SOCIAL ECOLOGY AND RECIDIVISM: IMPLICATIONS FOR PRISONER REENTRY*

Despite the marked increase in incarceration over the past 30 years and the fact that roughly two thirds of released offenders are rearrested within 3 years of release, we know little about how the social ecology of the areas to which offenders return may influence their recidivism or whether it disproportionately affects some groups more than others. Drawing on recent scholarship on prisoner reentry and macrolevel predictors of crime, this study examines a large sample of prisoners released to Florida communities to investigate how two dimensions of social ecology—resource deprivation and racial segregation—may independently, and in interaction with specific populations, influence recidivism. The findings suggest that ecology indeed is consequential for recidivism, and it differentially influences some groups more than others. We discuss these findings and their implications for theory, research, and policy.     

‘Getting Tough’ With Youth Legislative waiver as crime control

In the rush to punish juvenile offenders and to reform the juvenile justice system, legislatures have redefined the philosophy of juvenile justice and restructured the waiver process. As the convergence of juvenile and adult systems continues, the future of juvenile justice has become the new object of politicalization. This paper critiques the politics of ‘get-tough’ legislation and the implications of legislative waivers. The authors review the language and intent of waiver reforms, images of juvenile justice and the concept of crime control.     

The Keys to Legislative Success in the U.S. House of Representatives

Our research addresses how individual member behavior and institutional variables affect legislative success in the U.S. House of Representatives. Using new measures of activity from the 103d Congress (1993–94), a count dependent variable, and negative binomial regression, our analysis assesses member effectiveness. We find that a member's activity level encourages legislative success, but gains are limited when members speak or sponsor too frequently. Our results provide a clearer picture of the role of legislative context and the relevance of institutions in determining a member's legislative successes and failures.     

GENDER EQUALITY AND THE SEX RATIO OF INTIMATE KILLING*

This study examines variance in the sex ratio of intimate killing (SROK) across U.S. cities. The research primarily focuses on the influence that varying degrees of gendered economic equality have on the SROK. Also, we examine this relationship in economic and regional/cultural contexts. The results of OLS regression analyses reveal a significant negative influence of female economic equality (as measured by the sex ratios of employment) on the SROK. In addition, we find that this influence is contingent on general economic well-being and more traditional cultural orientations to gender roles. Overall, the findings clearly indicate that variation in the SROK is related to the structural features of communities. Theoretical implications are discussed and directions for future research suggested.     

The Impact of Unified Party Government on Campaign Contributions

This article examines the connection between unified party government and campaign contributions. Our central argument is that unified party government confers a substantial, but previously overlooked, fundraising advantage to intra‐chamber majority parties. We examined data on corporate campaign contributions to U.S. House incumbents and state legislators in 17 different legislative chambers. We found a strong fundraising benefit accruing to intra‐chamber majority status across all of these legislatures, but the benefit is heavily conditioned by the presence of unified or divided government. The results offer important implications for our understanding of the financial balance of power in American politics and for the vast scholarly literature on unified party government.     

Macro Expectations for the Second Half of 2013

DESPITE continuing efforts by major central banks around the world to prop up growth by injecting money and credit into their respective economies there are signs that a number of the 10 largest global economies are starting to falter. As a major trading power, China is not immune to slowing growth abroad and will likely continue to feel a chill from relatively cool economies, including the U.S., Germany, France and others that were cool to begin with.