STEREOTYPES AND DISPOSITIONS FOR CRIMINAL HOMICIDE

There exists disagreement in the existing literature with respect to the origins of differential police practices. Based upon observation of police work with traffic law violators, the present paper advances an organizationally sensitive analysis of police decision making. The essential interpretation is that police decision making in the context of traffic law violations is a function of relations between organizational norms and employee concerns with autonomy.     

The effects of criminal victimization and judicial or police contacts on public attitudes toward local police

The effects both of victimization and of police or judicial contacts on attitudes toward the police are studied by means of survey data collected in British Columbia (Canada). Such attitudes toward the police are generally favorable across all subpopulations but tend to be lower than average among: people who have experienced a household criminal victimization during the preceding year, those who have experienced an adverse contact with the police, and especially among those who have experienced or observed what they perceive to be improper police field practices. Police perceptions of widespread hostility appear unwarranted, even in the case of traffic violators and of those who have been arrested or convicted. Such findings are compared with data from other parts of Canada, the United States, Australia, and New Zealand.     

Testing the racial profiling hypothesis for seemingly disparate traffic stops on the New Jersey Turnpike

This paper describes two studies designed to produce benchmark values with which to compare police stop data in an effort to assess racial profiling. Racial profiling is often measured by comparing the racial and ethnic distribution from police stop rates to race and ethnicity data derived from regional census counts. However, benchmarks may be more appropriate that are based on (1) the population of drivers or (2) the population of traffic violators. This research surveyed drivers on the New Jersey Turnpike and produced benchmark distributions reflecting these two populations. Benchmark values then were compared to police stops collected from State Troopers patrolling the Turnpike. The results revealed that the racial make‐up of speeders differed from that of nonspeeding drivers and closely approximated the racial composition of police stops. Specifically, the proportion of speeding drivers who were identified as Black mirrored the proportion of Black drivers stopped by police. This finding may explain the differences found between police stop rates and regional census data that are often interpreted as evidence of racial profiling. Interpretation and limitations of the results are discussed.     

Variables affecting parole outcomes

A comparison of parole officers and parole violators perceptions on factors related to recidivism was conducted to provide information which could contribute to increasing parole effectiveness and the development of correctional treautment strategies. The total population of parole viotators from a medium security correctional institution, and a systmatic random sample of parole officers were selected to form the research sample. The study consisted of 54 parole violators and 50 parole officers. The study necessitated the construction of a questionnaire. The variables under study included police and courts, society, parole supervision, imprisonment selfcontrol, personal attitude, and employment. A oneway analysis was conducted to compare the perceptions of the sample of parole officers and parole violators. Analysis of the data indicated that parole officers and parole violators view factors related to recidivism in markedly different ways. The author expresses special thanks for assistance and support to Dr. Billy Bramlett, Dr. Greg Riede, Dr. George Beto and Dr. Rodney Henderson, all of the College of Criminal Justice Institute, Sam Houston University.     

The effect of a curfew law on juvenile crime in Washington,D.C.

Juvenile curfew laws were a popular intervention to combat juvenile crime during the 1980s and 1990s. An experimental replication design was used to examine the impact of the Washington, D.C. “Juvenile Curfew Act of 1995.” Juvenile arrest data were analyzed using a two-standard-deviation-band approach, t-test, and trend analysis. The results, consistent with previous studies, revealed that the curfew law did not reduce total juvenile arrests. Several flaws inherent in curfew laws, as well as implications for research and policy, are discussed.     

Do juvenile curfew laws work? A time-series analysis of the New Orleans law

Juvenile curfew laws are one of the most recent weapons for combating delinquency, but little is known about their effectiveness. This study examines the impact of the juvenile curfew law in New Orleans, Louisiana on victimizations, juvenile victimizations, and juvenile arrests. Interrupted time-series analyses are used to compare victimizations and arrests before and after the curfew was implemented. The results show the ineffectiveness of the curfew. Victimizations, juvenile victimizations, and juvenile arrests during curfew hours did not decrease significantly after the law went into effect; some victimizations during non-curfew hours increased significantly after the law was implemented.     

What additional authority does the civil court need to uphold the objectives of temporary injunction? – A case study of Bangladesh

The civil court in Bangladesh, following some formal procedures, usually protects the subject matter of any suit by issuing an order of temporary injunction. But such orders are sometimes disobeyed and in toto preservation of suit property becomes unfeasible. Even the remedial measure for such disobedience seems insufficient to punish or restrain the violators. This study suggests that if the civil court had sufficient legal authority to direct local police to restrain the opposite party from violating its orders, the ultimate objectives of temporary injunction could be upheld properly. The higher courts in India have also found the legality of this concept.     

