Digital Commons Network^™

Merit, Luck, And Historical Recognition: A More Comprehensive Treatment Of Justice In Public Administration, Nicole M. Elias, Courtney Jensen

Publications and Research

John Rawls' A Theory of Justice has served as an important basis for theorizing merit, deservedness, and fairness, and in turn, continues to influence the intellectual development of many disciplines, including political thought, public administration, and the practical application of democratic governance. Yet, Rawls' failure to account for luck and historical difference renders his work an incomplete framework for pursing the end of justice in public administration. We argue for a more comprehensive treatment of merit, deservedness, and fairness, one that incorporates luck and takes into account social values rooted in historical preference and identity.

Resources In English On The Criminal Justice System Of The People’S Republic Of China, Ellen Sexton

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Realities Of Religio-Legalism: Religious Courts And Women's Rights In Canada, The United Kingdom, And The United States, Anissa Helie, Marie Ashe

Publications and Research

Religio-legalism – the enforcement of religious law by specifically-religious courts that are tolerated or endorsed by civil government – has long operated against women’s interests in liberty and equality. In the 21st century, religious tribunals – Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, and Muslim – operate throughout the world. Almost all are male-dominated, patriarchal, and sex-discriminatory. Harms to women produced by Muslim or sharia courts have come into focus in recent years, but present realities of religio-legalism operating through Christian and Jewish – as well as Muslim – religious courts in Western nations have been under-examined.

This essay by Ashe and Helie documents …

Saturation Foot-Patrol In A High-Violence Area: A Quasi-Experimental Evaluation, Eric L. Piza, Brian A. O'Hara

Publications and Research

This study incorporates a quasi-experimental design to evaluate a saturation foot-patrol initiative in Newark, NJ. Violent crime was measured for one year prior and during the initiative within the target area, a surrounding catchment area, and two separate control areas. The overall findings provide further sup- port for foot-patrol as a crime prevention tactic. Total street violence as well as the disaggregate categories of murder, shootings, and nondomestic aggravated assault decreased within the target area absent of any displacement effects. However, robbery suffered from substantial levels of both temporal and spatial displacement, showing saturation foot-patrol to have varying impact on …

Analyzing The Influence Of Micro-Level Factors On Cctv Camera Effect., Eric L. Piza, Joel M. Caplan, Leslie W. Kennedy

Publications and Research

Objectives Despite the popularity of closed circuit television (CCTV), evidence of its crime prevention capabilities is inconclusive. Research has largely reported CCTV effect as ‘‘mixed’’ without explaining this variance. The current study contributes to the literature by testing the influence of several micro-level factors on changes in crime levels within CCTV areas of Newark, NJ.

Methods Viewsheds, denoting the line-of-sight of CCTV cameras, were units of analysis (N = 117). Location quotients, controlling for viewshed size and control-area crime incidence, measured changes in the levels of six crime categories, from the pre-installation period to the post-installation period. Ordinary least squares …

A Plague On Both Your Houses? Risks, Repeats, And Reconsiderations Of Urban Residential Burglary, William D. Moreto, Eric L. Piza, Joel M. Caplan

Publications and Research

Research has shown that mapping techniques are useful in forecasting future crime events. However, the majority of prospective mapping techniques has focused on the event-dependent influence of instigator incidents on subsequent incidents and does not explicitly incorporate the risk heterogeneity of the setting. The study here discussed is a modest attempt to address this issue by using a two-step process: first, using risk terrain modeling, we operationalized the “environmental backcloth,” (the risk heterogeneity of an area) to forecast locations of residential burglaries in the urban city of Newark, New Jersey. Second, using the near repeat calculator, we assessed the variability …

Spatial Risk Factors Of Felonious Battery To Police Officers, Joel M. Caplan, Philip L. Marotta, Eric L. Piza, Leslie W. Kennedy

Publications and Research

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the spatial influence of features of the physical environment on the risk of aggression toward law enforcement.

Design/methodology/approach – The spatial analytic technique, risk terrain modeling was performed on felonious battery data provided by the Chicago Police Department.

