Mail vs. telephone surveys of criminal justice attitudes: A comparative analysis

This study compares results from surveys using two modes of administration. A subset of questions from the 1992Texas Crime Poll, a statewide poll conducted annually by mail, was replicated in telephone interviews using the Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing System. The phone survey yielded better participation rates but less complete responses to individual attitude questions than did the mail poll. As expected, the mail survey was less expensive but less efficient than the automated phone survey. The central finding was that all but one of the responses to five attitude questions difered significantly across the surveys. The samples differed in their demographic composition, but this did not explain differences in the substantive findings from the mail and phone surveys. The discussion considers alternative explanations for differences in the findings from the two surveys and suggests direction for further comparative research.     

Perceptions of safety and victimization: does survey construction affect perceptions?

Surveys are commonly used in the field of criminology and criminal justice; however, the effects of survey design on study findings are rarely examined. Using a randomized experiment, this study examined the effects of question order in a victimization survey on respondents’ perceptions of safety. The interactions between respondents’ characteristics and question-order effects were also explored. The simple question-order effect was not found for the overall sample, but further examination revealed that respondent characteristics such as sex and victim status interact with the arrangement of questions. The implications of the findings for victimization survey research, and more generally for studies using surveys as a primary tool, are discussed.     

Reasons for Lack of Consensus in Forensic Pathologist Interpretation of Photographs of Patterns of Injury of the Skin,

In a previous study, a survey‐based analysis of pathologist diagnoses of patterned injury in which participants were asked makes diagnoses from photographs in the absence of history or context. The level of consensus was low. A follow‐up survey was created to ask those who responded to the first survey why they answered as they did or why they were unsure of their answers. The most common reason for lack of consensus was that the lesion was nonspecific. Responses invoking ambiguity were more common than those that indicated a confident difference in diagnosis. There were differences between demographic groups, with age and experience being most prominent. These findings suggest that differences in image interpretation do not generally reflect firm differences in diagnosis as much as differing ways of dealing with ambiguity in the absence of history and context. A third survey will study the effect of the addition of contextual information.     

Perceptions of Neighbourhood Safety and Policy Response: A Qualitative Approach

Safety perceptions of residents are often analysed through surveys and compared with factual crime developments. Using the Dutch city of Rotterdam as an urban context of improved crime levels, this article provides a critique on standardised surveys in the research of safety perceptions and its presupposed connection to factual crime. Contrasting survey results from the Rotterdam Safety Index with qualitative data from 64 in-depth interviews in four districts, the qualitative narrative contradicts findings from the survey and implies more nuanced and diversified policy responses to safety issues. Because of the tendency of surveys to connect safety perceptions to factual crime, their unsuitability to catch subtle perceptions and their inability to expose new viewpoints, we argue for de-quantification: a lesser dependency on—but not a repeal of—survey data in this area, supplemented by a periodic qualitative approach in the research of crime and safety information (qualitative monitoring).     

Medicare program; granting and withdrawal of deeming authority to national accreditation organizations--HCFA. Final rule

This rule implements section 1865(a) of the Social Security Act, as amended by sections 2345 and 2346 of the Deficit Reduction Act of 1984 and section 6019 of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1989. The amendments expand the types of providers and suppliers of services that we may consider to meet conditions of participation or certification, nursing home requirements, or conditions for coverage by virtue of their accreditation by a national accreditation program; these providers and suppliers are also subject to validation surveys. The rule also extends confidentiality to accreditation surveys, other than home health agency surveys, done by accreditation programs in addition to the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, except that we may disclose survey and related information to the extent that such information relates to an enforcement action we take on the basis of accreditation survey findings. The rule also provides for: the release to, and use by, HCFA of all accreditation surveys and other relevant information even if a provider or supplier is not subject to a validation survey; the removing of deemed status of a facility based on a validation survey, an accreditation survey, or other information related to either; and appeal procedures for denied or withdrawn approval.     

1998 NATIONWIDE SURVEY OF THE LEGAL STATUS OF PARENT EDUCATION

This article reports the findings of a legislative survey conducted to determine the legal status of parent education in the United States. Specifically, this survey reveals that since 1994. the number of states that enacted legislation authorizing or mandating attendance at parent education programs has more than quadrupled. The article features a state-by-state analysis of the various legal models currently in effect, including the source of authority, attendence model, and legal circumstances giving rise to participation. A capsule summary describing specific characteristics of the governing law of each state is also provided for reference.     

