Policies regulating individuals convicted of sexual offenses (ICSOs) are widely supported, despite little empirical evidence that they promote public safety. While research suggests this support is...

In the current study, I integrate the focal concerns perspective, rape myths, and intersectionality to propose a theoretical framework through which rape myths contribute to racial disparities in c...

Despite advances in police practices, national case clearance rates of violent crimes are at an all-time low. One recent trend in American policing involves the rapid deployment of various technolo...

This study focuses on gender disparities in defiance prison ­infractions—an understudied and highly discretionary type of rule violation—which have important implications for individuals’ prison ex...

Delays at court are an everlasting and potentially consequential reality of criminal justice systems, although most would agree that the timely adjudication of cases is needed from both administrat...

Research has explored the effects of various state-level characteristics, such as racial composition and economic conditions, on correctional budgetary decisions. However, researchers have yet to c...

Abstract Judges receive limited information on how their sentencing practices contribute to inter-judge sentencing disparities which can undermine equity and the perceptions of legitimacy. We use doubly robust, internal benchmarking to measure the effect of each judge on sentencing outcomes relative to a set of cases that are handled by the judge’s peers and that are statistically similar on all observable

Abstract Previous research suggests that American drug sentiment is becoming more liberal. However, the absence of a reliable and valid over time measure limits our understanding of changes in drug attitudes. This project utilizes the dyad ratios algorithm and 298 administrations of 66 unique survey indicators to develop a measure of public mood toward drugs from 1969 to 2021. I find that drug mood

Abstract What happens to the gang ties of people when they leave prison and return to the community? There is much speculation but little empirical research concerning carceral gang spillover, which refers to the reproduction of prison gang associations, identities, politics, and structures in communities. This study examined continuity and change in gang embeddedness in a representative sample of

Abstract Following a recent study of disparities in solitary confinement (SC) placements in Florida, we examined related dis­parities in the use of extended restrictive housing in Ohio (SC conditions) while expanding the analysis to short term restrictive housing, a substantially more common prison experience. Analyses of 183,872 incarcerated persons (IPs) revealed substantive disparities in prevalence

Abstract Although the typical end goal of an online grooming event is to lure a minor into performing sexual activity (either online or offline), no previous study has examined the relevance of targets’ sexual knowledge on the progression of these events. To address this gap, we deployed two honeypot chatbots which simulated young female users in a sample of twenty-three online chatrooms, over a period

Abstract Criminologists are increasingly interested in narrative mechanisms of desistance, and a growing body of research shows that many justice-involved individuals draw on religion in constructing desisting identities. However, evidence is mixed on precisely how religion operates in desistance narratives. Analyzing 48 in-depth interviews with formerly incarcerated women in St. Louis, Missouri, USA

Abstract Research suggests police stops are associated with delinquency and arrest in adolescence, but limited research has examined the extent to which these associations vary by intersectional identities. The labeling and life-course perspectives argue police stops may increase later delinquency/arrest and that these relationships may vary according to when an individual is first stopped. Critical

Abstract Victim data reveals that romantic relationships correspond to significant reductions in violent victimizations committed by strangers and acquaintances. This study offers a more detailed exploration of this finding. Specifically, we investigate the effect of relationship quality and structure on victimization risk in combination with mechanisms a social control perspective would suggest as

Abstract The release of dashcam footage showing a Chicago Police Department (CPD) officer fatally shooting 17-year-old Laquan McDonald in 2015 placed extraordinary scrutiny on CPD to avoid another controversial case of police misconduct. Using data on arrests as well as traffic stops and searches, we assess whether the quantity and quality of policing in Chicago changed after the video documenting

Abstract There has been an increased focus on the factors that influence gang continuity given the short- and long-term consequences associated with gang membership. Despite this, Asian gangs—notably the Hmong—have rarely been at the center of these academic inquiries. This is especially troubling given that their cultural and historical profile provides a unique vantage point for assessing how culture

Abstract Although researchers have generated many studies related to police use of force, with an increasing focus on de-escalation, none have sought to systematically assess escalation, related factors, and the extent to which force usage may be considered appropriate from an objectively reasonable framework. Using video-based data (N = 540) from two agencies (Dallas and Smith County, TX) this study

