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Theories Of Crime : A Reader, Claire Renzetti, Daniel Curran, Patrick Carr

Daniel J. Curran

This reader contains excerpts from criminologists' writings on many of the most recent sociological, biological, and psychological theories of crime.

Editors Renzetti, Curran, and Carr have compiled one of the most thorough books on the market in terms of presenting diverse theoretical perspectives. They offer introductions to each theory, briefly outlining the theory's strengths and weaknesses, and provide a set of discussion questions at the end of each theory. Excerpted readings were chosen for their accessibility to all students.

(Description from Google Books)

Decriminalized Prostitution In Rhode Island: Impunity For Violence And Exploitation, Donna M. Hughes Dr., Melanie Shapiro Esq

Donna M. Hughes

For 29 years (1980 to 2009) prostitution was decriminalized in Rhode Island. Lack of laws or regulations created a permissive legal, economic and cultural environment for the growth of sex businesses. During this time, sexual exploitation and violence against women and girls were integrated into the economic development of urban areas. The number of sex businesses grew rapidly during this period. Organized crime groups operated brothels and extorted money from adult entertainment businesses. Rhode Island became a destination for pimps, traffickers, and other violent criminals. The lack of laws impeded police from investigating serious crimes.

The College Student Identity And Time Use As Determinants Of Student Drinking Behavior, Katherine Novak

Katherine B. Novak

Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Midwest Sociological Society, Omaha, NE, April 3-6, 2014.

Journalism In A Pr World, Michael I. Niman Ph.D.

Michael I Niman Ph.D.

Mike Niman discusses the future of journalism in a PR-dominated communication environment. In particular, he examines the migration of talent from journalism to the PR industry, the collapse of mainstream journalism and the role of an emergent alternative media as American journalism goes through metamorphosis from what it was to what it could become. Journalism is a social good that should equip people to understand and resist spin. Niman argues that mainstream American journalism, rather than rising to this challenge, has transparently succumbed to serving as an arm of the corporate PR industry, thus laying the groundwork for its own …

Human Trafficking And Gangs: Have We Gendered These Social Problems?, Sherrie Steiner

Sherrie M Steiner

No abstract provided.

Gestalt Of A Group, Rodger E. Broome Phd

Rodger E. Broome

In the recent past, we have seen news reports in the media regarding police response to group activities like the Occupy Movement. Protests are often couched by their participants as Gandhi-Style ordeals and, by purpose and intention, perhaps that is their original design. The peaceful protesters that desire to sit-in merely to be present or be a bother also become the prey of some of the bad elements in society. So they legitimately need police protection. On the other hand, there are also those who may arrive or are in the design, to incite the crowd to commit acts of …

Building Democracy In Japan, Mary Alice Haddad

Mary Alice Haddad

How is democracy made real? How does an undemocratic country create new institutions and transform its polity such that democratic values and practices become integral parts of its political culture? These are some of the most pressing questions of our times, and they are the central inquiry of Building Democracy in Japan. Using the Japanese experience as starting point, this book develops a new approach to the study of democratization that examines state-society interactions as a country adjusts its existing political culture to accommodate new democratic values, institutions and practices. With reference to the country's history, the book focuses on …

The Impact Of Adolescent Gang Membership In Involvement In Intimate Partner Violence In Adulthood, Sarah J. Greenman, Timothy O. Ireland

Sarah Greenman

No abstract provided.

Nonsocial Versus Social Reinforcers Contrasting Theoretical Perspectives On Repetitive Serious Delinquency And Drug Use, David May, Jennifer Stevens, Nancy Rice, G. Jarjoura

David May

A wide variety of theoretical perspectives demonstrate an association with delinquency. Recently, a number of researchers have sought to integrate these theories into developmental models by which they explain different types of delinquency at different phases in the life-course. Using data from approximately 800 delinquents incarcerated in a Midwestern state, the authors continue those efforts by examining the association between delinquency and both nonsocial and social reinforcers over time. Their findings suggest that youth may begin their involvement in delinquency in pursuit of intrinsic gratification but continue that involvement because of the external gratification they receive from their peers. Implications …

The Place Of Law: The Role And Limits Of Law In Society, Larry Barnett

Larry D Barnett

The Place of Law addresses two questions that are critical to understanding law. Why is law an evidently universal, enduring institution in modern societies? And why do the concepts and doctrines of law differ between jurisdictions (states or nations) at one point in time and vary within a jurisdiction over time? In this stimulating volume, Barnett suggests answers to these questions, and in doing so, he challenges popular assumptions regarding law in structurally complex, technologically advanced, democratic societies. In particular, Barnett questions the assumption that social behaviors central to such societies are effectively controlled by law and the assumption that …