Public corruption and fraud in the Netherlands: Research and results

Empirical research by social scientists on public corruption and fraud in the Netherlands has been scarce. Exceptions are research on criminal cases of corruption and, recently, a survey among local government functionaries to establish the extent of public corruption and fraud in the country. The article presents the conceptual framework and the results of this survey research on local corruption and fraud. A discussion of the findings concludes the article: How serious is the problem of Dutch public corruption and fraud? To stimulate comparative research, the questionnaire is added in an Appendix.     

The Language of Miranda Warnings in American Jurisdictions: A Replication and Vocabulary Analysis

Miranda warnings are remarkably heterogeneous in their language, length, and content. Past research has focused mostly on individual Miranda warnings. Lacking in generalizability, these studies have limited applicability to both public policy and professional practice. A large-scale survey by R. Rogers et al. [2007b, Law and Human Behavior, 31, 177-192] examined Miranda warnings from across the United States and documented striking differences in the length, content, and reading comprehension. In moving from single jurisdiction studies to nationally representative research, the replication of the Rogers et al. survey is essential. With an additional 385 general Miranda warnings, most of the original findings were confirmed; this replication allows Miranda researchers to use findings based upon nationally-representative warnings for their subsequent research. Beyond reading comprehension, the study makes an original contribution to the understanding of Miranda vocabulary that is often infused with abstruse words and legalistic terms. It provides the first analysis of sentence complexity, which affects both Miranda comprehension and retention. As a result of these analyses, preliminary guidelines are provided for increasing the comprehension and understanding of Miranda warnings.     

Age and meanings of violence: women's experiences of partner violence in Finland

The first survey carried out in Finland specifically to study men's violence against women showed that partner violence is quite common in Finland and it is directed especially toward young women. The statistical findings don't support the idea that violence has become more widespread in Finland. Life situation factors that are usually viewed as making women vulnerable to spousal violence, such as having children, cohabiting, low educational level, and financial dependency on the male partner, failed to explain partnership violence against women in Finland as such, too. The author's objective is to find out whether meanings of violence have changed and whether this could be one reason why young women report in a survey such cases of violence that other women would not. This could explain why violence in partnerships is so common among young women in Finland.     

Differential perceptions of the seriousness of male violence against female intimate partners among Jews and Arabs in Israel

Crime seriousness studies have consistently shown wide consensus regarding the high perceived seriousness of violent offenses. However, socio-cultural models suggest wide variability between social groups with regard to the seriousness of certain types of violent crime. This is particularly true in the case of male violence against female intimate partners. The present study examines these contradictory propositions in Israel focusing on its two main ethnic groups--Jews and Arabs. In an attitudinal survey, respondents were required to evaluate the seriousness of hypothetical crime scenarios representing a number of criminal offenses including male violence against female intimate partners. As expected, the findings revealed significantly more permissive attitudes to male violence against female intimate partners among Arab respondents than among Jews. The implications of these findings are discussed.     

The Darkest Figure of Crime: Perceptions of Reasons for Male Inmates to Not Report Sexual Assault

Although sexual assault behind bars is recognized as problematic, very few of the sexual assaults that occur behind bars are officially reported. Many researchers have examined the individual and institutional variables which can help predict an inmate’s probability of being victimized by his fellow inmates. With a sample obtained from a sample of eight Texas prisons, the current survey will disentangle the individual, institutional, and individual–institutional level variables which contribute to the rationales behind inmates choosing to report or not report sexually assaultive behavior. The findings somewhat mirror the findings of sexual assaults in the free community, with inmates indicating that the primary reasons to not report include embarrassment, fear of harassment, and retaliation from the perpetrator.     

Universities and the teaching of forensic sciences to lawyers—a note *

This article presents the findings of the survey conducted among business and accountancy students of the Nanyang Business School, Singapore, on the teaching of business law. The article is organised in three main sections. Section 1 formulates the framework for the research by outlining the three basic approaches adopted across many jurisdictions for the legal education of business students—the traditionalist ("black‐letter law"), the environmentalist and mixed approaches. Section 2 briefly describes the survey questions drawn up in the light of four principal objectives that, according to legal educators, the teaching of business law should achieve. Section 3 presents and examines the findings. The article concludes that law teaching at the Nanyang Business School conforms to the traditional approach. The author accordingly makes recommendations for the transformation of current teaching and assessment medthods: an injection of a great deal of “environmental” content and context‐based education; more use of actual and current cases, practical examples and a link to the business environment.     