Abstract We use citizen complaint data from the Chicago Police Department and Civilian Office of Police Accountability filed between 2013-2020 to determine the extent to which Body-worn camera (BWC) footage enhances the efficacy of evidence used to formulate a conclusion of responsibility, and whether racial disparities in investigation outcomes would subsequently be reduced. Accordingly, we exploit

Abstract This study examines an observed contradiction in a city with a high level of group-based youth violence and some juvenile justice stakeholders who deny the presence of gangs. Drawing on interviews and focus groups, we use framing theory to understand how definitions of gangs are constructed and contested. We attend to the language and rhetorical strategies used by stakeholders and find two

Abstract Alcohol intoxication leads to anti-normative behavior. Because violence against women is more anti-normative than violence against men, we suggest that the effects of alcohol on violence against women should be stronger. We found support for this hypothesis in an analysis of more than 1,100 interpersonal disputes reported by male prison inmates and male community members. We find that the

Abstract Prior work establishes that Black and Latino people face harsher treatment during the pretrial phase of the justice system. Yet, the mechanisms underlying pretrial racial and ethnic disparities remain unclear. Using multiple administrative data sources from a large jurisdiction in the southeast, we examined the influence of race, ethnicity, and citizenship on judicial decisions and defendant

Abstract In 2019, New York State passed bail reform legislation that limited the use of money bail and expanded pretrial release. The bail reform law took effect on January 1, 2020. We evaluated the effect of this law on crime rates in New York State. Interrupted time series analyses (ITSA) were used to examine whether the bail reform was significantly associated with a crime increase. When a significant

Abstract This study draws insights from environmental criminology to implement a policing initiative focused on risky places and the micro-spatial attractors that create vulnerable settings for crime to emerge or persist in the town of Basildon. Evidence-based approaches to crime control have become more important within law enforcement approaches to crime control. Insights that have emerged from recent

Abstract Sampson and Laub’s (1990 Sampson, R. J., & Laub, J. H. (1990). Crime and deviance over the life course: The salience of adult social bonds. American Sociological Review, 55(5), 609–627. https://doi.org/10.2307/2095859[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar], 1993 Sampson, R. J., & Laub, J. H. (1993). Turning points in the life course: Why change matters to the study of crime*. Criminology

Abstract Conservative political orientation is a strong predictor of gun ownership in the United States. We explore the extent to which this relationship is mediated by two related belief systems: Christian nationalism and Right-Wing conspiratorial thinking. Drawing on nationally representative data from the sixth wave of the Baylor Religion Survey (N = 1,248), we use logistic regression and the Karlson-Holm-Breen

Abstract Numerous studies have examined the correlates and predictors of campus carry among various campus communities. There were, however, too many risk factors included, raw effect sizes were too small, and the differences in effect sizes were negligible, making comparisons prohibitively difficult or even worthless. To address this issue, a multilevel meta-analysis was conducted to investigate thirteen

Abstract Noncustodial sanctions may present an attractive way to reduce the prison population rate, but only when noncustodial sanctions meet custodial ones in terms of deterring recidivism. Using administrative criminal records data of all individuals convicted in the Netherlands in 2012, this study examines the effects of short-term imprisonment versus noncustodial sanctions on crime. We employ an

Abstract It has long been argued that defendants detained pretrial face more severe case outcomes than released defendants. Considering the magnitude, directionality, and significance of these findings, this article uses systematic review and meta-analysis to examine the average effect of pretrial detention on a series of case processing outcomes: conviction, guilty plea, dismissal, charge reduction

Abstract The criteria used to identify the crime of stalking have been debated since the 1990s, with most definitions including a so-called “fear standard” as a form of harm experienced by victims. The current study takes the next logical step in this dialogue to examine the varied harms that victims of stalking experience. These analyses operationalize harm through the creation of a harm scale based

Abstract Despite a long line of scholarship on race and social control, evidence that incarceration can be connected to slavery is difficult to provide. This study evaluates whether slavery had long-term effects on growth in state incarceration rates by focusing on two key theoretical indicators: the size of the enslaved population prior to the Civil War and demographic changes during the Great Migration

Abstract Suicide rates vary across occupational groups, with protective service occupations at elevated risk for suicide. Yet, research on correctional officer suicide remains sparse, as does research linking the broader social context to police officer suicides and correctional officer suicides. This study examines differences in the individual and contextual risk factors for police officer suicides

