Social Control, Law, Crime, and Deviance Commons^™

A Bloody Tradition: Ethnic Cleansing In World War Ii Yugoslavia, Paul Bookbinder

New England Journal of Public Policy

When World War II began, a climate for mass violence already existed. The author examines the history of ethnic cleansing, cultural cleansing, mass murder, and genocide in Yugoslavia – Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia-Hertzegovena, and Kosovo – and finds that the historical atrocities are alive in active memory today. With a new awareness of the consequences of ethnic hatred, people can study their own histories cleansed of myth and nationalist delusions so that wars that unleash ethnic violence can be stopped before these excesses erupt.

Law And Society Studies And Legal Education, Vincenzo Ferrari

Journal of Legal Education

No abstract provided.

Genocide: What Do We Want It To Be?, Alan A. Ryan Jr.

New England Journal of Public Policy

The definition of genocide in the Genocide Convention has been universally accepted, in the statutes of the ad hoc international tribunals and the International Criminal Court, but it conceals a host of ambiguities. Sociologists, political scientists, and others have not devised any legally adequate substitute. This article proposes a non-linear definition of genocide, that is, a definition that takes into account the presence or absence of several factors, rather than one that attempts to generalize the crime of genocide. It disregards the motives or objectives of the perpetrator, sheds the secondary phenomena that often accompany genocide (such as dehumanization of …

Peace-Building In An Inseparable World, Jonathan Moore

New England Journal of Public Policy

Our world is increasingly divided between the haves and the have nots, and the gap between these two is growing. Despite this, with all of its riches, the United States remains disconnected. A poor country in the aftermath of war is a microcosm of the world at large. Given the prodigious problems of the failed and failing nations discussed here -- Afghanistan, Cambodia, East Timor, Haiti, Iraq, Kosovo, Mozambique, Rwanda, Sri Lanka, Somalia -- the tendency is to deny the enormity of the task and to treat the problem superficially and peremptorily rather than to attack its root causes. The …

Inside Unlv, Lanelda Rolley, Shane Bevell, Carol C. Harter, Lanelda Rolley, Mamie Peers, Diane Russell

Inside UNLV

No abstract provided.

Gender Based Violence In Jordan: Domestic Violence And Honor Crimes, Danielle M. Becknell

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper analyzes the social, psychological, religious, and legal interactions of gender-based violence that manifest themselves within the Jordanian society in various ways. Honor crimes are the ultimate manifestation of this phenomenon in this culture, and as such cannot be separated from the society, gender-relations, or violence against women. Interviews with specialist within the field allow for a more in depth exploration of the topic.

Boys Will Be Boys: A Social Control Approach To Assessment Of Gender-Based Sentencing Disparity In Norfolk Circuit Court Cases, Fay F. Spence

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

This study evaluated the relationship between gender and sentencing severity for defendants convicted of violent crimes, victimless crimes, and theft crimes in Norfolk Circuit Court during 2001 and 2002. Based upon social control theories, the author hypothesized that women receive harsher penalties than men for violent crimes and victimless crimes, but that men receive harsher penalties for theft crimes. To test these hypotheses, the author relied, in part, upon data collected by the Norfolk Commonwealth Attorney's office on 3368 criminal cases filed in 2001 and concluded by May 22, 2002. After eliminating cases not pertinent to the study, the data …

A Small Town Drug Problem: The Socio-Economy Of Malindi’S Heroin-Using Population, Greg St. Arnold

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Research was conducted in Malindi focusing on the social and economic characteristics of heroin-users. A survey of users’ ages, employment, education level, future ambitions, family status, and attitudes towards rehabilitation was undertaken with the assistance of The Omari Project, a local non-governmental organization specializing in rehabilitation services. The findings reveal a community mired in the throes of poverty and unemployment, which exacerbates the community’s drug problem. Recommendations are offered suggesting how best to meet the economic and social challenges presented by the heroin-using community.