Findings – Out of the 991 batteries against law enforcement officers (LEOs) in Chicago, 11 features of the physical environment were identified as presenting a statistically significant spatial risk of battery to LEOs. Calls for service within three blocks of foreclosures and/or within a dense area of problem buildings pose as much …

Gender Differences In The Determinants Of Prison Rule Violations, Katarzyna Celinska, Hung-En Sung

Publications and Research

This article addresses gender differences in the extent and explanation of inmate misconduct. The study employs nationally representative prisoner survey data to assess gender-specific explanations of prison rule violations. The gender-specific factors include prior victimization, diagnosed mental disorders, and the amount of inmate contact with their families via visits and phone calls. Logistic regression models support gender-specific explanations of inmate misconduct but also identify other factors of general importance. The policy implications of gendered pathways in prison misconduct are discussed.

Shrinking Cities, Growing Adversaries: The Politics Of Territory For Community Nonprofits In 'Shrinking City' Planning Processes, Janice Bockmeyer

Publications and Research

Political institutions in ‘shrinking cities’ undergo transformative restructuring when depopulation and disinvestment threaten public capacity. Using a New Institutionalism approach, this chapter explores historical impacts of changing institutions on community nonprofit organization (CNPO) behaviors, and highlights applications to Detroit’s current ‘right-sizing’ planning processes. It explores influences of foundations, intermediaries and anchor institutions on CNPO roles in decision making and concludes that Detroit illustrates governance without government, challenging CNPOs to impact deliberations increasingly led by the independent sector, where communities and CNPOs lack formal access. The chapter presents one case of counter-institutional response, that of LEAP, an innovative alternative CNPO plan.

Preserving The Historic Garden Suburb: Case Studies From London And New York, Jeffrey A. Kroessler

Publications and Research

The garden city or garden suburb was a response to the social and environmental ills of cities at the turn of the twentieth century. Letchworth Garden City, Hampstead Garden Suburb, and Welwyn Garden City were built outside London in the early 1900s, and each remains a highly desirable place of residence today. From the start, each was tightly regulated, and remains so a century later. By protecting the appearance and enhancing property values, the strict application of historic preservation principles contribute to the long-term sustainability of each place. Similar garden suburbs were built in the borough of Queens in New …

Brooklyn's Thirst, Long Island's Water: Consolidation, Local Control, And The Aquifir, Jeffrey A. Kroessler

Publications and Research

The creation of greater New York City in 1898 promised a solution to the problem of supplying Brooklyn and Queens with water. In the 1850s, the City of Brooklyn tapped ponds and streams on the south side of Queens County, and in the 1880s, dug wells for additional supply. This lowered the water table and caused problems for farmers and oystermen, many of whom sued the city for damages. Ultimately, salt water seeped into some wells from over-pumping. By 1896, Brooklyn’s system had reached its limit. Prevented by the state legislature from tapping the aquifer beneath Suffolk’s Pine Barrens, the …

The Growth Of Incarceration In The United States: Exploring Causes And Consequences, Jeremy Travis, Bruce Western, F. Stevens Redburn

Publications and Research

After decades of stability from the 1920s to the early 1970s, the rate of incarceration in the United States more than quadrupled in the past four decades. The Committee on the Causes and Consequences of High Rates of Incarceration in the United States was established under the auspices of the National Research Council, supported by the National Institute of Justice and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, to review evidence on the causes and consequences of these high incarceration rates and the implications of this evidence for public policy.

Our work encompassed research on, and analyses of, the …

Bombing For Justice: Urban Terrorism In New York City From The 1960s Through The 1980s, Jeffrey A. Kroessler

Publications and Research

From the mid-1960s into the 1980s New York City experienced a wave of political violence and urban terrorism. Groups planted bombs, hijacked airliners, and engaged in assassination and attempted assassination to advance political, racial, or nationalist agendas. They included the Jewish Defense League, the Weathermen, the Black Panthers and the Black Liberation Army, FALN and other advocates of Puerto Rican independence, the United Freedom Front, Omega 7 and other anti-Castro Cubans, and Croatian nationalists. Juries often failed to convict these individuals, and others received light sentences. Judges scrutinized police actions for abuses of constitutional rights, and attorneys like William Kunstler …

Embodiment Of The Halaf: Sixth Millennium Figurines From Northern Mesopotamia, Ellen H. Belcher

Publications and Research

This dissertation answers the question, "What are Halaf figurines?" In response to that question, this study examines a corpus of anthropomorphic figurines from archaeological sites dating to the Halaf period (Sixth Millennium cal BCE) known from excavations in Turkey and Syria. Included in this dissertation is a detailed catalog of 197 figurine examples, both whole and fragmented, and analysis of their excavated contexts from seven Halaf sites in Turkey and nine sites in Syria. The study also reviews and discusses existing literature on Halaf and figurine studies and examines and critiques modern biases, assumptions, and influences, especially as related to …