Abstract Connecting feminist perspectives to a re-emergent literature on prison society, this study uses a social network perspective to understand the informal social organization of incarcerated women. Data came from the Women’s Prison Inmate Network Study, specifically from residents within two of three sampled units (N = 152). Exponential random graph models estimate how self-report and administrative

Abstract Prior work on extended restrictive housing (ERH) has focused primarily on incarcerated persons rather than on potential impacts of this housing on personnel. Drawing on scholarship on the get-tough era, prison personnel, and ERH, we seek to shed light on contemporary correctional management practices and how doing so can illuminate the broad-ranging impacts of the get-tough era. We hypothesize

Abstract This study aims to further our understanding of sexual victimization using the routine activities theory (RAT) framework. Specifically, this study compared offenders’ motivations as well as victims’ vulnerability, inertia, gratifiability, and accessibility in elder, child, and younger adult victims. The sample used in this study consists of 931 cases of extrafamilial sexual assaults that occurred

Abstract By virtue of their ability to capture evidence of criminal behavior, body-worn cameras (BWCs) have been associated with enhanced investigations and prosecutions. To date, however, research on these outcomes has been inconsistent, and there has been no attempt to systematically review or synthesize the results of these studies. To address this gap, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract This study examines how behavioral indicators co-occur as “risk profiles” across different domains relevant to risk assessment as theorized by a Risk Analysis Framework, and how these profiles impact upon vulnerability to radicalization. We unpack both the inter- and intra-domain relationships among profiles, identifying the relative importance of cumulative or interactive effects. We apply

Abstract This study provides a primary step towards exploring whether rehabilitation efforts informed by the risk, needs, responsivity approach should be leveraged to decrease gun violence. Through the use of competing risks survival analyses, we assess the gun offense recidivism patterns of people released from prison that do (n = 1,158) and do not (n = 9,868) have gun crime conviction histories.

Abstract Research demonstrates that crime concentrates at relatively few microplaces, and changes at a small proportion of locations can have a considerable influence on a city’s overall crime level. Yet there is little research examining what accounts for change in crime at microplaces. This study examines the relationship between two mechanisms for place-based improvements – private investment in

Abstract Racial Threat Theory posits that punitive attitudes are produced when Whites are alarmed by large or growing Black populations. While research has identified a relationship between Black composition and support from community members for more punitive criminal justice policy, no research has examined whether racial composition influences punitive attitudes among criminal justice personnel—even

Abstract The focal concerns framework is widely used in research on sentencing, although the empirical validity of the framework itself is seldom directly evaluated. To fill this gap, we use survey data from 134 trial court judges to examine two basic questions about the focal concerns framework: (1) How and to what extent do judges consider the original focal concerns of blameworthiness, community

Abstract Public opinion is doubly important for reintegration, as it shapes both the policy and the stigma environments that people with criminal records must face. Nowhere are the policy and stigma environments bleaker than for record holders convicted of sex crimes. Drawing on the theory of compassion collapse (or psychic numbing) and using experimental data from a national survey, we examine the

Abstract Security messages, as a form of information security awareness training, are designed to encourage individuals to make an informed security decision, reducing their susceptibility to online victimization. To date, no known study has assessed the effectiveness of security messages or whether the effectiveness of these messages varies based on the recipients’ characteristics. Using a randomized

Abstract Satisfaction from police performance in cases that are screened out from police investigation is low, particularly for victims who report online. In a randomized controlled trial, we report the impact of reassurance telephone callbacks on satisfaction scores for victims of vehicle crime in London, United Kingdom. Evidence suggests that reassurance callbacks cause victims to express more favorable

Abstract Although diversifying the criminal justice apparatus may yield more equitable outcomes, empirical tests of how prosecutors’ race affects their decisions are limited. Informed by Internalized Racism Theory (IRT), we hypothesized that Black prosecutors would be most punitive toward Black defendants, followed by Latino/a defendants, and least toward White and Asian defendants. Employing hierarchical

Published in Justice Quarterly (Vol. 39, No. 7, 2022)

Abstract Traditional forms of community supervision focusing on control and punitive functions have been shown to be ineffective in improving client outcomes. In response, several officer training programs, including the Strategic Training Initiative in Community Supervision (STICS), Effective Practices in Community Supervision (EPICS), and Staff Training Aimed at Reducing Re-arrest (STARR) models