Democracy And Delinquency: An International Comparison Of Youth Violence Associated With Alternative Lifestyles, Beliefs, And Practices, Gordon A. Crews, Angela West Crews

Criminal Justice Faculty Research

This presentation discusses youth crime and violence within the context of evolving democracy. The focus is to compare Turkish juvenile crime to that experienced in the United States and the United Kingdom (e.g., extent, characteristics, causes, solutions, etc.). During the mid-to late 1990s, Turkey’s juvenile crime rate skyrocketed, although rates have decreased in recent years. Increases seen during the 1990’s may be a natural by-product of Turkey's historical efforts to become and maintain a democratic society, and part of the price Turkey has to pay to join the European Union. Juvenile crime (and other social problems, such as suicide) may …

Taking A Juvenile Into Custody: Situational Factors That Influence Police Officers' Decisions, Terrence T. Allen

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Situational factors that influence police officers decisions to take juveniles into custody were investigated. A cross-sectional self administered survey was conducted. Four-hundred and twenty-eight male and female police officers from six police districts in Cleveland Ohio completed and submitted a twenty-five item questionnaire. Using a logistic regression model the study identified: adolescents who disrespect police officers; adolescents who are out late at night; adolescent males; anyone looking suspicious; and the age of the police officer as the most significant predictors. This was an exploratory study that sought to investigate police/juvenile encounters from a street level situational perspective. The results provided …

Freedom Of Thought, Offensive Fantasies And The Fundamental Human Right To Hold Deviant Ideas: Why The Seventh Circuit Got It Wrong In Doe V. City Of Lafayette, Indiana, Clay Calvert

The University of New Hampshire Law Review

[Excerpt] “A precarious balance and considerable tension exists between two competing legal interests – the essential, First Amendment-grounded human right to freedom of thought, on the one hand, and the desire to prevent harm and injury that might occur if thought is converted to action, on the other. To understand this tension, it is useful to start by considering three different and disturbing factual scenarios.

This article examines and critiques the majority opinion of the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals in City of Lafayette. The majority held that the city’s ban of John Doe, a convicted sex offender, from its …

Evaluating Sex Offenders Under Sexually Violent Predator Laws: How Might Mental Health Professionals Conceptualize The Notion Of Volitional Impairment?, Cynthia Calkins Mercado, Robert F. Schopp, Brian H. Bornstein

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

This paper examines the significance of the Supreme Court’s Hendricks and Crane decisions, with focus given to how mental health professionals may conceptualize the notion of volitional impairment. The Hendricks decision authorized postsentence civil commitment for sex offenders having a mental abnormality or personality disorder, rendering them likely to engage in future acts of sexual violence. In the Supreme Court’s majority opinion, Justice Thomas implied that the Kansas Act was legitimized by limiting the class of offenders eligible for this specialized form of commitment to those who are “unable to control” their dangerousness. In Crane, the Court ruled that …

Horton The Elephant Is A Criminal: Using Dr. Seuss To Teach Social Process, Conflict, And Labeling Theory, Angela D. Crews

Criminal Justice Faculty Research

It is fairly well known that Theodor Geisel (“Dr. Seuss”) often used art and storytelling as political and social commentary, but no one has attempted to interpret his work through the lens of sociological/criminological theory. This paper argues that several of his tales can be used as aids in teaching the basic principles of many sociological/criminological theories. The author analyzes several of his works and uses one, Horton Hears a Who to illustrate his subtle but powerful commentary on the creation and application of laws, the impact of social stratification, the pervasive and dangerous influence of social and political power …

Book Review: Predators, Pedophiles, Rapists, And Other Sex Offenders By Anna Salter, Wendy A. Walsh

Sociology

No abstract provided.

Structures Of Violence: The Proliferation Of Atrocity Environments Under The Brazilian Military Government And The Bush Administration, Kara Martinez

Human Rights & Human Welfare

A review of:

Violence Workers: Police Torturers and Murderers Reconstruct Brazilian Atrocities by Martha K. Huggins, Mika Haritos- Fatouros, and Philip G. Zimbardo. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 2002. 293 pp.

