Criminology Commons^™

Reliability Matters: Reassociating Bagley Materiality, Strickland Prejudice, And Cumulative Harmless Error, John H. Blume, Christopher Seeds

John H. Blume

No abstract provided.

Crime As The Limit Of Culture, Sergio Tonkonoff

Sergio Tonkonoff

In this article culture is understood as the ensemble of systems of classification, assessment, and interaction that establishes a basic community of values in a given social field. We will argue that this is made possible through the institution of fundamental prohibitions understood as mythical points of closure that set the last frontiers of that community by designating what crime is. Exploring these theses, we will see that criminal transgression may be thought of as the actualization of a rigorous otherness. This otherness, however, is nothing but the culture itself in its extreme vectors, its contradictions, and residues. From there …

Loyalty's Reward — A Felony Conviction: Recent Prosecutions Of High-Status Female Offenders, Michelle S. Jacobs

Michelle S Jacobs

Between 2001 and 2004, six high-status women were charged with crimes in connection with corporate criminal cases. The public is familiar with some of them, although not all of their cases have been covered equally in the press. With the exception of an occasional article now and then mentioning the exploding rates of female incarceration, women's crime tends to be invisible to the public eye. The statistical data the government collects and analyzes on women and crime will be discussed. This article will focus on the prosecution of the individual cases of Lea Fastow, Betty Vinson, and Martha Stewart. Their …

Federal Civil Rights Litigation Pursuant To 42 U.S.C. §1983 As A Correlate Of Police Misconduct, Philip M. Stinson, Steven L. Brewer Jr, Theresa M. Lanese, Mallorie A. Wilson

Philip M Stinson

Police officers acting in their official capacity are subject to being sued in federal court pursuant to 42 U.S.C. §1983 for violating constitutional rights under the color of law. Using data obtained in a larger study on police crime in the United States, names of more than 5,500 nonfederal sworn law enforcement officers who were arrested during the years 2005-2011 were checked against the civil case party master name index of the federal courts’ Public Access to Courts Electronic Records (PACER) system. Findings indicate that more than 20% of the police officers who were arrested for committing one or more …

Police Crime Arrests In The United States, 2011, Philip M. Stinson, Evin J. Carmack, Jacob M. Frankhouser, Mallorie A. Wilson

Philip M Stinson

Purpose – The purpose of the study is to provide empirical data on cases of police crime arrests during the year 2011. The study identifies and describes incidents in which nonfederal sworn law enforcement officers were arrested for one or more criminal offenses.

Research Design & Method – The study is a quantitative content analysis of news articles identified through the Google News search engine using 48 automated Google Alerts queries. The unit of analysis in this study is criminal arrest case (not individual arrested officer).

Intercoder Reliability – The Krippendorf’s alpha coefficient is strong (Krippendorf’s α = .9153) across …

Humane Punishment For Seriously Disordered Offenders: Sentencing Departures And Judicial Control Over Conditions Of Confinement, E. Lea Johnston

E. Lea Johnston

At sentencing, a judge may foresee that an individual with a major mental disorder will experience serious psychological or physical harm in prison. In light of this reality and offenders’ other potential vulnerabilities, a number of jurisdictions currently allow judges to treat undue offender hardship as a mitigating factor at sentencing. In these jurisdictions, vulnerability to harm may militate toward an order of probation or a reduced term of confinement. Since these measures do not affect offenders’ day-to-day experience in confinement, these expressions of mitigation fail to protect adequately those vulnerable offenders who must serve time in prison. This Article …

Vulnerability And Just Desert: A Theory Of Sentencing And Mental Illness, E. Lea Johnston

E. Lea Johnston

This Article analyzes risks of serious harms posed to prisoners with major mental disorders and investigates their import for sentencing under a just deserts analysis. Drawing upon social science research, the Article first establishes that offenders with serious mental illnesses are more likely than non-ill offenders to suffer physical and sexual assaults, endure housing in solitary confinement, and experience psychological deterioration during their carceral terms. The Article then explores the significance of this differential impact for sentencing within a retributive framework. It first suggests a particular expressive understanding of punishment, capacious enough to encompass foreseeable, substantial risks of serious harm …

The Persistence Of Slavery In Rhode Island: Human Trafficking In The Ocean State (Abtract, Peer-Reviewed), Donna M. Hughes Dr., Rachel Dunham, Lucy Tillman, Faith Skodmin, Jessica Wainfor

Donna M. Hughes

This panel will discuss the persistence of slavery in the form of human trafficking in Rhode Island. To address modern-day slavery-like practices, the U.S. passed the Trafficking Victims Protection Act in 2000 and Rhode Island passed the Trafficking of Persons and Involuntary Servitude Act in 2009. Both state and federal anti-human trafficking laws identify two types of human trafficking: forced labor and sex trafficking.

This panel will present the findings of original research done by the five authors during the Spring 2014 on human trafficking cases in Rhode Island from 2009-2013. Sources for analysis of these cases include: police reports, …

Presentation, The Persistence Of Slavery In Rhode Island: Human Trafficking In The Ocean State, Donna M. Hughes Dr., Rachel Dunham, Lucy Tillman

Donna M. Hughes

No abstract provided.

