Other Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Violent Youth Arrests Continue To Fall Nationwide, Jeffrey A. Butts

Publications and Research

FBI crime data show that the number of violent youth arrests declined between 2012 and 2013, with aggravated assaults dropping significantly. Youth arrests peaked in the nineties, began to decline sharply before rebounding in 2006, and dropped again in 2008. This databit looks at violent youth arrest rates based on crime offenses from 1980 to 2013.

Out-Of-Home Placements Falling Among Younger Juveniles, Jeffrey A. Butts

Publications and Research

According to juvenile court data, the number of formally handled juvenile cases, as well as out-of-home placements for juveniles, dropped between 1996 and 2011. The rate of decline was much lower for 17-year-old juveniles than those 16 and under. This databit looks at the rate of out-of-home placements for juveniles between 1985 to 2011.

The Debt Penalty: Exposing The Financial Barriers To Offender Reintegration, Douglas N. Evans

Publications and Research

Financial debt associated with legal system involvement is a pressing issue that affects the criminal justice system, offenders, and taxpayers. Mere contact with the criminal justice system often results in fees and fines that increase with progression through the system. Criminal justice fines and fees punish offenders and are designed to generate revenue for legal systems operating on limited budgets. However, fines and fees often fail to accomplish this second goal because many offenders are too poor to pay them. If they do not pay their financial obligations, they may be subject to late fees and interest requirements, all of …

Punishment Without End, Douglas N. Evans

Publications and Research

Criminal justice punishments are an investment that societies make to protect the safety and order of communities. Following decades of rising prison populations, however, U.S. policymakers are beginning to wonder if they have invested too much in punishment. Policies adopted in previous decades now incarcerate large numbers of Americans and impose considerable costs on states. Mass incarceration policies are costly and potentially iatrogenic—i.e., they may transform offenders into repeat offenders. Public officials and citizens alike often assume that known offenders pose a permanent risk of future offending. This belief entangles millions of offenders in the justice system for life, with …

Denormalizing Violence: Evaluation Framework For A Public Health Model Of Violence Prevention, Jeffrey A. Butts, Lindsay Bostwick, Jeremy Porter

Publications and Research

John Jay College's Research and Evaluation Center evaluated the effectiveness of the Cure Violence approach to violence reduction. Between April 2013 and February 2014, researchers began the project by visiting Cure Violence sites in New York City and Chicago, the home base for Cure Violence. The research team observed the program's operation and assessed the model's suitability for detailed evaluation. The report addresses the operations of the Cure Violence model and how it differs from other approaches for reducing gun violence. It reviews the evidence underlying these models and proposes an agenda for future evaluation research.

Line Drawing: Raising The Minimum Age Of Criminal Court Jurisdiction In New York, Jeffrey A. Butts, John K. Roman

Publications and Research

This report was designed to inform New York's 2014 state commission on raising the age at which juveniles were charged as adults in New York courts. The report includes a review of existing evidence that supports raising the minimum age of criminal court jurisdiction in New York, describes the critical role economic consequences often play in such policy debates, and suggests how lawmakers should move forward by projecting the costs and benefits of reform transparently and objectively.

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 …

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.

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 …

Crime Drop Ii – Young People Are Leading The Newest Violent Crime Decline, Jeffrey A. Butts

Publications and Research

FBI crime data show that young people contributed a large share to the declining rate of violent crime in the United States. By 2011, the youth violent crime rate had dropped 60 percent since its peak in 1994. The databit shows the rate of violent crime between 1994-2004 and 2006-2011 for youth under age 18, 18-24, and 25 and older.

Is The Decline In Juvenile Incarceration Due To Reform Or Falling Crime Rates?, Jeffrey A. Butts

Publications and Research

FBI crime data show a decline in juvenile incarceration while placement patterns have not changed since 1995. The per capita youth incarceration in 2010 was more than 40 percent lower than in 1995. This databit shows the rate of juvenile crime since 1995, how incarceration trends mirror arrests and referrals, and juvenile placement patterns.

Youth Development Through Service: A Quality Assessment Of The Youthbuild Americorps Program, Kathleen A. Tomberg

Publications and Research

The YouthBuild AmeriCorps program serves youth facing a multitude of challenges, including a lack of education and job skills, community disengagement, and economic disadvantage. This program assessment found that after engaging with the YouthBuild AmeriCorps model, participants made significant, positive changes in their outlook on service, personal responsibility, and community orientation. More specifically, after participating in the program, they deepened their personal commitments to service, began to develop a sense of personal worth and reliability, became more connected with their communities, and started to develop more trust in larger social institutions. These encouraging findings suggest that YouthBuild AmeriCorps is succeeding …

Teaming Up For Safer Cities: A Report From The Implementation Assessment Of The National Forum On Youth Violence Prevention (2012), Jeffrey A. Butts, Caterina Gouvis Roman, Kathleen A. Tomberg

Publications and Research

The efforts inspired by the National Forum on Youth Violence Prevention will take time to develop, but survey results from the first 15 months of implementation suggest that the initiative may be generating some important changes. In five communities, survey respondents report a number of potentially valuable improvements. The results imply that the cities involved in the National Forum may be increasing opportunities for youth and improving the extent to which violence prevention approaches draw upon the perspectives and expertise of a broad range of community members. There are also indications that some cities are developing better overall capacity to …

Violent Youth Crime Plummets To A 30-Year Low, Jeffrey A. Butts

Publications and Research

FBI crime data show a considerable drop in violent youth crimes between 2010 and 2011, with arrests for murder and nonnegligent manslaughter dropping 20 percent in one year. Violent crime arrest rates in 2011 were 30 percent lower than in 2008. This databit shows the percent change in violent offenses charged against youth under 18 between 2010 and 2011 and the youth violent crime rate since 1981.

