Abstract A longstanding divide between research and policy presents continuing problems for efforts to advance science and to improve public safety. The situation leads to poorly designed and implemented policies, little accountability, and limited effectiveness and cost-efficiency. Ripple effects of the divide include policies that proceed from ideology and guesswork, inadequate infrastructure for

Abstract Record numbers of offenders are being released to community supervision. This poses a challenge to agencies and officers in charge of providing supervision because there are far more clients in need of supervision than officers can reasonably attend to. This challenge represents an opportunity for criminologists to work with agencies to find innovative ways to allocate their limited resources

Abstract Some communities are choosing to implement programs that enable police and youth to engage with each other within voluntary and non-enforcement-related contexts, yet little is known about the impacts of such programs on officers. As part of a larger program evaluation, this study examines police officers’ perceptions of participating in a community-based, youth empowerment program. In-depth

Abstract Currently, sexual and gender minority youth live in a heteronormative society that does not provide consistent access to preventative social support services or safe spaces essential for healthy adolescent developmental experiences. This contextual circumstance is a catalyst for having unrecognized preventative risks and needs that are comprehensive to sexual and gender minority youth which

Abstract Personal recognizance (PR) bonds, often an option in pretrial services programs, allow defendants to be released while awaiting trial without financial backing. This offers some relief for jail overcrowding and permits the defendant the ability to maintain responsibilities of daily life. Not everyone released, however, successfully participates in these programs. This study seeks to analyze

Abstract Using case-level data, this study tests whether an increase in average crime-to-disposition time for felony arrests affects case outcomes. These outcomes are the likelihood of no-conviction, the likelihood of downgrading during the case disposition process (regardless of whether the case resulted in a conviction or no conviction), and the likelihood of an incarceration sentence. On October

Abstract Incidents of gun violence and mass shootings continue to shock the U.S. citizenry. Each time there is a call for change, but then little happens. In this article we explore the history of gun control in America, how the issue became polarized, and search for sources of consensus or divide. Situated in Pennsylvania, we utilize a state-wide survey and regional focus groups to explore why individuals

Abstract Decarcerative policies aim to decrease rates of incarceration primarily through lessening the severity of criminal sanctions. These policies have proliferated in recent years as states looked to reduce correctional expenditures and begin to reverse decades of growth in incarceration. Yet, there are relatively few empirical studies that examine decarcerative policies. This study evaluates the

Abstract This paper presents an assessment of the existing literature on validity and methodology relevant to crime prevention studies. Reports eligible for inclusion in the review focused on assessing the methodological quality of crime prevention evaluations. A narrative synthesis approach was used to review the included reports to examine how validity considerations are assessed and addressed in

Abstract The impact of low-level criminal enforcement on communities has been the subject of a growing body of scholarship and policy work, and awareness that even minor offenses can impose unaffordable criminal debt and negatively affect other rights. Many jurisdictions suspend driving privileges for nonpayment of traffic fines or court nonappearance without considering the individual’s ability to

Abstract Police are sometimes required to conduct searches for hostile suspects or clear a building when an alarm sounds. These searches often times occur in low light conditions. Police will routinely use a flashlight to help with the search. This study evaluates three of the most commonly taught flashlight tactics to assess if any can reduce the likelihood of a police officer being shot by a hostile

Abstract This study uses a quasi-experimental design to evaluate the effectiveness of an employment assistance program implemented in Minnesota prisons by examining recidivism and post-release employment outcomes of 2,814 individuals released between 2009 and 2018. Observable selection bias was reduced by using propensity score matching to create similar treatment and comparison groups. Results of

Abstract There is considerable research on the efficacy of sex offense registries, but less is known about individual compliance with registration. Recent research and subsequent policy have highlighted the importance of understanding technical violations as a hidden driver of mass incarceration, and there is emerging evidence that suggests that agency violation practices vary widely. We analyzed administrative

Abstract Between consenting adults, the private electronic sharing of nude photos is generally not illegal. However, when adolescents mimic this adult behavior they are in possession of child pornography and/or engaging in the pandering of child pornography, both of which are crimes in the United States. To address this fairly new adolescent social “sexting” problem, the Social Media & Sexting Intervention

Abstract Criminology has traditionally emphasized the offender, relegating theory, research, and policy on target decision-making to a place of relative unimportance. I advocate a different view. In choice theory, offenders prefer quick and easy reward at little risk, acting with target vulnerability very much in mind. I use choice theory concepts and assumptions to account for target precautionary

(2021). Correction. Justice Evaluation Journal: Vol. 4, No. 2, pp. 316-324.

