Ancillary consequences of employee theft

The majority of research on employee theft considered the characteristics and predictors of workplace misconduct. When consequences were considered, research centered on the economic losses arising out of workplace offending. This article addresses the ancillary consequences of employee theft. Interviews were conducted with 457 business owners, managers, supervisors, and other employees to assess their experiences with employee theft. By fully understanding the costs, businesses can be prepared to carry out strategies that would offset many of the negative consequences resulting from workplace misconduct.     

The layered prisoners' dilemma: Ingroup versus macro-efficiency

In the N-prisoners' dilemma (NPD), cooperation produces ingroup efficiency. But if ingroup gains from cooperation are less than outgroup losses, then macro-efficiency for the collectivity (defined as ingroup plus outgroup) is harmed. We call this situation a layered prisoners' dilemma (LPD). The LPD models diverse real world situations — from OPEC's effect on consumers to interest groups' effect on citizens. We developed an experimental analogue to test three hypotheses about LPD behavior. We found that subjects' behavior was not motivated by a concern for macro-efficiency but, instead, was a function of ingroup interaction. Specifically, ingroup discussion decreased macro-efficient behavior, but the amount of the decrease depended on decision-making structures and ingroup perceptions of outgroup worthiness. The results suggest that macro-inefficient behavior will be ubiquitous due to the ease with which subjects form ingroups. But the results also suggest tactics for constraining macro-inefficient behavior, though the success of the tactics depends on the existence of crosscutting group loyalities. We wish to acknowledge with graditude the help of Robyn Dawes, Carnegie Mellon University; John Francis, University of Utah; Mike Lyons, Utah State University; and John Orbell, University of Oregon.     

Predictive validity of the Structured Assessment of Violence Risk in Youth (SAVRY) during residential treatment

This prospective study examines the predictive validity of the Dutch version of the Structured Assessment of Violence Risk in Youth (SAVRY) by examining relationships between SAVRY scores and various types of disruptive behavior during residential treatment. The SAVRY, a risk assessment instrument, was coded for 66 male adolescents on the basis of file information and interviews. The adolescents were referred to Rentray, a juvenile correctional and treatment facility, by the Dutch juvenile courts because of severe behavioral problems or serious offenses. Institutional infractions were retrieved from incident registration files, which included acts of physical violence, verbal threat, verbal abuse, and violation of institutional rules. The interrater reliability of the SAVRY scores was good. The predictive validity of the SAVRY for physical violence against persons was excellent (Risk Total: AUC=.80, r =.33; Summery Risk Rating: AUC =.86, r =.48). The SAVRY also had good predictive validity for violence against objects, verbal threats and violations of rules, but not for verbal abuse. Implications for assessment and management of violent behavior among adolescents in residential treatment are discussed.     

Brokering Access Beyond the Border and in the Wild: Comparing Freedom of Information Law and Policy in Canada and the United States

Contributing to literature on jurisdictional variation in freedom of information (FOI) law and policy, we draw from accounts of experiences of FOI requests submitted to police agencies in nine Canadian provinces and ten US states. We conceptualize these experiences using notions of “brokering access,” “law in the wild,” and “feral law.” Our findings demonstrate key differences in how public police agencies store, prepare, and disclose information at municipal and provincial/state levels in Canada and the US, meaning that FOI‐related feral lawyering in Canada and the United States differs and fluctuates because of the variation in the mode of contact with FOI coordinators, fee estimate practices, and procedures for and responsiveness to appeals. In conclusion, we discuss the implications of our findings for methodological and sociolegal literature about FOI requests and for provincial/state FOI policies in both countries.     

Fracking in New York State: Weighing Risks and Benefits

The controversial decision to ban fracking in New York State, most notably in the Marcellus Shale formation, was informed by global, national, state, and local issues that have general relevance. Without prejudging whether fracking can be undertaken safely, we discuss the science of fracking, focusing primarily on widely reported public health and environmental risks, especially those associated with greenhouse gas emissions. Based upon such concerns, any reconsideration of the fracking ban in New York should include, at a minimum, consideration of imposing public and environmental health risk management requirements as proven feasible and successful via industry experience. Fracking should be viewed as one choice among alternative energy strategies, all of which pose risks, rather than simplistically classified as either safe or unsafe. Assuming that our energy needs will continue to grow, our goal should be to guide the evolution of our energy portfolio toward sustainable sources as they emerge as feasible energy alternatives.     

Testing Gottfredson and Hirschi’s “low self-control” stability hypothesis: An exploratory study

In Gottfredson and Hirschi’s (1990)A General Theory of Crime, criminal and analogous behaviors are argued to be the result of a stable individual psychological trait referred to as “low self-control.” In this article, we test the proposition that low self-control is a stable characteristic. We conduct a two-wave panel study that measures the self-reported self-control of college students at two relatively close time points. Our test of the stability hypothesis includes conducting four separate analyses of the data (t-tests, correlations, individual change scores, and HLM analyses). In general, we find that most of the dimensions of self-control, and the overall self-control construct, appear to be relatively stable across this short period of time. However, given that the measurements were taken closely together and that we do not find correlations as strong as might be expected, at points the strength of the stability is somewhat unclear. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Criminology, Chicago, November 1996.     

Identification of the unidentified deceased and locating next of kin: experience with a UID web site page, Fulton County, Georgia

BACKGROUND: Medical examiner and coroner offices may face difficulties in trying to achieve identification of deceased persons who are unidentified or in locating next of kin for deceased persons who have been identified. The Fulton County medical examiner (FCME) has an office web site which includes information about unidentified decedents and cases for which next of kin are being sought. METHODS: Information about unidentified deceased and cases in need of next of kin has been posted on the FCME web site for 3 years and 1 year, respectively. FCME investigators and staff medical examiners were surveyed about the web site's usefulness for making identifications and locating next of kin. RESULTS: No cases were recalled in which the web site led to making an identification. Two cases were reported in which next of kin were located, and another case involved a missing person being ruled out as one of the decedents. The web site page is visited by agencies interested in missing and unidentified persons, and employees do find it useful for follow-up because information about all unidentified decedents is located and easily accessible, electronically, in a single location. CONCLUSIONS: Despite low yield in making identifications and locating next of kin, the UID web site is useful in some respects, and there is no compelling reason to discontinue its existence. It is proposed that UID pages on office web sites be divided into "hot" (less than 30 days, for example) and "warm" (31 days to 1 year, for example) cases and that cases older than a year be designated as "cold cases." It is conceivable that all unidentified deceased cases nationally could be placed on a single web site designed for such purposes, to remain in public access until identity is established and confirmed.