Homicide By Neighborhood: Mapping New York City’S Violent Crime Drop, Preeti Chauhan, Lauren Kois

Publications and Research

Researchers, scholars, and policymakers interested in the falling rate of violent crime in New York City (NYC) have attempted to pinpoint causes of the welcome trend. Discovering the causes of the city’s crime drop may lead to important lessons for the city itself and may influence policy and practice throughout the state, nation, and perhaps other countries. Researchers have suggested a host of mechanisms that may explain the dramatic decline in violence, but two factors—misdemeanor policing and the transformation of drug markets—continue to receive the most attention. This report focuses on these factors in relation to gun-related homicide rates. It …

Less Serious Offenses Account For 90 Percent Of The Growth In Juvenile Placements, Jeffrey A. Butts

Publications and Research

The largest increases in juvenile placements were seen in cases involving obstruction of justice, simple assault, drug law violations, vandalism, and disorderly conduct. This databit looks at the percentage and change in placement cases for juveniles from 1985 to 2008.

Mental Health And Drug Disorders Less Common At Early Stages Of Juvenile Justice, Jeffrey A. Butts

Publications and Research

Youth in the juvenile justice system are at a higher risk for mental health disorders and substance abuse problems, but these differences in risk are often misunderstood. This databit looks at the prevalence of mental health and substance abuse and makes recommendations for early intervention and prevention programs.

Violent Crime Rates Continue To Fall Among Juveniles And Young Adults, Jeffrey A. Butts

Publications and Research

Violent crime (murder, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault based on the FBI Violent Crime Index) declined per capita for ages 10 – 17 after 2004. This databit looks at the arrest rates for these four offenses between 1994 and 2004.

Transfer Of Juveniles To Criminal Court Is Not Correlated With Falling Youth Violence, Jeffrey A. Butts

Publications and Research

Though it may seem that transferring youth to criminal court should lower youth violent crime, this analysis shows no relationship. This databit looks at the transfer rate and violent crime declines in the six states that reported juvenile arrests to the FBI.

School Crime Has Declined Sharply Since The 1990'S, Jeffrey A. Butts

Publications and Research

Between 1994 to 2010, the rate of violent victimizations at American schools dropped, with a sharp fall after 1994. This databit looks at property and violent crimes in schools from the early 1990s to 2010.

Could Focused Deterrence Strategies Reduce Drug-Related Violence In Mexico?, Douglas N. Evans

Publications and Research

Drug-related killings in Mexico have reached frightening proportions. This databit summarizes recommendations by Professor Mark Kleiman and analyzes drug-related murders in the Federal States of Mexico compared to total murders in U.S jurisdictions of comparable size.

Recent Increases In Drug Arrests Were For Possession, Not Sales, Jeffrey A. Butts

Publications and Research

Between 1991 and 2006, arrests for drug sales and manufacturing dropped while arrests for possession grew, with the largest growth seen in youth under 18. This databit looks at drug-related arrests for youth under 18, young adults 18 – 24, and adults 25 and older.

As Serious Juvenile Crime Declined, Police Made More Arrests For Less Serious Offenses, Jeffrey A. Butts

Publications and Research

Arrests by law enforcement for youth under 18 reached a 30-year low in 2012. Arrests for the eight serious offenses included in the FBI crime index decreased by almost half from 1995 to 2010. This databit looks at juvenile arrests in total and by offense from 1980 to 2010.

Phenomenological Theories Of Crime, Peter K. Manning, Michael W. Raphael

Graduate Student Publications and Research

The distinctive aspect of phenomenological theories of crime is that they are based upon a stated epistemology: how things are known and a specific ontology—the nature of social reality. This specificity aligns itself with neo-Kantian concern with forms of knowing, interpretation, and meaning, as well as with 20th-century concern with perception, cognition, and the framing of events. While there are influences of phenomenological thinking on varieties of theorizing, such as symbolic interactionism, critical theory, queer theory, and gender-based theories of crime, these ideas are refractions and are inconsistent in their reference to and understanding of the foundational phenomenological works. A …

A Few Thoughts On Evidence In Social Work, Gary Holden, Ellen Tuchman, Kathleen Barker, Gary Rosenberg, May, Sofie Kuppens, Katie Watson

Publications and Research

Social work practitioners must act every working day in the face of uncertainty. This uncertainty arises in part because knowledge is often difficult to locate or sometimes lacking regarding: the systems context the population being served; the particular client system; the set of problems the client system is experiencing; as well as the various interventions that could be selected. It seems reasonable to explore ways to reduce the experience of uncertainty, and narrow, if not eliminate, the knowledge gaps that arise in such situations. The generic idea of evidence based practice has been advanced for some time as an approach …

Experiences With Infant Mortality As Reported By Middle Class Black Women In Their Own Words, Lisa Paisley-Cleveland

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Black Middle-Class Women and Pregnancy Loss: A Qualitative Inquiry is the first qualitative research case study of its kind on Black Infant Mortality (BIM) to focus on a target group of black American-born middle-class professional married women who have all lived through the experience of infant loss. This target group allows Lisa Paisley-Cleveland to examine the BIM phenomenon outside the poverty paradigm and issues attached to teenage pregnancy, as well as to explore contributing factors attached to the persistent black and white disparity in infant mortality rates, which according to CDC’s January 2013 report are 12.40 and 5.35 respectively.

This …