Criminology and Criminal Justice Commons^™

A Study Of Ohio's Correctional Institution Inspection Committee's (Ciic) Inmate Surveys, Melissa W. Burek, John Liederbach, Joelle K. Bridges

Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

Correctional facilities have a discernible "social climate," or collection of contextual properties that derive from perceptions of both staff and prisoners. These properties include the physical, organizational, social, and emotional characteristics of correctional institutions. Ohio's Correctional Institution Inspection Committee (CIIC) requested research assistance to assess the validity of their adult and youth surveys, which are administered during the CIIC's regular inspections of facilities. The purpose of this study was to assess the validity of these instruments and the process by which they are administered. The study builds on the existing line of research on prison social climate surveys.

Op-Ed: Cops Shoot And Kill Someone About 1,000 Times A Year: Few Are Prosecuted: What Can Be Done?, Philip M. Stinson

Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Persona Non Grata: The Marginalization Of Legal Scholarship In Criminology And Criminal Justice Journals, Brenda I. Rowe, Wesley S. Mccann, Craig Hemmens

Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

Recently, concern has been voiced within the academy regarding the marginalization of legal scholarship within the criminology and criminal justice (CCJ) discipline. Although conventional wisdom and anecdotal evidence indicate that it is difficult to get legal scholarship published in CCJ journals, there is a dearth of empirical evidence on the representation of legal scholarship in CCJ journals. The present study assesses the representation of legal scholarship in 20 CCJ journals from 2005 through 2015, examining both trends over time and variation across journals. Findings indicate legal scholarship comprises a very small portion of articles published, there has been a steep …

Vocational And Life Skills Quarterly Report: Quarter 2 (October-December 2016), Uno Nebraska Center For Justice Research, Johanna Peterson, Jordan Clark

Reports

The Vocational and Life Skills Program was created by Nebraska Legislative Bill 907 in 2014 with the goals of reducing recidivism and increasing employment for individuals who are incarcerated, who have been incarcerated within the prior 18 months or who are under parole or probation supervision. Participants must begin programming under these conditions, but they may continue programming as the program sees fit for his or her individual needs. Eight programs were funded in Grant Cycle 2 which runs from July 2016-June 2018. The NCJR evaluation was initiated in May 2016 with the primary goal of identifying types of programming …

Vocational And Life Skills Monthly Data Update: December 2016, Uno Nebraska Center For Justice Research, Johanna Peterson

Reports

Grantees use an online data management system to submit data on participants served under their Vocational and Life Skills programming. This data is due monthly and reflects all services provided during the previous month to participants. Evaluators at the Nebraska Center for Justice Research work with grantees directly to correct any data errors on an ongoing basis during monthly update calls and site visits.

Data presented below is from the monthly data pulls. Because this data comes for an active database with live data being entered and updated daily, data, including previously submitted information, may fluctuate depending on changes made …

Attributes Of Police Vehicle Crashes, David Lambert

Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

While overall on-duty law enforcement deaths has decreased moderately from over 160 in 1980 to a level under 120 per year in the late 2000s, fatalities by motor vehicle collisions have steadily increased. This descriptive analysis examines police vehicle crashes during specific conditions such as emergency response, road surface, lighting, and weather in a large statewide police agency. Police vehicle crashes are most likely to occur on dry roads, in daylight conditions, and in clear weather on weekdays as opposed to weekends. Weather and lighting conditions are not the most frequent factors associated with cruiser crashes in this examination.

Vocational And Life Skills Monthly Data Update: October-November 2016, Uno Nebraska Center For Justice Research, Johanna Peterson

Reports

Grantees use an online data management system to submit data on participants served under their Vocational and Life Skills programming. This data is due monthly and reflects all services provided during the previous month to participants. Evaluators at the Nebraska Center for Justice Research work with grantees directly to correct any data errors on an ongoing basis during monthly update calls and site visits.