Examining the Effects of Community-Based Sanctions on Offender Recidivism

Offenders who violate their conditions of release (parole violators) pose a threat to public safety and a unique challenge for parole officials. Historically, parole officers have simply revoked the parole of these offenders and returned them to prison; however, increases in state correctional populations have forced many jurisdictions to experiment with sanctions administered by parole officers in the community. Community‐based sanctions are sanctions administered by parole officers as consequences for noncompliance with release conditions that are ultimately intended to reduce parole violators’ odds of recidivism. Yet, the effects of these types of sanctions are still relatively unknown. Drawing from perspectives on formal and informal social control, this study involved an examination of the effect of community‐based sanctions on parole violators’ odds of recidivism. Findings revealed that formal controls such as community‐based sanctions that were applied with certainty, severity, and in a swift manner along with informal controls such as measures of offenders’ stake in conformity had effects on parole violators’ odds of recidivism and time to recidivism.     

The Effect of Curfew Laws on Motor Vehicle Crashes

Twelve states in the U.S. have curfew laws, which prohibit young drivers from operating motor vehicles during late evening or early morning hours. The effect of such laws on motor vehicle crashes was studied in four of these states. In each state the laws were found substantially to reduce the crashes of sixteen year olds. Sixteen year old driver crash involvements during curfew hours were reduced by an estimated 69 percent in Pennsylvania, 62 percent in New York, 40 percent in Maryland, and 25 percent in Louisiana. Except in Maryland, the percentage of the sixteen year old population licensed was lower in curfew than comparison states. It is possible that curfew laws reduce early licensure, in which case reductions in crash involvements resulting from curfews are greater than shown above.     

Computer Crime: A Technology Gap

A review of current industrial practices, litigation trends, and the growing use of computer data banks and networks leads to the following conclusions about computer crime: data security and integrity are frequently compromised by lax security practices and operating procedures. Frequently the perceived but erroneous assumption that the inherent difficulty of the computer operating system will detour would-be violators is the only security a system has. This article describes methods commonly used to attack data bases and operating systems. The conclusion is that computer crime is an international phenomenon and investigation and prosecution are complex matters. For example, an examination of the copyright laws as they relate to computer crime indicates that there are frequent violations. International violators of the copyright laws frequently distribute bootleg copies of software worldwide. The article concludes that there is a gap between technology and law in the field of computer crimes. International cooperation is needed to define copyright laws and promote investigation and prosecution of international violators.     

A Model for the ‘War Against Terrorism’? Military Intervention in Northern Ireland and the 1970 Falls Curfew

This paper questions the claim that British militarized security strategy in Northern Ireland offers a model for the global 'war against terrorism' by exploring the critically important (though neglected) 'Falls Curfew' episode. Part one explores the relationship between law, legitimacy, and the role of the military in democracies experiencing violent conflict. Part two examines the operationalization of the law on military intervention during the curfew, drawing on archival material and employing empirical studies. Part three draws overall conclusions, relating the contribution that the curfew made to the escalation of the conflict to its operational aspects and legal underpinnings. Failings are identified, and some general lessons drawn out about the dangers of a 'war' model in complex and violent political disorders.     

The imprisoned nonviolent drug offender: Specialized martyr or versatile career criminal?

Some observers oppose imprisoning nonviolent drug offenders because they view incarceration as costly and such persons as generally benign. The careercriminal literature has established that perpetrators, including drug violators, commit an array of offenses. The current study merges these debates using a sample of 500 arrested adults selected from an urban jail in the western United States. Drug offenders amassed a much more extensive arrest history than other suspects net the effects of age, race, sex, prison history, and arrest onset. Drug offenders are quite versatile and do not conform to the image of specialized violators who are nominally criminal.     

Examining the relationship between school suspensions/expulsions and felonies

This paper examines the suspensions and expulsions of students. Using individual student pupil (rather than incident) data, this research examines whether these rates are driven by a few high-volume offenders and whether high-volume offenders become felons. This study uses the number of students at three levels of violations: 0 offenses, 1–3 offenses, and four or more offenses. The authors also examined the relationship between the three groups of violators and committing a felony as a juvenile. The number of offenses per student ranged from 0 to 31. Findings indicated that those with 0 school infractions had no felonies, while the other two groups of violators 1–3 and four or more had a similar numbers of felonies. Implications for developmental models of delinquency are discussed.     

