Prison size,overcrowding, prison violence,and recidivism

Contrary to a widespread belief about the undesirability of relatively large prisons, a review of the criminological literature yields no empirical evidence that prison size influences behavior inside or after leaving prison. The English prison statistics show that prison offenses, and more specifically assaults, are less likely in larger prisons. However, it was impossible in these analyses to control for the kinds of inmates in each prison. In a more controlled analysis of correctional effectiveness (defined as the difference between predicted and actual reconviction rates), there was a strong tendency for the more overcrowded prisons to be less effective. Size was only weakly related to effectiveness, and this association was reduced further after controlling for overcrowding. It was concluded that an important priority for governmental agencies should be to reduce overcrowding in prisons.     

Occurrence of barbiturate, benzodiazepine, meprobamate, methaqualone and phenothiazine in car occupants killed in traffic accidents in the south of Sweden

An investigation of the following psychoactive drugs: barbiturate, benzodiazepine, meprobamate, methaqualone and phenothiazine, was performed on all automobile occupants killed in accidents in southern Sweden during 1977 and 1978. Of 122 drivers and 55 passengers analysed, low concentrations of these drugs were found in nine drivers and in five passengers. Thus, 7.3% of the drivers were driving under the influence of drugs and, of these, two drivers (1.6% of all analysed drivers) were also inebriated. Twenty-three per cent of the drivers were inebriated only. According to the circumstances in the accidents and the number of drivers whose analyses proved positive, drug influence seldom seems to be the cause of fatal traffic accidents.     

Police attitudes toward the utilization of civilian employees

Given that the disposition of patrol officers significantly affect the implementation of policy, the attitudes of patrolmen toward utilization of civilian personnel in two department differing in their rate of civilianization, were compared in this study. Based on a random sample, consisting of approximately 25% of the patrolmen from each department, attitudes toward each of three examined aspects of civilianzation were more positive among officers from the more civilianized department. After controlling for socioeconomic variables, it was also determined that younger, more educated and less experienced patrolmen, respectively, held motte positive belief about civilian usage.     

The Idiom of Legalism in Bar Politics: Lawyers, McCarthyism, and the Civil Rights Era

This paper considers the political role of the organized bar from three perspectives: the historical question of the stance taken by bar associations during the major civil rights debates of the post-World War II period; the sociological question of the extent to which legal associations can act collectively on highly contentious political issues; and the legal question concerning the implications of legal formalism for the politics of the bar. Contrary to the belief that legalism is an inherently conservative means of justifying professional inaction on fundamental issues, the paper argues that in fact legalism may well be the most important basis of intra-professional consensus on those issues as well as the most powerful means by which the profession can influence state and national governments. Legalism can be understood as a common professional idiom which allows mobilization on divisive issues. It can be used in support of both liberal and conservative causes. In this sense, within certain limits, legalism is neutral–an expedient which enables the profession to act politically in circumstances which otherwise would effectively immobilize its collegial associations.