The New Prosecution, Kay L. Levine

Faculty Articles

This Article proceeds as follows. Part I introduces the Statutory Rape Vertical Prosecution Program that took shape in California in the mid-1990s. In addition to explaining how this program emerged and its central features, I highlight the aspects of the SRVPP that distinguish California statutory rape prosecutors from the traditional image of the local prosecutor in the United States. Part II offers some background on the new prosecution and the problem-oriented approach to criminal justice, explaining how this model differs from the traditional crime-based or case-based method of criminal justice work. In Part III, I use empirical data derived from …

Delinquency And Gun Violence: The Intervening Role Of Values Toward Guns, Ryan E. Spohn

Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

The current research project examines the intervening role of values towards gun possession and gun use in predicting involvement of high school-aged males in general delinquency and gun-related delinquency. As the first step of the project, we examine the factors that influence the values that the youth have towards gun possession and gun use. The most important factors producing positive values towards guns are a need for protection, having friends who carry guns, being a gang member, and being a victim of a gun crime. In contrast, frequency of church attendance reduces such values. As the next step, we examined …

The Challenge Of Prison Overcrowding And Recidivism, Pearl Jacobs

Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

The state of Connecticut is currently dealing with a growing prison population. Ex-offenders face enormous obstacle trying to reconnect with society and get a job. They have no skills and lack a family support system.Their lack of preparation for successful reintegration into society places them at risk to become repeat offenders. Overcrowding in prisons produces individuals unable to cope or survive in free society.

Many of the recommendations of The Ex-Offender Employability Task Force of the State of Illinois relate to ex-offender employment and are worthy of consideration in employment programs in Connecticut.

We will have a safer and more …

Social Disorganization And The Ability And Willingness To Enact Control: A Preliminary Test, Ruth A. Triplett, Ivan Y. Sun, Randy R. Gainey

Sociology & Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

Dominant models in the social disorganization literature differentially focus on the ability of neighborhoods to enact social control and the willingness to do so. Despite the interest in both concepts, often no clear definition of either is provided, and there is little discussion of their relationship or how they interact to affect neighborhood crime rates. This paper begins to explore the relationship between ability and willingness to enact social control. The findings suggest that, for formal control, ability and willingness are closely related. Furthermore, at the aggregate level, concentrated disadvantage combined with perceived inability has a strong impact on neighborhood …

2005- 2008 Unlv Mcnair Journal, Valerie Avery, Shana Bachus, Karmen K. Boehlke, Andrea Flores, Alden Kelly, Erick Lopez, Carol Preussler, Heather Shay, Ava Bookatz, Shaun Elsasser, Veronica Hicks, Shaida A. Jetha, Anthony Quinn, Thurithabhani Seneviratne, Teddy Boado Sim Jr., Liza Ward, Amris Henry-Rodgers, Jacquelynn Kaaa-Logan, Jason Orozco, Juan C. Plata, Bonnie Bartlett, Kathleen Bell, Vacheral M. Carter, Nydia Diaz, Kimberly Hackstock, Julio A. Luna, Charles Mao, Sandra Ramos, Precious Rideout, Benjamin Lee Watrous, Chet R. Whitley

McNair Journal

Journal articles based on research conducted by undergraduate students in the McNair Scholars Program

Table of Contents

Biography of Dr. Ronald E. McNair

Statements:

Dr. Neal J. Smatresk, UNLV President

Dr. Juanita P. Fain, Vice President of Student Affairs

Dr. William W. Sullivan, Associate Vice President for Retention and Outreach

Mr. Keith Rogers, Deputy Executive Director of the Center for Academic Enrichment and Outreach

McNair Scholars Institute Staff

Seeing Crime And Punishment Through A Sociological Lens: Contributions, Practices, And The Future, Calvin Morill, John Hagan, Bernard E. Harcourt, Tracey L. Meares

Faculty Scholarship

There is a rich intellectual history to the sociological study of crime and punishment that encompasses multiple and interrelated traditions. Some of these traditions trace their roots to the European social theorists of the nineteenth century, particularly Emile Durkheim, Max Weber, and Karl Marx. Although only Durkheim and Weber systematically studied law (and only Durkheim actually studied punishment), all three social theorists facilitated the development of sociological research and theory on crime and punishment. Durkheim's Suicide: A Study in Sociology for example, investigated the relationship between social integration and suicide rates, which, in turn, provided a model of inquiry for …