Abstract In the face of growing diversity in marital and cohabiting relationships, the impact of romantic partnerships on criminal desistance may likewise have grown complex. This study investigates how premarital cohabitation and serial cohabitation might influence criminal behavior. We also examine the role of gender in the desistance process. Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent

Abstract Policies implemented to control the COVID-19 (C19) pandemic have faced public resistance. We examined this issue via an experimental vignette study embedded in a May 2020 national (U.S.) survey conducted by YouGov. Specifically, we explore how the public perceived a local policymaker proposing a C19-related isolation policy, based on the policy’s invasiveness or its punitivity. We find that

Abstract Evidence on how hot spot policing affects community members’ views of police is very limited and inconclusive. Scholars have thus called for further study of community attitudes in hot spots to guide police in the formulation of hot spot strategies—an issue that is especially salient given recent public controversy surrounding policing, particularly in the United States. Using survey responses

Abstract Much scholarship has discussed how the expansion of the carceral state in the U.S. has consequences for other facets of the democracy. Specifically, felony disenfranchisement laws create a class of “carceral citizens” comprised disproportionately of racially minoritized individuals, and voter ID laws likewise closely mirror racialized segregation efforts that parallel the effects of justice

Abstract This study explores whether Americans’ punitiveness and perceptions of redeemability are shaped more by the type of crime committed or by judgements about an offender’s moral character. Guided by theories of neoliberalism, we focus on laziness as an indicator of flawed character that is independent of criminality. A sentencing vignette experiment administered to a national sample of the U

Abstract Amid the growing recognition of the limits of excessive criminal punishment, scholars have begun to assess public support for restrictive and punitive laws and other collateral consequences of a criminal conviction. Building on this work, we analyze data from an original survey of U.S. residents (N = 1,002) to assess support for 23 specific social, legal, and health consequences across 11

Abstract Although prior studies have examined the association between the presence of various types of business facilities and crime in place, less attention has been paid to how the effects of businesses can be temporally different based on their age. We focus on four consumer-facing business types: 1) retail, 2) service, 3) restaurant, and 4) food and drug stores. For each type, we construct block

Abstract Environmental criminological research includes several perspectives that explain how characteristics of the environment can lead to crime. This study simultaneously integrated these different perspectives, including crime generators and attractors and environmental disorder indicators, to determine the most influential, salient, and consistent predictors of micro-level crime hot spots in Indianapolis

Abstract Victimization is associated with a cascade of negative outcomes, and the literature has been enriched by research that situates victimization in the life context of key social groups such as children, youth, women, and veterans. Yet, less is known about violent victimization in the context of prisoner reentry. Using longitudinal data documenting reentry experiences, the current study examines

Abstract Institutional Anomie Theory (IAT) proposes high violent crime rates are due partially to imbalances in societal institutions, specifically the dominance of the economy over non-economic institutions. Tests of IAT have focused largely on the absolute strength of the economy, which ignores the core argument of institutional imbalance and the possibility that institutional preferences may not

Abstract Self-injurious thoughts and behaviors (SITB) are prevalent within the criminal justice system, and formal justice involvement exacerbates SITB risk. Nevertheless, there is a lack of understanding about public perceptions of offenders with SITB. Using a sample of 2,097 U.S. residents, this randomized controlled trial evaluates public perceptions of relevant criminal justice outcomes and offender

Abstract The objective of this study was to determine whether sex moderates the indirect effect of depression on delinquency via cognitive impulsivity and if so, whether the effect is stronger in girls than in boys. Participants for this study were 845 (406 boys, 439 girls) middle school students who completed surveys annually between the sixth and eighth grades. A moderated mediation analysis revealed

Abstract Using data from two statewide surveys conducted in 2018 and 2020, this study explores the characteristics of adults who racialize serious crime arrestees and examines if racialization influences worry of victimization in minority neighborhoods. Results show a significant increase in perceptions of Whites as the largest portion of arrestees, suggesting a reduction in racialization. Those who

Abstract There remain serious concerns about the potential for pretrial risk assessments to exacerbate racial disparities. Yet, current evidence on differential prediction in pretrial risk assessments is limited. The present investigation tests for differential prediction by race as an indication of bias in Indiana Risk Assessment System–Pretrial Assessment Tool (IRAS-PAT) assessments. Using pooled