Abstract Drug testing is a frequent condition of juvenile justice programs, although research on the effects of drug testing juveniles – especially early system-involved youth – is scarce. The risk-needs-responsivity (RNR) model suggests drug testing would only be a beneficial intervention if substance use contributes to a youth’s criminal behavior and has a rehabilitative component. We examined drug

Abstract In-home detention tethers are an intermediate, correctional sanction that have become popular alternatives to detention or incarceration. However, there is limited research on whether in-home detention tethers reduce recidivism among juvenile legal system involved girls. The current quasi-experimental study examines recidivism outcomes among adjudicated girls who received the intervention

Abstract The City of Los Angeles Mayor’s Office of Gang Reduction and Youth Development (GRYD) program was conceived as a comprehensive response to gang violence. Unlike most comprehensive approaches, suppression was excluded from the primary model. Program services including community engagement, gang prevention and intervention services, and street-based violence interruption, were formally launched

Abstract In Colorado, studies have shown that the likelihood of the prosecutions’ decision to pursue the death penalty is related to the defendant’s race and judicial district of the trial. These studies examined race and district separately without incorporating aggravating or mitigating factors resulting in others questioning the studies’ validity. Our objective is to address these concerns by modelling

Abstract The present study employs a quasi-experimental design to evaluate the effects of a mandatory sexual assault kit (SAK) testing policy on rape arrests in a large western US jurisdiction. We use a Bayesian structural time-series model and monthly data on arrests for rape from 2010 through 2019. In the post-implementation period, we observed a downward trend in the arrest rate for rape. Based

Abstract Considerable research has linked participation in arts programs to a constellation of positive social emotional outcomes for incarcerated participants. This article describes and evaluates a set of semester-long University of Denver Prison Arts Initiative (DU PAI) workshops. Through a pretest-posttest evaluation design inclusive of 22 quantitative and three qualitative items, we measured a

Abstract The current study tests the effect of police layoffs on crime through a natural experiment involving Newark and Jersey City, New Jersey’s two largest cities. In response to severe budget shortfalls resulting from the economic recession beginning in 2008, officials in both cities seriously considered police layoffs as a potential component of their cutback strategies. The Newark Police Department

Abstract Few studies have examined the impact of criminal history on hiring outcomes for women and even fewer studies have explored the effectiveness of mechanisms aimed to improve hiring outcomes for women with criminal history. The overall objectives of the current study were to examine (1) whether criminal history negatively influenced hiring outcomes for women and if so, (2) whether Ohio’s certificate

Abstract Many schools are attempting to reduce their reliance on suspension and exclusionary discipline to manage student behavior. One promising alternative involves restorative justice (RJ). However, many programs and interventions are being described as “restorative,” without clarity regarding key components of a RJ approach, and few studies have measured program fidelity. This paper presents a

Abstract Focused deterrence programs, which concentrate community and police resources on small groups of high-risk offenders, have been identified in a number of cities as an effective method to reduce violent crime. In 2013, the city of Detroit began its own “Ceasefire” program in two of its most violent police precincts, which continued through 2019. This study examines the community-level effect

Abstract To support the development and implementation of evidence-based crime reduction, we systematically identified and appraised 70 systematic reviews of single crime reduction measures published between 1975 and 2015. Using the EMMIE framework, we find that the quality of reporting on the Effectiveness of crime reduction measures is reasonably strong, particularly in systematic reviews published

Abstract Historically, prosecutors and judges relied almost exclusively on punitive measures, most notably jail or prison sentences, to address and deter criminal activity. However, the traditional punitive approach to justice is unduly expensive, does not work as well as it should, and has unnecessary and devastating consequences for lower level offenders and their families. While more and more district

Abstract Over the past decade the study of white-collar crime has been undergoing a resurgence of interest, productivity, and creativity. New findings have emerged regarding the social, demographic and psychological characteristics of white-collar offenders. These findings have spurred theoretical advances in the application of standard criminological perspectives to white-collar crime, including opportunity

Abstract This study examines the issue of prosecutorial discretion and the decision to offer a plea of life without parole (LWOP) in Kentucky death-eligible homicide cases (2000–2016). Using focal concerns theory as a framework and propensity score matching (PSM) and logistic regression as the methods of analysis, it attempts to explain the factors influencing prosecutorial discretion in the decision

