to cyberpolicing, meaning that these endeavours, and policymakers and funding organizations, are operating without such insights. Therefore, this study sought to conduct an evidence assessment into research on cybercrime-related topics through a scoping review. Our findings show that the overall volume of Canadian cyberpolicing literature is low, and many important subjects are entirely lacking in …

The Stain Of A Criminal Label: Post-Release Stigmatization And Its Effects On Reintegration And Recidivism Among Ex-Offenders, Ashlee N. Quinn-Hogan

Sociology Publications

The successful reintegration of ex-offenders into the community is a primary factor in reducing recidivism and protecting the public. However, successful reintegration is often hard to come by. Prior research has examined the ways in which the stigmatic labelling of ex-offenders disrupts their successful re-entry into the community. Further, studies have shown that the stigmatic labelling of ex-offenders by the community plays a prominent role in offender recidivism. The present study examines this prior research and explores how gender, age, race/ethnicity, and class determine the extent of stigmatization that offenders experience. I conclude that some marginalized groups, such as women, …

What Do We Know About Senior Citizens As Cybervictims? A Rapid Evidence Synthesis, Laura Huey, Lorna Ferguson

Sociology Publications

Internet-based victimization of senior citizens is an important potential threat of growing social, economic, and public policy interest. Given this, we sought to examine whether the existing research base could be used to formulate sound public policy in this area. To do so, we conducted a rapid evidence synthesis and assessment of the research literature from 2010-2020 surrounding three central organizing themes: cyber-related harms, responses and strategies, and prevention programs and solutions. Results reveal that there is an insufficient research base, lack of diverse research topics, and shortage of research beyond that of which is exploratory in nature. However, our …

Preparing Police Leaders Of The Future: An Educational Needs Assessment, Laura Huey, Hina Kalyal, Hillary Peladeau

Sociology Publications

Given that there is very little research available – in Canada or elsewhere – on police leadership education and training, and police are being challenged to work in increasingly complex decision and task environments, an empirical analysis in this area is both timely and of significance utility for shaping both public policy and police practice. This study answers the following research questions:

RQ1. What forms of police leader education and training currently exist for Canadian police leaders?

RQ2. Are these courses and/or programs suitable for the needs of police leaders given the demands they face?

To answer these questions, we …

An Absence Of Evidence: Mapping The Evidence/Gaps, Themes And Other Issues With Canadian Research On Missing Persons, Laura Huey

Sociology Publications

No abstract provided.

Healthy Relationships And Wellbeing Among Youth Offenders, Amanda J. Kerry

Healthy Relationships Plus Program Implementation Study

Historically, the perception of youth offender treatment programs was “nothing works” (Andrew & Bonta, 2010). Fortunately, we have since shifted from that view and current research suggests that effective programs for youth offenders should aim to reduce re-offending by targeting multiple risk factors and promoting the development of healthy, prosocial skills. Consistent with the effective ingredients of programming, the Fourth R and HRPP programs target multiple risk factors (i.e., substance use, risky sexual behaviour) and promote social and cognitive skill building (i.e., communication skills, help seeking). The goal of this research project was to examine the feasibility and fit of …

Preparing Police Recruits Of The Future: An Educational Needs Assessment, Laura Huey, Hina Kalyal, Hillary Peladeau

Sociology Publications

Given increasing demand for post-secondary education (PSE) within Ontario’s police applicant pools, coupled with rising costs in post-secondary education, it is of critical importance we ensure the content and quality of PSE programs marketed to students as appropriate for a policing career, does, indeed, match the needs of potential employers. This study examines this issue by drawing on the results of a mixed-methodological approach, combining qualitative interviews of police recruiters and senior officers with an environmental scan of relevant college and university programs. Our findings indicate there are both strengths and weaknesses in the delivery of PSE when it comes …

The Economics Of Policing Research, Laura Huey

Sociology Publications

In 2012, provincial, territorial and federal governments of Canada reached consensus on an important policy issue: public policing costs were escalating and something needed to be done about ‘the economics of policing’. They also discovered that, as a result of the federal government’s chronic defunding of policing research, they had very little Canadian knowledge upon which to draw. The focus of the present paper is on how both the ‘economics of policing’ crisis, and policy-makers’ inability to utilize domestic research to resolve it, were generated by successive governments sharing an ideologically-informed view of the relative importance of criminal justice research.