The Psycho-Affective Echoes Of Colonialism In Fieldwork Relations, Robert Garot

Publications and Research

This article describes the varieties of relations with African immigrant interviewees in Tuscany as experienced by a white male interviewer from the United States. Franz FANON's discussion of the psycho-affective consequences of colonialism is vital for understanding how naïve and romantic notions of fieldwork relations are disingenuous, counter-productive and perhaps destructive in a neo-colonial landscape.

The Relationship Between Hate Groups And Far-Right Ideological Violence, Amy Adamczyk, Jeff Gruenwald, Steven M. Chernak, Joshua D. Freilich

Publications and Research

This study examines whether the presence of hate groups increases the likelihood of serious ideologically motivated violence committed by far-rightists. While hate crime research has generally focused on a single state or made comparisons across several states, we seek to examine this relationship within the context of U.S. counties. A smaller unit of analysis allows for the simultaneous consideration of several social processes operating at the community level, which might also influence ideologically motivated offending by far-right extremists. We test the relationship using data from the Extremist Crime Database (ECDB) for the dependent measure, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) …

Theorizing More Inclusive Cities: A Relational Model Of Boundary Transformation And Urban Research Agenda, Leigh Graham

Publications and Research

To generate more inclusive environments for marginalized urban communities of color demands a strategy that privileges symbolic boundary change and uses it as the inroad towards spatial changes. This paper theorizes a three step relational process of a) communicative democratic activism, b) "multicultural" capital brokers providing access to the policy making process, and c) practices of community building that reflect the role of cities as key sites for sociospatial boundary transformation. An emphasis on discursive and ideational change, relying on communicative democratic processes steeped in historical, comparative analysis opens up our minds towards different classification schemes for stigmatized groups. Participating …

Proceedings Of The 1st Annual Cuny Games Festival, Robert O. Duncan, Joe Bisz, Francesco Crocco, Carlos Hernandez, Kathleen Offenholley, Leah Potter, Maura A. Smale, Cuny Games Network

Publications and Research

Proceedings of the CUNY Games Conference, held from January 17-18, 2014, at the CUNY Graduate Center and Borough of Manhattan Community College.

Topics in Game Design - Teaching with Virtual and Augmented Realities - Writing with Games - Breaking the Magic Circle: Games & Real Life - Interactive Game Design (What's Your Game Plan? - Designing Ethical Games - Games and Gender - Gaming English Language and Literature - Game, Narrative, Literacy - Teaching with Games - Games, Storytelling, and Narrative - Games and STEM - Learning by Design - Students as Game Designers - Experiencing Reality in Popular Games …

Designing & Developing An Agile Web Eco-System, Stefanie Havelka, David Stevens, Stefanie Havelka

Publications and Research

Engaging your target audience requires intelligently communicating your institution's brand and strategic advantages via a distributed network including email, websites, portals, social media and mobile devices. The web landscape is vast and decentralized, and aggregating content sources via a unified and cohesive strategy poses significant challenges. This presentation demonstrates how to design a flexible website architecture facilitating the publishing, sharing and syndicating of content across an organization's distributed web eco-system

Students Teaching Students: A Method For Collaborative Learning, Jean Halley, Courtney Heiserman, Victoria Felix, Amy Eshleman

Publications and Research

The Student Small Group Presentation (SSGP) model, a student-centered approach, is introduced and applied to learning communities. Similar to the jigsaw classroom, small groups of students in learning communities are responsible for teaching material to their peers. Unlike other jigsaw techniques, presentation groups in the SSGP teach an entire lesson based on collaborative work conducted outside of class. Presenters are responsible for thorough analysis of course material as they lead a discussion among a small group of peers. Students meet with the same small group throughout the semester, creating a feeling of intimate community within the larger learning community. By …

Insight, Neurocognition, And Schizophrenia: Predictive Value Of The Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, John Stratton, Philip T. Yanos, Paul Lysaker

Publications and Research

Lack of insight in schizophrenia is a key feature of the illness and is associated with both positive and negative clinical outcomes. Previous research supports that neurocognitive dysfunction is related to lack of insight, but studies have not examined how neurocognition relates to change in insight over time. Therefore, the current study sought to understand how performance on the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) differed between participants with varying degrees of change in insight over a 6-month period. Fifty-two patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder were administered the WCST and Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) at baseline, and the …