Abstract Meta-analyses are appearing more frequently in the criminological literature. Yet the methods typically used are guided by a methodological paradigm that risks producing meta-analyses of limited value. Here we outline three key methodological issues that meta-analysts face and we present a methodological challenge to the dominant meta-analysis paradigm. We focus specifically on: (1) inclusion

Abstract People confined in jail and prison are especially vulnerable to outbreaks of communicable diseases such as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Corrections officials across the country have responded by shifting institutional practices, including suspending visitation and programming, as well as releasing some prisoners early. Missing from leading accounts of COVID-19 in correctional facilities

Abstract We evaluate the effects of cannabis legalization on crime and law enforcement in one of the first states to adopt it, in 2012. We investigated how the police view legalization and how they experienced its implementation. Appreciative Inquiry was employed in 9 focus group interviews of 48 officers from multiple agencies in Washington. Our findings indicate that officers in Washington, though

Abstract In recent years, many law enforcement agencies have found themselves in legitimacy crises, where police have difficulty winning the support and trust of the communities that they serve. One strategy suggested to improve legitimacy is developing personnel rosters that share demographic characteristics with a jurisdiction’s service population. This study examines how characteristics of police

Abstract This study explores the effects of state-level anti-bullying legislation on bullying outcomes for youth in United States schools. Bullying receives national level attention in the United States on an almost daily basis, spurred in part by the exponential increase in use of social media and the internet by youth, as well as several high-profile bullying suicide cases. Because of the multitude

Abstract Using mixed methods, we examine how a cohort of twelve sites operationalized and adapted the Bureau of Justice Assistance’s Innovations in Community-Based Crime Reduction (CBCR) grant program. CBCR is built around data, place-based strategies, neighborhood revitalization, and community partnerships. Community-based interventions are typically quite complex, embedding multiple mechanisms by

Abstract In 2017, California officially became a sanctuary state following the passage of Senate Bill 54, which limits state and local police cooperation with federal immigration authorities. Following the passage of SB54, critics worried that crime rates would rise. What impact did this policy have on crime in California? The current study, the first of its kind, addresses this question. Using a state-level

Abstract Pre-arrest diversion programs have the potential to reform the front-end of the criminal justice system and reduce the stigma associated with a low-level arrest, but little evaluation work has been conducted in this area. The current study was designed with two objectives: 1) to examine within-program indicators of completion and post-program arrest between the Adult Civil Citation (ACC) pre-arrest

Abstract Collaboration across diverse agencies is a foundational attribute of drug courts. It requires individuals and agencies to build trust, share resources and power, as well as maintain consistent participation to produce positive criminal justice interested outcomes. As past criminal justice and social service research has shown, the requirement to collaborate can produce negative impacts when

Abstract There is growing recognition that policymakers can achieve substantially better results by using an evidence-based approach to solve social problems. Nevertheless, there is still considerable debate as to how best to identify evidence-based information, aggregate and process this information, and then disseminate it to non-technical users. This manuscript discusses the sources of this discord

Abstract Relatively little empirical research has documented reentry courts’ effectiveness. Even less scholarship has critically evaluated their varied goals. A quasi-experimental outcome evaluation of a federal reentry court reveals that the program increases access to social services, decreases probation revocations, and increases future employment. However, the program does not reduce the likelihood

Abstract The study analyzed the criminogenic effect of legalizing recreational marijuana dispensaries in Denver. Street segments with recreational dispensaries experienced no changes in violent, disorder and drug crime but did experience an 18% increase in property crime, and street segments adjacent to recreational dispensaries experienced some notable (but non-significant) drug and disorder crime

Abstract Using law enforcement data from four Midwest communities, we document the similarities and differences between criminal nonfatal and fatal shooting incidents, including the spatial dimensions of the events. We present a definition for a nonfatal shooting incident that guides our victim and incident characteristic comparisons. Our work suggests that law enforcement agencies should build capacity

Abstract Variations of problem-solving court programs have been created to address a wide variety of offense-related problems, such as drug addiction, mental health, domestic violence, homelessness, and many others. Yet there is little knowledge as to whether this model is equally effective across these many versions of the model. This study uses data from the 2012 Census of Problem-Solving Courts

Abstract Approximately 60% of those in U.S. jails are awaiting trial without having been convicted of the crime for which they are being detained. We examine whether the Static Risk Assessment, a tool not specifically designed for pretrial outcomes, can predict pretrial success. As implemented in Tarrant County, Texas, the tool is predictive of failure to appear and new offending within 90 days of

