School Engagement Among Youth Entering Probation

Journal of Youth and Adolescence - Strong school engagement is crucial for school success among adolescents and particularly important for reducing recidivism. Yet, little is known about school...     

Together despite the odds: Explaining racial and ethnic heterogeneity in union dissolution after incarceration

The U.S. incarceration rate rose dramatically over the past 45 years, increasing the number of marriages and cohabiting unions disrupted by a jail or prison stay. But as some have pointed out, not all unions dissolve as a result of incarceration, and there seems to be racial–ethnic variation in this tendency, with Blacks displaying higher rates of dissolution than Whites and Hispanics. Yet it is unclear what explains racial–ethnic differences in union dissolution among the incarcerated. Drawing on the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 (NLSY97), we examine why racial–ethnic differences in union dissolution exist among a sample of individuals who had a marital or a cohabiting union interrupted by an incarceration spell. In doing so, we draw on social exchange theory and structural and cultural theories to suggest that racial–ethnic disparities in union dissolution are explained by differential exposure to protective relationship characteristics. The results of Cox hazard models reveal that Blacks have significantly higher hazards of union dissolution than do Whites and Hispanics. These results also indicate that being married, having a child together, having full-time employment, a longer union duration, and a shorter incarceration spell may protect against dissolution and that these factors account, in part, for the greater risk of dissolution among Blacks relative to Whites and Hispanics.     

The Psilocin (4-hydroxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine) and Bufotenine (5-hydroxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine) Case: Ensuring the Correct Isomer has Been Identified

Psilocin (4-hydroxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine, 4-HO-DMT) and bufotenine (5-hydroxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine, 5-HO-DMT), which are both naturally occurring compounds, are classified as controlled substances in numerous countries due to their pharmacological activities and recreational usage. There are two other benzene ring regioisomers, 6-hydroxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (6-HO-DMT) and 7-hydroxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (7-HO-DMT), which are not classified by name as controlled substances, and which were synthesized for this current work. The four isomers were analyzed using routine methodologies employed by the Israel's Police Division of Identification and Forensic Science (DIFS) Laboratory, namely thin layer chromatography (TLC), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and gas chromatography mass spectroscopy (GC-MS). It was found possible to differentiate the four isomers. Forensic specimens that were suspected to be psilocybe mushrooms were examined, confirming that it is now possible to unequivocally identify the presence of psilocin and rule out the presence of its other isomers.     

Estimating Crime Laboratory Efficiency in the Testing of Sexual Assault Kits,

Over the past decade, the large numbers of untested sexual assault kits (SAKs) have been highlighted as a systematic problem that jeopardizes or delays justice for victims. Considering the benefits of testing SAKs, researchers have worked to shed light on why sexual assault evidence has not been effectively submitted to and processed by crime laboratories. Missing from this discourse has been an understanding of the types of practices or qualities that encourage efficiency in the testing of SAKs in crime laboratories. We analyzed results of a national survey administered to all publicly funded state and local crime laboratories (N = 132 respondents) to provide critical information about (i) the extent to which laboratories are testing all of the SAKs possible given the resources they have available; and (ii) the impact that staffing, equipment, policies, and other practices have on SAK testing efficiency. We find that the average laboratory tests only about 69% of the SAKs possible given the resources available to them. However, although technical inefficiencies explain a large proportion of the number of untested SAKs, the accumulation of untested SAKs must also be attributed to laboratories having insufficient resources (e.g., too few forensic analysts). Moreover, results from stochastic frontier models show that doubling the number of forensic analysts in the typical laboratory would allow them to expand their SAK testing capacity by nearly 50%. Implications of these findings are discussed as they relate to the prioritization of resources for crime laboratories, which often operate under strict budgetary realities.     

The Dynamic Interdependence of Developmental Domains Across Emerging Adulthood

Emerging adulthood is a period in which profound role changes take place across a number of life domains including finance, romance, and residence. On the basis of dynamic systems theory, change in one domain should be related to change in another domain, because the concept of development according to this approach is a relational one. To evaluate this hypothesis dynamic systems analysis was applied to data from narrative interviews of 200 respondents covering the years between 17 and 27 to examine how change in one domain affects change in another domain. In each dyad, the fit of the model significantly deteriorated when the coupling between domains was removed providing support for the assumption of interdependency. On average, assuming greater responsibility in one domain was associated with assuming greater responsibility in the other domain. However, imbalances were also observed in which role assumption in one domain far exceeded role assumption in another domain. These imbalances can have detrimental effects and indicate the utility of a balanced approach to development. The findings underscore the importance of studying the relational unit between domains, which is critical to understanding development over time within domains. Post-Doctoral Research fellow in Geriatric Neuro-Psychiatry at Columbia University, College of Physicians and Surgeons and the New York State Psychiatric Institute. He received his PhD in Clinical Psychology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and his major research interests include statistical methods for evaluating psychiatric nosology, late-life depression, and the stability and change of personality and personality disorders across the lifespan. Research Scientist at the University of Virginia. He received his PhD in Quantitative Psychology at the University of Virginia. His primary interests are in longitudinal data and applying dynamical concepts to structural equation modeling and multilevel methodology. Professor of Psychology at the University of Southern California. He received his PhD in Psychology at Hofstra University. He is principal investigator of the NIA funded National Growth and Change Study and has primary interests in the dynamics of cognitive ability over life span with special emphasis on longitudinal research designs, methodology, and statistical modeling. Research Scientist at New York State Psychiatric Institute and Professor of Public Health (Epidemiology) in Psychiatry at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and Columbia University School of Public Health. She received her PhD in social psychology at New York University. Major interests include quantitative methodology and statistics, developmental psychopathology, and lifespan development. Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. He received his M.D. and Ph.D. in Biostatistics in China. His research interests include epidemiological studies, quality of life, and multivariate statistical methods.     

Common Sense, Competence, and Talent in the Public Service in the USA: Finding The Right Mix In A Complex World

In the career civil service the US federal government has long been guided by a merit system. This article traces how the principle of merit in appointment and promotion has developed since the nineteenth century and examines contemporary applications of competency frameworks in the US – their development, character, strengths and weaknesses. If core competency discussions and frameworks are to have a broader impact at both the government wide and the agency level, the frameworks will have to be disentangled. Existing notions of competencies for the political appointees, the leadership echelons of the career service, the rest of the career service, the entire government, central agencies, individual agencies, and badly needed future leaders not only suggest superhuman abilities, but also contain seriously conflicting expectations.