Factors Associated With Smoking Among Adolescent Males Prior To Incarceration And After Release From Jail: A Longitudinal Study, Megha Ramaswamy, Babalola Faseru, Karen L. Cropsey, Marvia Jones, Karisa Deculus, Nicholas Freudenberg

Publications and Research

Background The prevalence of cigarette smoking among incarcerated adult men and women is three-four times higher than in the general population, ranging from 70-80%. However, little is known about factors associated with smoking among incarcerated adolescents, especially upon their re-entry into communities after release from jail. The current study explores factors associated with smoking among adolescent males prior to incarceration and one year after their release from jail. Methods We conducted a secondary data analysis of the Returning Educated African-American and Latino Men to Enriched Neighborhoods (REAL MEN) study, which was designed to reduce HIV risk, substance use, and recidivism …

Master Talk: Assessing The Crime Decline: Did Bids Play A Role?, Jeremy Travis

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Violent Youth Crime In U.S. Falls To New 32-Year Low, Jeffrey A. Butts

Publications and Research

FBI crime data shows a decline in violent youth crimes between 2011 and 2012, reaching a new 32-year-low. Violent youth crimes reached a new low every year between 2009 and 2012. This databit shows the rate of violent youth crimes based on crime offense between 1980 and 2012.

Situational Awareness: Reframing Within Fire Service Culture, Martha Dow, Len Garis, Larry Thomas

Publications and Research

There is increasing attention being paid to better understanding and consequently decreasing the incidence of on-the-job injuries and deaths within the fire service across North America. Heightening situational awareness is being explored as the most critical factor in maintaining the safety of participants in high risk, low frequency events. Situational awareness is generally defined as “understanding the current environment and being able to accurately anticipate future problems to enable effective action”. Situational awareness is cited as a critical factor in most research exploring safety in fire suppression activities and in many cases the “No. 1 factor identified by firefighters filing …

Assessing The Burden Of Crime And The Criminal Sanction: A Public Health Perspective On Critical Issues In Criminal Justice, Jeremy Travis

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Returning Home: Understanding The Challenges Of Prisoner Reentry And Reintegration, Jeremy Travis

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Toward A New Professionalism In Policing, Jeremy Travis

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Ready For Success: A Profile Of Youthbuild Mentoring Participants, Kathleen A. Tomberg

Publications and Research

The YouthBuild USA National Mentoring Alliance program (“YouthBuild Mentoring”) seeks to engage students with responsible, supportive, committed adult volunteers to help young people achieve success in education, employment, and social relationships. By matching students with adult mentors for a minimum of 15 months, YouthBuild Mentoring helps these youth form strong emotional bonds and continuing relationships that will ideally last for years beyond the end of the program. YouthBuild USA partnered with the Research and Evaluation Center of John Jay College of Criminal Justice to assess the attitudes of YouthBuild Mentoring participants on a variety of topics, including self-image, self-efficacy, perceptions …

Associations Between The Legal Context Of Hiv, Perceived Social Capital, And Hiv Antiretroviral Adherence In North America, J Craig Phillips, Allison Webel, Carol Dawson Rose, Inge B. Corless, Kathleen M. Sullivan, Joachim Voss, Dean Wantland, Kathleen Nokes, John Brion, Wei-Ti Chen, Scholastika Iipinge, Lucille Sanzero Eller, Lynda Tyer-Viola, Marta Rivero-Méndez, Patrice K. Nicholas, Mallory O. Johnson, Mary Maryland, Jeanne Kemppainen, Carmen J. Portillo, Puangtip Chaiphibalsarisdi

Publications and Research

Background Human rights approaches to manage HIV and efforts to decriminalize HIV exposure/transmission globally offer hope to persons living with HIV (PLWH). However, among vulnerable populations of PLWH, substantial human rights and structural challenges (disadvantage and injustice that results from everyday practices of a well-intentioned liberal society) must be addressed. These challenges span all ecosocial context levels and in North America (Canada and the United States) can include prosecution for HIV nondisclosure and HIV exposure/transmission. Our aims were to: 1) Determine if there were associations between the social structural factor of criminalization of HIV exposure/transmission, the individual factor of perceived …