Data presented below is from the monthly data pulls. Because this data comes for an active database with live data being entered and updated daily, data, including previously submitted information, may fluctuate depending on changes made …

The Academic Effects Of Chronic Exposure To Neighborhood Violence, Amy Ellen Schwartz, Agustina Laurito, Johanna Lacoe, Patrick Sharkey, Ingrid Gould Ellen

Center for Policy Research

We estimate the causal effect of repeated exposure to violent crime on test scores in New York City. We use two distinct empirical strategies; value-added models linking student performance on standardized exams to violent crimes on a student’s residential block, and a regression discontinuity approach that identifies the acute effect of an additional crime exposure within a one-week window. Exposure to violent crime reduces academic performance. Value added models suggest the average effect is very small; approximately -0.01 standard deviations in English Language Arts (ELA) and mathematics. RD models suggest a larger effect, particularly among children previously exposed. The marginal …

Assessing For Racial Disparity In The Use And Effects Of Disciplinary Segregation: A Propensity Score Matching Analysis, Ryan M. Labrecque

Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty Publications and Presentations

Presentation focuses on impact of disciplinary segregation in correctional institutions

Annual Campus Security And Fire Safety Report 2016

Policies, Acts, and Materials: University of Nebraska Board of Regents

Safety and security information for the University of Nebraska, including crime & fire statistics for the 2015 calendar year. This information was submitted to the U.S. Department of Education according to law.

Annual Campus Security and Fire Safety Report and Clery Act Overview Law Enforcement on Campus Daily Crime Log/Fire Log Important Information Regarding Reporting Reporting Potential Threats Reporting Incidents of Bias Reporting a Crime Disciplinary Action for Sexual Misconduct Preventing and Addressing Sexual Assault, Domestic/Dating Violence and Stalking Sex Offender Registry Information Drugs and Alcohol Drug and Alcohol Programs Missing Student Policy and Procedure Crime Prevention and Campus Safety …

The Nonexceptionalism Thesis: How Post-9/11 Criminal Justice Measures Fit In Broader Criminal Justice, Francesca Laguardia

Department of Justice Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Contrary to the assumption that ‘‘9/11 changed everything,’’ post-2001 criminal justice practices in the area of terrorism show a surprising consistency with pre-2001 criminal justice practices. This article relies on an analysis of over 300 terrorism prosecutions between 2001 and 2010, as well as twenty full trial transcripts, content-coding, and traditional legal analysis, to show the continuity of criminal justice over this time in regard to some of the most controversial supposed developments. This continuity belies the common assumption that current extreme policies and limitations on the due process are a panicked response to the terror attacks of 2001. On …

The Nonexceptionalism Thesis: How Post-9/11 Criminal Justice Measures Fit In Broader Criminal Justice, Francesca Laguardia

Department of Justice Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Contrary to the assumption that ‘‘9/11 changed everything,’’ post-2001 criminal justice practices in the area of terrorism show a surprising consistency with pre-2001 criminal justice practices. This article relies on an analysis of over 300 terrorism prosecutions between 2001 and 2010, as well as twenty full trial transcripts, content coding, and traditional legal analysis, to show the continuity of criminal justice over this time in regard to some of the most controversial supposed developments. This continuity belies the common assumption that current extreme policies and limitations on due process are a panicked response to the terror attacks of 2001. To …

Hiring For The 21st Century Law Enforcement Officer: Challenges, Opportunities, And Strategies For Success, Patrick Oliver

History and Government Faculty Presentations

No abstract provided.

Participant Data Overview: Vocational And Life Skills Grant Cycle 2 Quarter 1 (July-September 2016), Uno Nebraska Center For Justice Research, Johanna Peterson

Reports

This report provides a brief overview of data that was submitted by grantee programs for the months of July, August and September 2016. This data is currently under review and evaluators are working with programs on a continuous basis to correct any data issues. This data is therefore subject to change as corrections are made in the database. Program specific data is available by request.

Science Maps Of Global And Indian Wildlife Forensics: A Comparative Analysis, John Jeyasekar Jesubright, Saravanan P

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Science map is a useful tool to understand the structure of a discipline, research networks and collaborations. Wildlife forensics is an emerging field of Forensic Sciences, where science is applied to legal cases involving wildlife. This study is aimed at creating science maps of Wildlife Forensics, both at global level and regional (i.e. India) level using PubMed database. A total of 303 records pertaining to global and 29 records pertaining to India published between 2001 and 2015 are obtained from the PubMed. These bibliometric data are analysed and maps are constructed using MS-Excel spreadsheets, VOSviewer and Pajek software. The …

School Killers Speak: A Comprehensive Examination Of Perpetrators, Events, And Characteristics Of K-12 School Violence In America, Gordon A. Crews

Criminal Justice Faculty Publications and Presentations

This book resulted as part of a comprehensive and ongoing research project investigating the causes of K–12 school violence and disturbance in America. Between 2008 and 2012, all publicly available lists and news reports were scoured to obtain a population of names of perpetrators who committed violence on kindergarten to 12th-grade school property or at a school function since the 1700s (approximately 500-plus incidents initially identified).