An Evidential Review Of Police Misconduct: Officer Versus Organization, Emma Rose Bonanno

2015 Undergraduate Awards

This paper explores the critical societal issue of police misconduct. Though a vast amount of literature surrounds the issue of police misconduct, conclusions regarding the correlates of police misconduct remain inconclusive. Previous research that attempts to explain police misconduct has consistently shown to be divided based on either individual or organizational correlates. Thus, the crux of the debate has become whether police misconduct is the product of a "bad apple" (individual or micro-level correlates), or a "bad barrel" (organizational or macro-level correlates). The aim of this paper is to explore existing empirical evidence, and discover which factors most strongly correlate …

The Westray Mine Incident: Corporate Violence And Governmental Crime As The Roots Of Disaster, Melissa Hughes

2015 Undergraduate Awards

This paper addresses the catastrophic Westray mine disaster that rocked the East Coast of Canada in Plymouth, Nova Scotia, in May 1992 and outlines the causes and factors of the deadly explosion that resulted in the death of 26 miners. From a perspective of white-collar crime, particularly governmental crime and corporate violence, this paper asserts that the negligent actions of inspectors from the Nova Scotia Department of Labour and managers from Curragh Resources Inc., the corporation in charge of the Westray mining operation, led to the conditions in the mine that caused the explosion to occur. Despite there being no …

United States: A Global Criminal, Adam T. Noxell

Sociology Publications

The paper was written to evaluate and discuss the crimes that the US committed during the decade long war on terrorism. It look specifically at the US invasion of Iraq, the nations motives for the attack and the process leading up to the attack. The paper argues the "super power" status that the US has allowed it to disregard domestic and international laws as well as human life to pursue its exploits in the middle east.

Counting The Cost: Estimating The Number Of Deaths Among Recently Released Prisoners In Australia, Stuart A. Kinner, David B. Preen, Azar Kariminia, Tony Butler, Jessica Y. Andrews, Mark Stoové, Matthew Law

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

Objective: To estimate the number of deaths among people released from prison in Australia in the 2007–08 financial year, within 4 weeks and 1 year of release. Design, participants and setting: Application of crude mortality rates for ex-prisoners (obtained from two independent, state-based record-linkage studies [New South Wales and Western Australia]) to a national estimate of the number and characteristics of people released from prison in 2007–08. Main outcome measures: Estimated number of deaths among adults released from Australian prisons in 2007–08, within 4 weeks and 1 year of release, classified by age, sex, Indigenous status and cause of death. …

Recidivism Risk Assessment For Aboriginal Males: A Brief Review Of The Scientific Literature, Andrew J.R. Harris, Collette Cousineau, Caroline A. Pagé, Paul Sonnichsen, Steven Varrette

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

No level of violent recidivism is acceptable to Correctional Service of Canada staff or the Canadian public. Among other tools, CSC staff use counselling, supervision, education, and treatment programs to ensure the safe community reintegration of eligible offenders. The core method of determining risk for recidivism is an actuarially-based risk assessment instrument. The general process of contemporary risk assessment is outlined in this paper revealing a number of efficient and effective measures suitable for all male offender populations. Theory and research are reviewed showing that established risk prediction factors such as age, criminal history, anti-social peers, anti-social attitudes, and substance …

Strategic Plan For Aboriginal Corrections, Correctional Service Canada

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

No abstract provided.

Access To Justice As A Component Of Citizenship: Reconsidering Policing Services For Canada’S Homeless, Laura Huey, Marianne Quirouette

Sociology Publications

Due to their vulnerability on the streets, it has been frequently reported that the homeless experience high rates of harassment and criminal victimization. And yet, reports of such victimization are rarely made to the police. Failure to report crime has often been conceptualized as a problem for law enforcement, policy makers and social scientists (Skogan 1984). We conceptualize the failure to notify authorities as to the experience of criminal victimization by homeless men, women and youth as a problem directly linked to their status as ‘lesser citizens’, individuals and groups who are more often viewed as the criminal element to …

We Don't Shoot Our Wounded..., Robyn Holder

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

No abstract provided.

