Street Youth Crime: A Test of Control Balance Theory

Utilizing a sample of 400 homeless street youths, the paper explores the role control balance plays in the generation of crime. Using vignettes designed to represent violent crime, serious property crime, and minor property crime, the paper tests whether these youths sense of control over their poverty, shelter, hunger and other living conditions influences their participation in crime. Further, it examines how perceptions of risk and thrill, as well as deviant values, self‐control, deviant histories, and peer support impact on crime. Results indicate that both control deficits and control surpluses were related to assault and serious theft but not minor theft. Perceptions of thrill, deviant peers, deviant histories, and deviant values predicted violent and property crime, and perceptions of risk were related to the property offenses. Criminal peers also conditioned the impact of control surpluses and deficits on property offenses. Results are discussed in terms of future research and policy.     

Street Youths and the Proximate and Contingent Causes of Instrumental Crime: Untangling Anomie Theory

Utilizing a sample of 300 homeless street youths, the research examines the individual‐level sub‐model of Baumer’s interpretation of Merton’s anomie theory. The paper explores the role the interaction between monetary goals and weak commitment to legitimate means plays in the generation of instrumental crime and the manner in which this interaction is itself moderated by blocked opportunities, monetary dissatisfaction, social modeling, cultural support, and the perceived risk of punishment. The findings reveal that a weak commitment to legitimate means, but not monetary goals, has a lower order impact on the willingness to commit instrumental crime. These two variables, however, do not interact to predict intentions to offend. Instead the findings reveal that blocked opportunities and higher levels of monetary dissatisfaction moderate the relationship between the monetary goals and weak commitment to legitimate means interaction and the willingness to offend. Findings are discussed and suggestions for further research are offered.     

Developing regulatory standards for the concept of security in online dispute resolution systems

Online dispute resolution (ODR) has improved access to justice in the digital world. ODR users benefit from faster and cheaper dispute resolution mechanisms compared to traditional litigation and Alternative Dispute Resolution. There are few and quite varied regulatory systems for ODR.This research aims to develop a set of standards to measure the concept of security and to increase the consistency of security in ODR systems. An exploratory mixed method approach is used, involving a quantitative (survey) and mainly qualitative approach (face-to-face interviews) for gathering data. We identify three elements of information security, privacy, and authentication as standards for an appropriate ODR legal framework. Finally, these findings led to practical implications for policy makers and regulators.     

论动态环境下治安防控体系的建立

在现阶段新旧体制交替之际,人财物的大流动尚不够有序和规范,客观上为犯罪分子提供了更多的侵害客体,也为犯罪分子作案提供了更多的机会和条件,使城市治安防控局面出现了较大的变化。建立动态环境下的治安防控体系,使治安防控工作适应社会由相对"静态封闭"向"动态开放"的转型,已经成为治安工作改革的重要课题。     

打击街头多发性侵财犯罪应强化证据意识

目前,在打击多发性侵财犯罪的工作中普遍存在证据收集意识不强的问题。对此,应根据不同种类的案件加强对证据的收集,强化现场勘查意识,加大调查访问力度,及时收集视听材料,以便准确有效地打击此类犯罪。     

关于流浪儿童的需求及其服务模式的评估报告——对北京市未成年人救助保护中心志愿服务的评估分析

评估表明,流浪儿童在救助中心的需求是多方面的,除了吃住等需求外,他们还有心理健康需求、受教育的需求、回归与发展的需求。专业社工志愿者的介入提升了救助中心的整体服务品质,流浪儿童的心理状况得到改善,不良行为与习惯明显减少。今后应进一步完善评估体系,加强评估工作的理论建设,推动未成年人救助保护工作的制度性创新。     

浅谈通过技防手段打击街头犯罪

近几年来,抢劫、抢夺、盗窃、诈骗等街头犯罪比较突出。遏止街头犯罪已成为公安机关面临的一项重大课题。在加大街面警力部署的同时,建立街头电视监控系统,是打击街头犯罪最为有效的途径。     

论战后台湾街头运动的演化及成因

作为众多个体因共同或相似的利益诉求而采取的体制外聚合抗争与集体施压,街头运动在战后台湾经岛内外经济与社会环境变迁,以及对立面意识博弈等因素的交互作用,大致经历了从“2·28”后的沉寂到1970年代初重新萌动并迅速勃兴,至世纪之交趋于成熟等三个阶段的渐进转型,突出反映为参与主体多元化、运动策划组织化、抗争对象分散化、诉求主题民生化和手段方式理性化等发展趋势。     

DIFFERENTIAL COERCION,STREET YOUTH,AND VIOLENT CRIME*

Using a sample of 300 homeless street youths, this study examines differential coercion theory and the role that coercion and the socialpsychological deficits of anger, low self‐control, coercive modeling, coercive ideation, and control imbalances play in the generation of violent crime. Results from cross‐sectional and prospective offending models that examine the individual mediators reveal that coercion has a direct relationship with violent offending as well as a relationship that is mediated by low self‐control, anger, coercive modeling, and coercive ideation. Although control imbalances have a direct relationship with crime, they do not mediate the relationship between coercion and crime. In the cross‐sectional model that contains all the mediators, coercion, low self‐control, anger, coercive modeling, and coercive ideation are associated with crime. In the prospective model that contains all the mediators, only anger, coercive modeling, and coercive ideation remain associated with crime. Results are discussed regarding future theory development and policy implications.     

Culture and Formal Social Control: The Effect of the Code of the Street on Police and Court Decision-making

Objectives. Drawing on several interrelated lines of scholarship, we argue that cultural beliefs at individual and neighborhood levels may affect police and court decisions. We hypothesize that individuals who more strongly adhere to the code of the street or reside in areas where the street code culture is more strongly embraced will be more likely to be arrested and convicted, and that neighborhood-level effects will amplify the effect of street code adherence. Methods. To test these hypotheses, data from the Family and Community Health Study are examined using multilevel modeling. Results. Blacks who more strongly adhered to street code beliefs were more likely to be arrested and convicted; this effect was greater among those who resided in areas where the code of the street belief system was more entrenched. Conclusions. The findings highlight the potential usefulness of a focus on culture for understanding the exercise of formal social control.