Then the deceased, released, un-adjudicated, and otherwise un-locatable individuals were eliminated from the sample (decreasing cases to approximately 120 incidents). Finally, state correctional systems were extensively searched to determine the number of these offenders …

Development And Validation Of The Nebraska Department Of Correctional Services Prison Classification System, Zachary Hamilton, Alex Kigerl

Reports

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Over the last 45 years, the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services (NDCS) has made two substantial changes to its classification system. The first system was created and implemented in the 1970s. In 2005, Patricia Hardyman was contracted to update and modify the classification and reclassification system. Using statistical analyses of available data, a set of prediction models were created to score inmates on items that predicted future infraction behavior. However, the primary issues of the tools were that inmates’ scores were routinely over-classified and that substantial uses of overrides (approximately 40%) were indicated. After a review of the …

Development And Validation Of The Nebraska Department Of Correctional Services Prison Classification System, Zachary Hamilton, Alex Kigerl

Reports

Over the last 45 years, the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services (NDCS) has made two substantial changes to its classification system. The first system was created and implemented in the 1970s. In 2005, Patricia Hardyman was contracted to update and modify the classification and reclassification system. Using statistical analyses of available data, a set of prediction models were created to score inmates on items that predicted future infraction behavior. However, the primary issues of the tools were that inmates’ scores were routinely over-classified and that substantial uses of overrides (approximately 40%) were indicated. After a review of the tools’ development …

How Being Right Can Risk Wrongs, Paul H. Robinson, Sarah M. Robinson

All Faculty Scholarship

This is a chapter from the new book The Vigilante Echo. Previous chapters have made clear that some vigilantism can be morally justified where the government has failed in its promise under the social contract to protect and to do justice. But this chapter explains how even moral vigilante action can be problematic for the larger society. Vigilantes may try to do the right thing but are likely to lack the training and professional neutrality of police. They may be successful, but only on pushing the crime problem to an adjacent neighborhood. Because their open lawbreaking may seem admirable …

Juvenile Transfer To Adult Court: Ongoing Search For Scientific Support, David Myers

Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

(From p. 3) The basic question addressed in this body of research is as follows: Does transferring juvenile offenders to the adult criminal justice system produce a specific deterrent, criminogenic, or null effect? Unfortunately, despite two decades of research and the meta-analytic techniques employed in this study, a definitive answer to this question remains unclear. Nevertheless, when the results of this meta-analysis are considered along with findings from other relevant research conducted during the past 20 years, it seems clear that the practice of treating juveniles as adults should be limited to the most serious, violent, and chronic offenders, who …

The Field View: An Initial Examination Of An Exploratory Eyewitness Identification Procedure, Melissa Kavetski

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The field view is an identification procedure that was recently acknowledged in a national report assessing eyewitness identifications. However, the field view has not been empirically examined to date. In fact, very little is known regarding the effectiveness of the procedure. Because it is an exploratory procedure - used by police when they do not have a suspect in mind - it is important to determine how the field view fares in comparison to the traditional procedures such as lineups and showups, whereby police do have a suspect. Using a controlled, lab-based methodology, Study 1 examined correct and false identifications …

Nebraska Department Of Correctional Service Vocational & Life Skills Program Quarterly Report And Final Report, Uno Nebraska Center For Justice Research

Reports

This report provides an overview of data points for the first vocational and life skills grant. The following pages provide more information on the data collection and evaluation process as well as program specific participant information for the last quarter and overall grant cycle. In the first Vocational and Life Skills grant cycle, there were 2,449 individual participations across all reentry programs. All of these individuals are unique to the program, though some individuals were served in multiple programs. This means that the numbers provided represent participations in programs and not necessarily unique individuals across programs. 186 individuals participated in …

Assessing The Relevance Of Statistics And Crime Analysis Courses For Working Crime Analysts, Jonathan A. Kringen, Christopher M. Sedelmaier, Elink-Schuurman-Laura

Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

Crime analysts study criminal activity and police function to improve performance. Analysts inform operations, aid resource allocation, and evaluate programs. These tasks require high levels of statistical literacy. Given that most analysts are college-educated civilians, college coursework in statistics and/or crime analysis may represent the foundational knowledgebase within the profession. However, little research has attempted to determine if coursework teaches the skills needed by analysts. Underlying this issue is a limited understanding about what technical skills crime analysts regularly use. Analyzing parallel surveys of 98 criminal justice educators and 146 crime analysts, this study compares the skills taught in undergraduate-level …

Actions Speak Louder Than Images: The Use Of Neuroscientific Evidence In Criminal Cases, Stephen J. Morse

All Faculty Scholarship

This invited commentary for Journal of Law & the Biosciences considers four empirical studies previously published in the journal of the reception of neuroscientific evidence in criminal cases in the United States, Canada, England and Wales, and the Netherlands. There are conceded methodological problems with all, but the data are nonetheless instructive and suggestive. The thesis of the comment is that the courts are committing the same errors that have bedeviled the reception of psychiatric and psychological evidence. There is insufficient caution about the state of the science, and more importantly, there is insufficient understanding of the relevance of the …

Identifying Criminals’ Risk Preferences, Murat C. Mungan, Jonathan Klick

Faculty Scholarship

There is a 250-year-old presumption in the criminology and law enforcement literature that people are deterred more by increases in the certainty rather than increases in the severity of legal sanctions. We call this presumption the Certainty Aversion Presumption (CAP). Simple criminal decision-making models suggest that criminals must be risk seeking if they behave consistently with CAP. This implication leads to disturbing interpretations, such as criminals being categorically different from law-abiding people, who often display risk-averse behavior while making financial decisions. Moreover, policy discussions that incorrectly rely on criminals’ risk attitudes implied by CAP are ill informed, and may therefore …

Crime In Developing Countries: The Contribution Of Crime Science, Mangai Natarajan

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Domestic Violence Risk Assessments: Considerations For Selection And Use, Ryan M. Labrecque

Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty Publications and Presentations

Focuses on Senate Bill 789 (Increases penalty for crime of strangulation) and what to consider when mandating law enforcement officers to perform domestic violence risk assessments.

Undocumented And Unaccompanied Latino Youth Who Are Exposed To Violence Are More Likely To Turn To Crime To Overcome Disadvantage., Marika Dawkins-Cavazos, Frank Anthony Rodriguez

Criminal Justice Faculty Publications and Presentations

Recent years have seen growing concern over the increasing number of unaccompanied youth arriving at the US-Mexico border. But despite this concern, such undocumented youth have been an understudied group. In new research, Marika Dawkins and Frank A. Rodriguez interviewed undocumented and unaccompanied Latino youth living at the US-Mexico border. They find that members of this group who experience pervasive violence may be more likely to commit crimes in order to overcome personal hardships.

Problem Analysis In Community Violence Assessments: Reavealing Early Childhood Trauma As A Driver Of Youth And Gang Violence, Laurie Ross Phd, Samantha Arsenault, Sergeant Miguel Lopez

Mosakowski Institute for Public Enterprise

Problem analysis conducted by a university-based research partner can provide communities with data-driven options to address the local drivers of serious youth and gang violence. Situated in Worcester, Massachusetts, this article describes how after early childhood trauma was identified as a potential driver of adolescent and young adult violence, problem analysis using local data confirmed that being the victim or witness of a traumatic incident before the age of 12 was significantly correlated with involvement in violence in adolescence or young adulthood. While there is a robust literature on the relationship between early childhood trauma and later delinquency, local decision-makers …

A Comparison Of Attributions, Self-Esteem, Anxiety, And Parental Attachment In Sexually Abused And Non-Abused Korean Children, Kyung-Shick Choi, Elizabeth Englander, Youngki Woo, Jisun Choi, Ji-Eun Kim, Hyejung Kim

Criminal Justice Faculty Publications and Presentations

This study attempts to address the dearth of information about child sexual abuse (CSA) and psychological functioning in Korean children by measuring the psychological impact of sexual abuse on children in South Korea. The original data were collected on 92 sexually abused children (age 13 or younger) who underwent medical forensic interviews and psychological evaluations prior to treatment. This study collected additional data reflecting specific psychological evaluations from a control group drawn from five randomly chosen elementary schools. The psychological impact on the group of sexually abused children was compared to the control group via the assessment of four major …