Predicting Online Harassment Victimization Among A Juvenile Population, David May, Adam Bossler, Thomas Holt

David May

Online harassment can consist of threatening, worrisome, emotionally hurtful, or sexual messages delivered via an electronic medium that can lead victims to feel fear or distress much like real-world harassment and stalking. This activity is especially prevalent among middle and high school populations who frequently use technology as a means to communicate with others. Little is known, however, whether factors linked to computer crime victimization in college samples have the same influence in juvenile populations. The article discusses a study conducted utilizing a routine-activities framework that explored the online harassment experiences among middle and high school students and recruited 434 …

Responses To Scenarios That May Provoke Acts Of Conflict And Aggression Among The General Public: An Exploratory Study, David May, Nathan Lowe

David May

The purpose of this article is to use empirical research and theory to investigate the context that may provoke individuals to engage in acts of conflict and aggression. A random sample of the general public from a midsouthern state was surveyed to explore this inquiry. Respondents were asked to indicate their level of reaction to a number of situations that often lead people to engage in conflict and/or aggression with other people. Several sociodemographic factors served as control variables in the study. The findings of the Pearson product—moment correlations suggest that respondents were more likely to report that they would …

Examining The Effect Of Correctional Programming On Perceptions Of Likelihood Of Recidivism Among Incarcerated Prisoners, David May, Timequa Brown

David May

For many years, policymakers and criminal justice scholars have debated the impact of correctional programming on recidivism. This debate is currently unresolved. Using data from 1,234 currently incarcerated inmates in a mid-Southern state, this study examines whether inmates who participate in correctional programming while incarcerated are less likely to feel that they will recidivate upon release from prison. The findings from this research suggest that program participation while in prison has little impact on the inmates’ perceived recidivism, although important programming effects may still occur. Policy implications and directions for future research are discussed.

Predictors Of Engagement In Acts Of Conflict And Aggression Among The General Public., David May, Nathan Lowe

David May

The purpose of this article is to use empirical research and theory to investigate the context that may provoke individuals to engage in acts of conflict and aggression. A random sample of the general public from a midsouthern state was surveyed to explore this inquiry. Respondents were asked to indicate their level of reaction to a number of situations that often lead people to engage in conflict and/or aggression with other people. Several sociodemographic factors served as control variables in the study. The findings of the Pearson product–moment correlations suggest that respondents were more likely to report that they would …

Tax The Rich, Michael I. Niman Ph.D.

Michael I Niman Ph.D.

No abstract provided.

Lived Experience As An Emergency Responder, Rodger E. Broome

Rodger E. Broome

A non-reductive approach to inquiry of the emergency responders' life-worlds.

Our March Toward Intolerance, Michael I. Niman Ph.D.

Michael I Niman Ph.D.

No abstract provided.

A Gendered Assessment Of The "Threat Of Victimization", David May, Nicole Rader, Sarah Goodrum

David May

Rader has called for a change in how researchers study fear of crime, suggesting that fear of crime, perceptions of risk, and experiences with victimization are interrelated dimensions of the larger ‘‘threat of victimization’’ concept. In this study, the authors examine how each independent dimension affects additional theoretical dimensions of the ‘‘threat of victimization’’ and how these relationships vary by gender. Using data from residents of Kentucky, the authors estimate a series of multivariate linear and logistic regression models. The findings presented here suggest that gender differences do exist in the components of the threat of victimization and that many …

Increases In School Shootings: Reality Or Myth?, David May, Erin Kelley

David May

No abstract provided.

College Students' Crime-Related Fears On Campus: Are Fear-Provoking Cues Gendered?, David May, Bonnie Fisher

David May

Gender plays a central role in the study of crime-related fear as does the description of various fear-provoking cues in the environment. Despite the ever-growing body of crime-related fear research, few researchers have examined which fear-provoking cues, if any, are gendered. Using a large sample of undergraduates from a public university, this article explores the gendered nature of fear-provoking cues and crime-related fears while on campus. Bivariate and multivariate results suggest that fear-provoking cues are not gendered for fear of larceny-theft or fear of assault. These results inform the fear of crime research on a number of dimensions and have …

Of Guilt, Defiance, And Repentance: Evidence From The Texas Death Chamber, Danielle Dirks, S.K. Rice, J.J. Exline

Danielle Dirks

No abstract provided.

