Mail vs. telephone surveys of criminal justice attitudes: A comparative analysis

This study compares results from surveys using two modes of administration. A subset of questions from the 1992Texas Crime Poll, a statewide poll conducted annually by mail, was replicated in telephone interviews using the Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing System. The phone survey yielded better participation rates but less complete responses to individual attitude questions than did the mail poll. As expected, the mail survey was less expensive but less efficient than the automated phone survey. The central finding was that all but one of the responses to five attitude questions difered significantly across the surveys. The samples differed in their demographic composition, but this did not explain differences in the substantive findings from the mail and phone surveys. The discussion considers alternative explanations for differences in the findings from the two surveys and suggests direction for further comparative research.     

At the Movies: A Continuing Dialogue on the Challenges of Teaching with Film

As part of ISP's ongoing effort to provide a scholarly venue for the exchange of ideas on a variety of topics, this issue's ISP Forum presents one set of reactions to the February 2001 article by Lynn Kuzma and Patrick Haney titled "And Action . . . ! Using Film to Learn About Foreign Policy" (February 2001:33-50). Vincent Pollard's comments represent what we hope will be the first in a series of comments on teaching international studies with film. Profs. Kuzma and Haney in their rejoinder urge for an ongoing discussion of the topic, as they see the use of film growing in the field. More broadly, the Editors of ISP invite readers to submit their own comments and reactions on this and other pieces that appear within the pages of ISP. Please note that all submissions undergo a peer review process.     

Michel Crozier et L'analyse stratégique du phénomène bureaucratique

Nous proposons d'appeler système bureaucratique d'organisation tout système d'organisation dans lequel le circuit erreurs‐informations‐corrections fonctionne mat et où il ne peut y avoir, de ce fait, correction et réadaptation rapide des programmes d'action, en fonction des erreurs commises. Le phéornène bureaucratique. Essai sur les tendances bureaucratiq ues des systèmes d'organisation modernes et sur leurs relations en France avec le système social et culturel. Par mictjel crozier. Poris: Éditions du Seuil, 1963. Pp. 413.     

The Ambiguity of Ideology

This article responds to Rose Gann's 'The Limits of Textbook Ideology' in a previous issue of Politics. It acknowledges that she has performed a service in drawing our attention to the problematic character of the concept, particularly within the ordered world of the academic textbook. However this ambiguity in the concept is not limited to the academic textbook but exists across the whole range of the human and social sciences and is much deeper and more perplexing than her own discussion indicates.     

Four deaths due to intravenous injection of cocaine

Cocaine is a potent psychotropic drug that alters mood and behavior by stimulating the central nervous system. Deaths from abuse of cocaine are relatively rare. Most such deaths appear to be related to the intravenous injection of the drug. Acute fatal cocaine intoxication is characterized by headache, cold sweats, rapid pulse, tremors and nausea, followed by convulsions, unconsciousness and death. The prime mode of death appears to be respiratory paralysis, secondary to the effects of cocaine on the medullary portion of the brain. This paper presents four deaths due to acute cocaine intoxication following intravenous injection. Blood concentrations of cocaine were 0.11, 0.37, 0.36 and 0.75 mg/dl.     

Understanding the relationship between violent victimization and gang membership

Purpose

Research examining factors that precipitate gang violence has contributed substantially to our understanding of gangs and gang activity with respect to offending, yet we still know relatively little about how gangs influence members’ risk of victimization. The current study examines three hypotheses: (1) gang involvement and involvement in other risky lifestyles is related to violent victimization, (2) involvement in gang crime is associated with violent victimization, and (3) the presence of rival gangs is related to violent victimization.

Methods

The present study uses data obtained from 909 recently booked juvenile arrestees who were interviewed as part of the Arizona Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring (ADAM) program.

Results

Our findings indicated that prevalence of violent victimization was highest among gang members, followed by former gang members, gang associates, and non-gang members. After controlling for involvement in gang crime, however, gang membership per se did not significantly influence the juveniles’ risk of serious violent victimization.

Conclusions

Our results call into question the conclusion that gang membership alone increases the likelihood of violent victimization vis-à-vis lifestyle/routine activities and/or collective liability. Instead our findings support prior research on the victim-offender overlap, that offending behaviors increase the risk of victimization.