Confessions And Culture: The Interaction Of Miranda And Diversity, Floralynn Einesman

Floralynn Einesman

No abstract provided.

Analysis Of Human Trafficking Cases In Rhode Island, 2009-2013 (Abstract, Peer Reviewed), Donna M. Hughes Dr., Rachel Dunham, Faith Skodmin, Lucy Tillman, Jessica Wainfor

Donna M. Hughes

Present an analysis of seven state and federal cases of human trafficking, including forced labor and sex trafficking, in Rhode Island from 2009 until 2013. In 2009, Rhode Island passed a comprehensive human trafficking law. Since then there have been six cases of sex trafficking and one case of forced labor. Sources for information on the human trafficking cases were police reports, witness statements, court documents and media reports. This presentation will briefly summarize the cases and discuss the similarities and difference among the cases and discuss of some key findings from these cases, which include:

1) Victims were trafficked …

Presentation, Analysis Of Human Trafficking Cases In Rhode Island, 2009-2013 (Powerpoint), Donna M. Hughes Dr., Faith Skodmin, Rachel Dunham

Donna M. Hughes

No abstract provided.

Reconstructing The Criminal Defenses: The Significance Of Justification, Thomas Morawetz

Thomas H. Morawetz

No abstract provided.

Annotated Bibliography: Cruelty To Animals And Violence To Humans (1998-2013), Erich Yahner

Erich Yahner

No abstract provided.

Routine Activities As Determinants Of Gender Differences In Delinquency, Katherine B. Novak, Lizabeth A. Crawford

Katherine B. Novak

This study examined the extent to which gender differences in delinquency can be explained by gender differences in participation in, or response to, various routine activity patterns (RAPs) using data from the second and third waves of the National Education Longitudinal Survey of 1988. While differential participation in routine activities by gender failed to explain males’ high levels of deviance relative to females, two early RAPs moderated the effect of gender on subsequent deviant behavior. Participation in religious and community activities during the sophomore year in high school decreased, while unstructured and unsupervised peer interaction increased, levels of delinquency two …

Parent-Child Relations And Peer Associations As Mediators Of The Family Structure-Substance Use Relationship, Lizabeth A. Crawford, Katherine B. Novak

Katherine B. Novak

Using data from the National Education Longitudinal Survey of 1988, the authors assess the extent to which adolescents’ levels of parental attachment and opportunities for participating in delinquent activities mediate the family structure–substance use relationship. A series of hierarchical regressions supported the hypotheses that high levels of substance use among adolescents residing with stepfamilies would be explained by low parental attachment, whereas heightened opportunities for participating in deviant activities would account for the substance use behaviors of individuals living in single-parent households. More generally, the findings suggest that family structure has a moderate effect on youth substance use; that parental …

Interview With Dr. Peter Kraska [Video], Peter Kraska

Peter Kraska

Dr. Peter Kraska, Professor in the Department of Criminal Justice and Police Studies, also coordinates the graduate program in that department. He has published numerous books and journal articles since coming to EKU in 1994. His scholarship has most recently focused on developing criminal justice theory and examining trends in crime control. He continues to pursue his interest in the blurring of U.S. military and police forces, particularly in light of recent terrorist activities. This work has been featured heavily in the media, including news pieces featuring his research in The Economist, Washington Post, New York Times, National Public Radio, …

Attitude Structures Of Different Ethnic And Age Groups Concerning Police, Peggy Sullivan, Roger Dunham, Geoffrey Alpert

Roger G. Dunham Dr.

No abstract provided.

Policing: Continuity And Change, Geoffrey P. Alpert, Roger G. Dunham, Meghan S. Stroshine

Roger G. Dunham Dr.

Building on the successful foundation of Policing Urban America, the authors have collaborated on this concise text to offer readers a solid overview of police work today. Policing: Continuity and Change combines theory, research, policy, and practical experience in a very readable presentation of the current context of policing. Readers can track the evolution of policing from its origins in London through possibilities for the future, as the police respond to demands for accountability and learn to utilize technology to their advantage. Discussions about recruitment, socialization, and organization delineate who the police are and what they do. The text emphasizes …

Neighborhood Differences In Attitudes Toward Policing: Evidence For A Mixed-Strategy Model Of Policing In A Multi-Ethnic Setting, Roger G. Dunham, Geoffrey P. Alpert

Roger G. Dunham Dr.

No abstract provided.