Theoretical And Contextual Predictors Of Perceptions Of Criminal Justice Agents Among Juvenile Offenders, David May, Daniel Phillips, Elissa Johnson

David May

No abstract provided.

Examining Theoretical Predicators Of Substance Use Among A Sample Of Incarcerated Youth, David May, Kelly Cooper, Irina Soderstrom, G. Jarjoura

David May

A wide variety of theoretical perspectives have been found to have an association with substance abuse. Most of these studies use data from samples of public school students and thus capture only part of the youth population. Using data from approximately 800 delinquents incarcerated in a Midwestern state, we examine the association between attitudes about drug and alcohol use and use of drugs and four theoretical perspectives: nonsocial reinforcement theory, social learning theory, social control theory, and strain theory. Our findings suggest that nonsocial reinforcement is the best predictor of both preference for and use of illegal substances among this …

Routine Activities As Determinants Of Gender Differences In Delinquency, Katherine Novak

Katherine B. Novak

Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association, Boston, MA, August 1-4, 2008.

The Lesser Of Two Evils? A Qualitative Study Of Offenders' Preferences For Prison Compared To Alternatives, David May, Alisha Williams, Peter Wood

David May

Recent work has demonstrated that many offenders will choose to serve prison rather than any amount of a community-based sanction. This primarily quantitative research has found that offender-generated exchange rates are influenced by a wide variety of experiences and characteristics. Missing from this literature is a qualitative evaluation of why offenders might make this choice. We present qualitative data from 618 probationers and parolees to explain why those who have experienced imprisonment are less willing to serve community sanctions than their counterparts, and more willing to serve prison. Results hold implications for deterrence, recidivism, rehabilitation, and correctional policy issues.

Offenders, Judges, And Officers Rate The Relative Severity Of Alternative Sanctions Compared To Prison, David May, Nathan Moore, Peter Wood

David May

Recent work suggests that offenders rate several alternatives as more severe than imprisonment. We build on this literature by comparing punishment exchange rates generated by criminal court judges with rates generated by offenders and their supervising officers. Findings reveal that none of the three groups rates prison as the most severe sanction and judges and officers rate alternatives as significantly less severe than offenders. Offenders are generally willing to serve less of each alternative to avoid imprisonment than judges or officers. Serving correctional sanctions thus appears to reduce the perceived severity of imprisonment and increase the perceived severity of alternatives.

Dealing With Misbehavior At Schools In Kentucky: Theoretical And Contextual Predicators Of Use Of Corporal Punishment, David May, Timothy Mcclure

David May

To test and compare theoretical explanations of the use of corporal punishment in school, the authors examine how well county-level measures of culture, socioeconomic strain, and social capital predict the prevalence and incidence of corporal punishment in Kentucky schools. Although several variables are significantly correlated with corporal punishment use, multivariate regression analyses reveal that high socioeconomic strain and low levels of social capital are the best predictors of (a) the prevalence of corporal punishment in a county’s public school system(s) and (b) a high incidence of corporal punishment in those counties where it is practiced. Explanations and practical implications of …

How Do Inmates Perceive Jail Conditions?: A View From Jail Administrators, David May, Rick Ruddell, Peter Wood

David May

Focuses on a study conducted which examines the perceptions of jail administrators about the hardships in jail incarceration. It is found that inmates view jail to be more punitive than prison. Further, it is noted that jail administrators have observed that often an inmate would prefer to be in a jail that is close to his family.

Student Weapon Possession And The “Fear And Victimization Hypothesis”: Unraveling The Temporal Order., David May, Pamela Wilcox, Staci Roberts

David May

Using longitudinal data from nearly 4,000 students across 113 public schools in Kentucky, we attempt to unravel the direction of the relationships between student weapon carrying and various objective and subjective school‐crime experiences, including victimization, perceived risk of school victimization, and fear of school victimization. Overall, we found little support for the idea that fear and victimization increase weapon carrying, controlling for other theoretically important predictors, including delinquent offending. While 7th‐grade victimization was modestly associated with increased non‐gun weapon carrying in 8th grade, high perceptions of individual victimization risk in 7th grade decreased both subsequent gun and non‐gun weapon carrying. …

Forms Of Exclusion: Racism And Community Policing In Canada, David Baker

David N Baker

No abstract provided.