Abstract Though alternatives to incarceration (ATI) courts have existed in the state system for 30 years, such courts are a relatively new phenomena at the federal level. We assess the impact of participation in an ATI program on a number of outcomes using a quasi-experimental matching design. Results suggest that defendants who successfully completed an ATI program were employed a greater percentage

Abstract The group-based violence intervention model is predicated on the assumption that individuals who hear credible messages of consequences for further violence will deliver the message to other group members. Using social network analysis, we develop an algorithm of who should receive the message to maximize the spread of the message among the remaining group members. Using a sample of gangs

Abstract No study to date has evaluated the predictive validity of the Static-99R on a sample of Native American sex offenders. This study provides such an investigation. Findings reveal the Static-99R demonstrates small predictive validity for new sexual recidivism charges (AUC = 0.599) at five years for all offenders. However, the predictive validity for the sample of Native American sex offenders

Abstract Latin America is the only region in the world where lethal violence increased in the first decade of the 21st century, and its citizens identified crime and violence as their main concern. Though previous literature shows promising results of saturation policing on crimes, little rigorous evidence exists on the impact of these strategies on the cited region. I study the effects of the implementation

Abstract Alleged violations of disability laws regarding youth with developmental disabilities in juvenile detention led to a Settlement Agreement in I.T. v. Los Angeles County and subsequent reforms. Using multiple sources of data, this study shows high rates of compliance with screening timelines and the development of individual treatment and discharge plans. Multiagency staff found the reforms

Abstract There are over one million gang members in the United States, but effective practices and programs to facilitate disengagement from gangs are rare. This first aim of this article was to introduce the intervention strategy of the Gang Reduction Initiative of Denver (GRID), a public agency operating at the core of a network of partners seeking to reduce gang violence in Denver. GRID uses a multidisciplinary

Abstract For almost half a century, there has been an ongoing philosophical debate regarding the appropriateness of processing youth in adult courts. Since the juvenile system was theoretically designed to rehabilitate and the adult system to punish, one could assume that there should be key differences in both experiences and outcomes across systems. Yet empirical findings remain mixed. However, almost

Abstract Shortly following the mass murders at a concert in Las Vegas, NV and at a church Sutherland Springs, TX, a national sample (n = 1,000) was surveyed in December 2017 regarding gun control policies. The study’s key finding is that two thirds of Americans rejected the view that these incidents were the “price of liberty,” advocating instead for efforts to ensure that such massacres should occur

Abstract For at least 40 years, social and behavioral scientists have argued that their disciplines need to do more to help solve real world practical problems. But doing this has proved difficult. In this paper, I describe three success stories where social and behavioral sciences have contributed important solutions and draw out evidence-based lessons for policy-makers, practitioners, university

Abstract This Bruce Smith, Sr. Award Address discusses the various types of public criminologies and highlights both advantages and disadavantages associated with public engagement. Two case studies are utilized as examples of public criminology, one focused on early childhood prevention and a second on immigration and crime. The crux of the argument advanced is that public policy can be smart on crime

Abstract Criminal justice cannot be highly effective or cost-efficient because of its fragmented design and the lack of research on systems operations and impacts. Substantial improvement to public safety and justice requires a systems approach that involves multiple stakeholder groups. This approach includes creation of an agency responsible for oversight, monitoring, and evaluation of criminal justice

Abstract Prevailing correctional practice holds that offenders should be assigned to interventions on the basis of assessments for risk, needs, and responsivity. Assessments of responsivity, however, typically consist of little more than a checklist of items such as motivation, gender, language, or culture. We introduce a new actuarial approach for assessing responsivity, which focuses on predicting

Abstract Since the 1960s, research on crime, delinquency, and justice has achieved important milestones regarding program evaluation. The field has made significant strides in identifying and cataloging evidence-based programs, practices, and policies for juvenile and criminal justice. These efforts have helped refine our definition of “evidence-based programs.” Tracing the distinctive role that Federal

Abstract This article describes the experiences and lessons learned from the implementation of gunshot detection technology (GDT) in three US cities. Data were derived from stakeholder interviews, community focus groups, and review of firearm-related criminal case files. Findings indicate that stakeholders view GDT to generate valuable investigative information, that officers are compliant with GDT

Abstract As policy makers require more detail justifying rehabilitation expenditures, officials must take inventory on available programming and extant evidence. Unfortunately, little research can be drawn from to aid contextualizing and guiding this process. Using one state example, we report a legislative proviso which sought to investigate current and future use of correctional services. Through