Flawed Analysis Of Prostitution In Rhode Island, Donna M. Hughes Dr., Margaret Brooks

Donna M. Hughes

Policing: Continuity And Change, Geoffrey Alpert, Roger Dunham, Meghan Stroshine

Meghan Stroshine

Building on the successful foundation of Policing Urban America, the authors have collaborated on this concise text to offer readers a solid overview of police work today. Policing: Continuity and Change combines theory, research, policy, and practical experience in a very readable presentation of the current context of policing. Readers can track the evolution of policing from its origins in London through possibilities for the future, as the police respond to demands for accountability and learn to utilize technology to their advantage. Discussions about recruitment, socialization, and organization delineate who the police are and what they do. The text …

Your Friends And Neighbors: Localized Economic Development And Criminal Activity [Working Paper Version], Matthew Freedman, Emily Owens

Matthew Freedman

We exploit a sudden shock to demand for a subset of low-wage workers generated by the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) program in San Antonio, Texas to identify the effects of localized economic development on crime. We use a difference-in-differences methodology that takes advantage of variation in BRAC’s impact over time and across neighborhoods. We find that appropriative criminal behavior increases in neighborhoods where a fraction of residents experienced increases in earnings. This effect is driven by residents who were unlikely to be BRAC beneficiaries, implying that criminal opportunities are important in explaining patterns of crime.

The published version …

Peering Into The Black Box: The Criminal Justice System's Response To Gun-Related Felonies In St. Louis, Richard Rosenfeld, Joshua Williams, Gregg Horton, David Mueller

Richard Rosenfeld

No abstract provided.

“I’Ve Got Better Things To Worry About”: Police Perceptions Of Graffiti And Street Art In A Large Mid-Atlantic City, Jeffrey Ian Ross Ph.D.

Jeffrey Ian Ross Ph.D.

The majority of scholarly research on graffiti and street art has examined this phe- nomenon in terms of its distribution and the nature of the perpetrators. Rarely has the law enforcement response been investigated. To better understand this neglected aspect, the investigators constructed a survey that they administered to a sample of officers in a large Mid-Atlantic police department to determine their attitudes, in particular their perceptions, regarding graffiti, street art, and perpetrators of this behavior. The survey takes into consideration important police-related variables and situational factors to provide a portrait of officer perceptions. The major finding indicates that the …

A Comparison Of Police Processing Reports For Juvenile Graffiti Offenders: Societal Implications, Myra Taylor, Umneea Khan

Myra F Taylor

This paper reports on a Western Australian Police database investigation into gender, age and offence type differences in the processing reports recorded for 1060 juvenile graffiti offenders. The findings reveal no significant differences exist in the processing reports recorded for male and female juvenile offenders. However, the recorded offences committed by 10–12 year old preteen offenders differ significantly from those of 13–14 year old early adolescent and 15–17 year old late adolescent offenders. In light of these differences, the possibility of affording greater processing discretionary powers to Police when dealing with preteen graffiti offenders is discussed.

Hanging With The Hoodies: Towards An Understanding Of The Territorial Tagging Practices Of Prolific Graffiti Writers Seeking An Adolescent Non-Conforming Social Identity, Myra Taylor

Myra F Taylor

Tagging, the unsolicited rendition of a graffiti writer’s street name on someone else’s property, is typically committed by adolescents aged 12-17 years seeking a deviant non-conforming social identity. While graffiti involvement places prolific writers on a trajectory towards more serious criminal offending, little is known about their tagging practices. To address this knowledge shortfall, an examination was conducted of 1,462 graffiti report forms completed by removalists prior to removing graffiti written in an inner city area of Perth, Western Australia over a three month period. Frequency distribution analysis revealed that while 759 individuals collectively wrote 2,729 tags, just 16 prolific …

Parent-Child Relations And Offending During Young Adulthood, Wendy Johnson, Peggy Giordano, Wendy Manning, Monica Longmore

Wendy Manning

There is a long tradition of studying parent-child relationships and adolescent delinquency. However, the association between parent-child relationships and criminal offending during young adulthood is less well understood. Although the developmental tasks of young adulthood tend to focus on intimate relationships, employment, and family formation, the parent-child bond persists over the life course and likely continues to inform and shape behavior beyond adolescence. Using data from the Toledo Adolescent Relationships Study (TARS), the influence of parental involvement on patterns of offending among respondents interviewed first as adolescents (mean age of 15 years), and later as young adults (mean age of …

Gabriel Tarde: Crime As Social Excess, Sergio Tonkonoff

Sergio Tonkonoff

Gabriel Tarde, along with Durkheim and others, set the foundations for what is today a common-sense statement in social science: crime is a social phenomenon. However, the questions about what social is and what kind of social phenomenon crime is remain alive. Tarde’s writings have answers for both of these capital and interdependent problems and serve to renew our view of them. The aim of this article is to reconstruct Tarde’s definition of crime in terms of genus and specific difference, exploring his criminology as a case of his general sociology. This procedure shows that Tarde succeeded in creating a …

Your Friends And Neighbors: Localized Economic Development And Criminal Activity, Matthew Freedman, Emily Owens

Matthew Freedman

We exploit a sudden shock to demand for a subset of low-wage workers generated by the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) program in San Antonio, Texas to identify the effects of localized economic development on crime. We use a difference-in-difference methodology that takes advantage of variation in BRAC’s impact over time and across neighborhoods. We find that appropriative criminal behavior increases in neighborhoods where a fraction of residents experienced increases in earnings. This effect is driven by residents who were unlikely to be BRAC beneficiaries, implying that criminal opportunities are important in explaining patterns of crime.

Forthcoming in the …