违法侦查行为的程序性制裁效果研究——以非法口供排除规则为中心

不断出现的冤案及其背后的违法侦查问题使整个刑事司法的公信力日趋式微。学界和司法部门最高层认识到,只有通过建立非法证据排除规则,剥夺违法侦查者非法取证的利益,才能促使其依法取证。此谓程序性制裁。但是,在目前的机制下,由于我国违法侦查的发现几率极低、无法定罪的成本极小和次级制裁机制的乏力,程序性制裁根本无法成为依法取证的"激励机制"。因此,如果要使程序性制裁的威慑效果发挥作用,必须建立有效的违法侦查行为发现机制,把非法证据排除真正转变为违法侦查的成本,并使法院真正具备作出无罪判决的能力。     

Police uniforms,attitudes, and citizens

This study focuses on identifying the relationship between the citizen's attitude toward the police and the police uniform and authoritarian attitude. The perceived authority associated with the police uniform has been an essential ingredient of the police role. Consequently, the police uniform influences attitudes and behaviors of the wearers as well as the citizens with whom they interact. The citizen's attitude is negatively affected by the traditional military style police uniform in conjunction with the authoritarian attitude exhibited by police officers in performance of their duties. Consequently, when the uniform and officer's attitude are altered, there will be a corresponding change in the citizen's attitude toward the police. The attitude of the officer, in conjunction with the uniform, exerts considerably more influence on the citizen's attitude than does the uniform, officer's attitude, or any additional factor acting independently.     

Discriminators of types of recidivism among boot camp graduates in a five-year follow-up study

This was a five-year follow-up study of 572 male graduates of a boot camp in the South. The purpose was to determine what elements of life-course theory discriminated between four outcomes: (1) nonrecidivists, (2) recidivists with felonies, (3) technical parole violators, and (4) parole violators due to drugs. Findings indicated a relatively accurate classification of the first three outcomes.The discriminators between nonrecidivists and various types of recidivists in the study were indicators of informal social controls such as marriage, employment, children, and religiosity. Discriminators of felony recidivists were early sexual and physical abuse, gang membership, peer association, carrying a weapon, and early onset of crime. Discriminators associated with technical parole violation were attachment to female caregivers, self-esteem and self-efficacy, and perception that boot camp stimulated thinking about choices in life. The conceptual and policy implications of these findings are discussed in detail.     

GENDER,FAMILIAL CONTROL,AND DELINQUENCY*

This research addresses a key process in power-control theory, namely, the gender stratification of social control. Using a multidimensional measure of familial control, the authors find evidence that the types of familial control employed are stratified by gender: male children are more typically aligned with paternal support and appearance rules, and female children are more often the objects of maternal support and curfew rules. All four dimensions have significant negative effects on delinquency. Brief attention is given as well to the effects of these variables on contact with formal social control agencies.     

Criminalizing environmental offences: when the prosecutor’s helping hand hurts

Recent policy initiatives by the European Commission envisage an increased criminalization of offences against the environment, bringing the deterrent power of criminal law to bear on environmental violators in order to increase environmental quality. This paper examines some of the implications of such initiatives from a law-and-economics perspective. We show that increased criminalization does not necessarily lead to higher environmental quality. Budget-constrained regulators mandated with minimizing environmental damages can lose their ability to incentivize violators to report their misconducts in the presence of criminal prosecution. Therefore, some of the damages that otherwise can be remediated go undetected. The mechanism results from the subtle interplay of the current regulatory structure and the incentives of the environmental criminal justice system.     

Editor's Introduction

This double issue of Statutes and Decisions consists of translations of official documents, media reports, speeches by Minister Nurgaliyev, and interviews with local police chiefs, and analyses of public opinion surveys about the police force made by private public opinion agencies (Baltic Media Group and Levada Center). It covers the analyses and discussions about police reform in Russia in spring 2012, the final days in office of both President Dmitry Medvedev and Minister of Internal Affairs Rashid Nurgaliyev. These days have been full of scandals involving police crimes, including the torture of a detainee in the Dal'nii police station in Kazan, the capital city of the Republic of Tatarstan. These scandals as well as continuing police brutality¹ in the context of the 2012 presidential elections triggered more criticism of policing and police reform as well as damage control efforts on the parts of police chiefs. The items in this issue of Statutes and Decisions can be roughly divided into three parts: views of the police reform held by the police establishment, human rights activists, and local officials.     

Perceptions of the Police by LGBT Communities

The purpose of this study is to explore how lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) communities perceive the police. Historically, relationships between LGBT communities and the police have been strained due to a legacy of discriminatory actions, although some police agencies have more recently taken steps to build relationships with LGBT communities. A survey was administered to a sample of LGBT and heterosexual respondents (n = 787) to measure perceptions regarding police fairness, policing qualities, policing outcomes, and police interactions with LGBT communities. Across a number of measures and scales, the perceptions of LGBT participants were significantly more negative than those of other participants, including when the variables of race, income, location type (e.g., rural, small town, suburban, urban), prior service as a police officer, and quality of prior interactions with the police, are controlled in multivariate modeling. Implications for police training and policy are discussed, as well as theoretical contexts that frame the results.