A CRITICAL REVIEW OF CHILD CUSTODY EVALUATION REPORTS

This study examined 52 child custody reports drafted by doctoral-level psychologists from across the United States to determine (a) the nature, scope, and quality of the evaluation process as reflected in report content; (b) the degree to which practice as documented in reports is congruent with practice as described by survey data; and (c) the manner in which evaluation results are communicated to the court. In general, the findings suggest that evaluation procedures identified in reports are consistent with those described in past survey research and with custody guidelines. Evaluations tend to be court ordered, comprehensive, and well written. Ways in which reports can be improved were identified.     

The Future of Work and U.S. Public Opinion on Noncompete Law: Evidence from a Conjoint Experiment

Although policymakers have recently shown a keen interest in noncompete reform, a gap exists in the literature concerning what the U.S. public's preferences are regarding noncompetes. Therefore, this article presents the empirical findings of a nationally-representative survey of the American public on the noncompete law governing employees. Based on the results of a conjoint experiment within the survey, this article finds that the U.S public prefers that noncompetes be used to protect any types of confidential information, rather than simply customer lists or employee training investments. Additionally, the findings do not show clear support either for or against noncompete exemptions based on an employee's earnings level. However, this article finds that the U.S. public prefers a noncompete exemption for physicians, a shorter maximum duration for the noncompete period, and a legal mandate that departing employees subject to noncompetes receive some compensation from the employer during the noncompete period. Consequently, this article argues that employers should engage in greater self-regulation if they would like to mitigate the risk not only that legislators will respond to public sentiment favoring more employee-friendly policies by enacting a total or near-total ban on noncompetes, but also that judges will find the noncompetes to be unreasonable.     

我国警察体能评价体系研究

警察体能是指警察在先天具有的遗传素质与后天经过训练形成的身体有形能力和无形能力共同构成一个多层次的相对独立而有机的内稳态自组织系统结构。它是由身体形态结构、身体机能、身体素质、智力、心理、适应能力、健康状况等部分组成的复杂而有机的内稳态自组织系统结构。应建立我国警察体能的评价指标体系，进而对体能各级指标体系进行分析，以期对警察体能评价体系有新的认识。     

A comparative evaluation of a new generation jail

This study reports findings from an evaluation of a new generation jail in a large southwestern state. The jail is one component of a complex containing a traditional jail, an indirect supervision facility (barracks), and the new generation jail. Using survey and operational data, we compare the new generation jail to the other two facilities. The findings provide generally positive support for the effectiveness of the new generation jail. Inmates and staff were much more satisfied with the physical facilities. Staff perceived it as more secure, though they reported only limited advantages in safety and security. Violence and disciplinary problems were substantially lower. However, no savings in staffing levels were noted, nor were there differences in job satisfaction for staff in the new generation jail. We discuss the implications of the findings and suggest additional directions for jail evaluations.     

Low self-control, rational choice, and student test cheating

Using scenario-based survey data from a sample of 330 university students, this study examined the effects of low self-control, rational choice variables, and control measures on intentions to cheat on a college exam. A moderate bivariate association was observed between low self-control and cheating intentions. However, a series of multivariate regression equations showed that low selfcontrol did not have a significant effect on intentions to cheat once the influence of other variables, especially anticipated shame, were controlled. Furthermore, findings supported the rational choice framework in explaining student decisions to cheat. Implications regarding these findings are discussed.     

Checks and balances in a unicameral parliament: The case of the Danish minority referendum

Parliamentary students from James Madison onwards have argued that bi‐cameral legislatures provide more efficient checks on parliamentary majorities than unicameral legislatures. Yet there is a growing tendency to abolish second chambers or to establish unicameral parliaments. This note challenges the case for bicameralism through a study of Art. 42 of the Danish Constitution (which allows one‐third of the MPs to demand a referendum on bills enacted by the majority in the Folketinget). It is formally shown that the minority veto efficiently prevents the majority from enacting changes to the status quo without acknowledging the position of the minority party. The findings are contrasted with survey findings and interviews with MPs.     

The virtuosos of policing

This paper reports the findings of a nationwide survey undertaken in order to address the issue of who the experts are in the field of law enforcement management. The results reflect the opinion of the leadership of the nation’s most prominent practitioner and academic professional criminal justice and law enforcement organizations. Thirty-seven individuals emerge as the leading law enforcement management experts-the virtuosos. Of these, eight are characterized as the nation’s elite.