Education and Career Satisfaction: Examining the Specifics of the Relationship Among Criminal Justice Graduates

Several studies have considered the source of job satisfaction across different types of criminal justice professionals. This article identifies factors related to job satisfaction among graduates from a criminal justice program. The authors use a sample of 236 criminal justice graduates to explore the role of education in reports of career satisfaction. Findings indicate that graduates who felt they received adequate training in the social sciences were more likely to report satisfaction with their careers. Perceptions of preparation for careers/graduate study also were related to job satisfaction. Perceptions of course availability and independent studies/research opportunities also played a role. Implications are provided.     

Buying schools with social capital: how local response to state reform fosters education revenue inequality

In this article, the author tests the hypothesis that social capital leads to greater inequality in public school revenue. Research has linked social capital – the manifestation of social networks of trust and shared norms – to efforts that can alleviate inequality. By conducting a comparative analysis of the counties and school districts in California, this article finds competing evidence. Instead, the author finds that local areas with more membership associations generate more revenue for their schools, despite efforts by the state government to equalise revenue across districts. The local residents appear to be increasing their revenue by using their social capital to generate the collective action needed to increase their property-tax contribution.     

Fired Up,Ready to Go: The Impact of Age,Campaign Enthusiasm,and Civic Duty on African American Voting

Political Behavior - Does the decision to vote signify that African Americans are “fired up” (i.e., that they are excited about the election), or is it a function of Blacks’...     

Forming a security community: lessons from ASEAN

At its Ninth Summit in October 2003 the Association of SouthEast Asian Nations (ASEAN) announced its intention to createan ASEAN Community based upon three pillars: ASEAN EconomicCommunity, ASEAN Security Community and an ASEAN Socio-CulturalCommunity. A year later ASEAN established the Vientiane ActionProgramme to realise this goal. The official discourse of communitybuilding is complemented by a vibrant academic debate over whetherASEAN's norms indicate that it is a nascent security communityready to transform itself into a fully-fledged security community.In this article I argue that ASEAN has never been a nascentsecurity community but has instead been a security regime andtherefore its norm compliance does not provide evidence of communitybuilding. If ASEAN is to form a security community then newsocialising norms will need to emerge, which will need to includethe active involvement of regional civil society organisationsin order to bring plurality to ASEAN decision making. Only thenwill the people of ASEAN be able to take ownership of the communitybuilding process. Received for publication December 14, 2005. Accepted for publication July 13, 2006.     

Distinctiveness of Adolescent and Emerging Adult Romantic Relationship Features in Predicting Externalizing Behavior Problems

Romantic relationship involvement has repeatedly been associated with the incidence of externalizing behavior problems, but little is known about the nature and developmental significance of this relation. The current study extends previous research by investigating whether and through what processes romantic relationships distinctively predict externalizing behavior problems during adolescence compared to emerging adulthood. Data came from the Minnesota Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children. As predicted, higher levels of romantic relationship security at 16 years were associated with lower levels of externalizing behavior problems during both adolescence and emerging adulthood, but this inverse relation was stronger for emerging adults than for adolescents. This relation was not attributable either to earlier quality of family and peer relationships or emerging adulthood competence. Thus, security of romantic relationships may become increasingly predictive of individual differences in externalizing behavior problems as individuals move from adolescence to emerging adulthood.

Coping with youth suicide and overdose: one community's efforts to investigate, intervene, and prevent suicide contagion

From 2000-2005, Somerville, MA, experienced a number of youth overdoses and suicides. The community response followed CDC recommendations for contagion containment. A community coalition, Somerville Cares About Prevention, became a pivotal convener of community partners and a local research organization, the Institute for Community Health, provided needed expertise in surveillance and analysis. Mayoral leadership provided the impetus for action while community activists connected those at risk with mental health resources. Using a variety of data sources (including death certificates, youth risk surveys, 911 call data, and hospital discharges) overdose and suicide activity were monitored. Rates of suicide and overdose for 10-24-year-olds were higher than in previous years. Using case investigation methods, the majority of suicide victims were found to be linked through common peer groups and substance abuse. Subsequent community action steps included: a community-based trauma response team, improved media relationships, focus groups for suicide survivors, and prevention trainings to community stakeholders. Youth suicide and overdose activity subsided in May of 2005. The community partnerships were critical elements for developing a response to this public health crisis. This collaborative approach to suicide contagion used existing resources and provides important lessons learned for other communities facing similar circumstances.     

Corruption and Popular Support for Democracy and Government in Transitional Contexts: The Case of Kyrgyzstan

Abstract

Many studies have argued that corruption undermines perceived democratic legitimacy, trust in state institutions, and government support. However, few prior studies have included transitional or hybrid regimes in their analyses, or simultaneously examined multiple aspects of this relationship. Using focus groups and a nationally representative survey conducted throughout a tumultuous transitional period in Kyrgyzstan, we find evidence for our hypotheses that citizens with greater corruption concerns will be more pro-democratic when evaluating democracy or its institutional components in the abstract; yet, they distrust existing government institutions. Even in a hybrid regime lacking democratic experience, citizens exhibit attributes of distrusting democrats.     

Black Cricket,the College at Haringey and the England and Wales Cricket Board

This article makes a contribution, based on previously unseen archival materials, to debates about the so-called ‘decline’ of black cricket in England. It discusses the historical context of the development of black cricket in the postwar period and presents a case study of the Haringey Cricket College—1984–1997—a black-led project in and around the deprived areas of Tottenham, north London, which, during the period of its existence, produced more first class cricketers than many of the most expensive, elite ‘cricket schools’ in England. In so doing, it achieved national and international acclaim. The article goes on to provide detailed evidence regarding the closure of the college, arguing that the college's demise should not be seen simply as part of a wider process of decreasing interest in cricket within England's black communities, but involved active decisions by the cricket establishment not to support the college. The article raises wider questions about when and how it has been possible to be perceived as legitimately black and English in cricketing terms, and how cricket's authorities should respond to these historical problems.