Childhood Predictors Of Adult Criminality: A Meta-Analysis Drawn From The Prospective Longitudinal Literature, Alan W. Leschied Dr., Debbie Chiodo, Elizabeth Nowicki, Susan Rodger

Education Publications

Sufficient research now exists in the psychology of criminal conduct literature to address the long-term impact of early childhood and adolescent experiences on later adult outcomes. In the present meta-analysis, selected studies were prospective and longitudinal, tracking a variety of early childhood and family factors that could potentially predict later involvement in the adult criminal justice system. Thirty-eight studies met the selection criteria. Major findings indicate that dynamic versus static predictors are related to later adult criminal justice involvement. The older the child was at the time the predictor was measured, the stronger was the relationship to adult offending. Within …

Desistance And Identity Change Among Aboriginal Females, John D. Hundleby, Barbara M. Gfellner, Darrell Racine

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

This study concerns the factors that are involved in a change from antisocial and criminal behavior to the development of a prosocial sense of identity in ten Aborigi- nal females. Data were obtained from recorded semi-structured interviews that in- cluded questionnaires and open-ended questions. These women had dysfunctional backgrounds and lifestyles yet ceased such behavior and entered university life. Findings indicated the resilience of these women. They overcame extreme disadvan- tages and “turned around” to develop purposeful and adaptive lives. Gaining a sense of their cultural background and integrating aspects of Aboriginal heritage into their sense of self were interwoven …

Predicting Death In Young Offenders: A Retrospective Cohort Study, Carolyn Coffey, Rory Wolfe, Andrew W. Lovett, Paul Moran, Eileen Cini, George C. Patton

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

Objective: To examine predictors of death in young offenders who have received a custodial sentence using data routinely collected by juvenile justice services.

Design: A retrospective cohort of 2849 (2625 male) 11–20-year-olds receiving their first custodial sentence between 1 January 1988 and 31 December 1999 was identified. Main outcome measures: Deaths, date and primary cause of death ascertained from study commencement to 1 March 2003 by data-matching with the National Death Index; measures comprising year of and age at admission, sex, offence profile, any drug offence, multiple admissions and ethnic and Indigenous status, obtained from departmental records.

Results: Theoverallmortalityratewas7.2deathsper1000person-yearsofobservation. Younger …

Childhood Experiences Of Aboriginal Offenders, Shelley Trevethan, John-Patrick Moore

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

No abstract provided.

Aboriginal Resource Access In Response To Criminal Victimization In An Urban Context, Raymond R. Corrado, Irwin M. Cohen, Jesse L. Cale

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

No abstract provided.

Aboriginal Sexual Offending In Canada: A Review Of The Evidence, John H. Hylton

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

No abstract provided.

The Rehabilitation Of Indigenous Prisoners, Andrew Day, Kevin Howells, Sharon Casey

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

The massive problems experienced by Indigenous Australians in their encounters with the criminal justice system have been well documented and widely discussed. This paper applies the Risk, Needs and Responsivity Model of rehabilitation to Indigenous offenders. While much of the review is devoted to a discussion of Australian Indigenous offenders, the issues raised are likely to be relevant to Indigenous groups from other countries and, possibly, ethnic minority offenders more generally. We concluded that whilst the model clearly has value, rehabilitation programs would benefit from a careful consideration of issues relating specifically to the Risk, Needs and Responsivity of Indigenous …

Restorative Visions In Aboriginal Australia, Harry Blagg

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

No abstract provided.

Violent Victimization And Fear Of Crime Among Canadian Aboriginals, Michael Weinrath

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

Violent victimization by offenders has led to concerns over the negative consequences that this has on victims, including a greater fear of crime. Because their disadvantaged status leads to greater rates of violent victimization, it is speculated that fear of crime will be higher among the poor and racial minorities. Examining the common violent crime of assault, this hypothesis is tested by comparing the results of two national Canadian surveys, the 1991 post-censal Aboriginal People’s Survey (N = 18,000+), and the 1993 Canadian General Social Survey (N = 10,000+). Contingency tables (cross-tabs) and multi- variate logistic regression are used to …