Public definitions and endorsement of the criminalization of elder abuse

A longitudinal cross sectional ten-year study was conducted measuring public attitudes toward the definition and criminalization of elder abuse. The study found that the public endorsed a fairly broad definition of elder abuse and that this definition of elder abuse was fairly stable over time. Subjects also strongly endorsed the creation of misdemeanor and felony statutes and strongly endorsed the use of prison to punish elder abusers. The subjects also believed that the criminalization of elder abuse would be effective in reducing elder abuse.     

Religiosity and stress for police officers

Much of the research which has been conducted to date regarding stress and police officers has focused on identifying the presence of stress, associating stress with specific stressors, and comparing levels of stress between police officers and members of other professions. This project focused on the influence of one potential mediator of stress—religious activity. Data were collected from a population of law enforcement officers from a medium sized city and from a comparison group of firefighters from the same city. The data indicate that religiosity has two factors (1) traditional beliefs and activities and (2) religious satisfaction and perceived influence of religion on subject’s everyday lives. The second factor was found to be negatively related to stress for police officers. As religious satisfaction and perceived influence increase, stress increases.     

Sentence disparity in the federal courts and the adoption of sentencing guidelines

Pressure in the 1970's to reform the sentencing process can be attributed to a change in perceived public sentiment regarding the utility of treatment and to the belief that sentencing disparity was a severe problem in the sentencing process. Primary reform occurred in the federal judicial system with the development and implementation of rigorous sentencing guidelines. An evaluation of sentencing patterns for one federal judicial district indicates that sentencing disparity was not severe. Most federal offenders are relatively mild and consistently receive relatively mild sentences.     

Reports of our death are greatly exaggerated: A study of criminal justice academic program survival in Alabama

It has been suggested that the reduction of and eventual termination of LEEP funds for the education of inservice justice system employees would lead to a reduction in the size of criminal justice academic programs with attendant termination of many programs. However, academic programs are rarely terminated and tend to develop their own constituencies. This study examined the survivability of criminal justice academic programs in Alabama and found that while there may have been a reduction in size at some point, the criminal justice programs continue to survive, are experiencing growth in student population, and have longterm plans for program development.     

A study of the outcomes of probation officers and risk-screening instruments classifications

Risk-screening instruments have become quite popular in assisting probation officers in determining the level of supervision which their clients should receive while they serve their sentence in the community. This study compares the outcome of probation officers' classifications with predictions of likelihood of success derived from four risk-screening instruments. The results indicate that probation officers' predictions were better than two of the risk-screening instruments, were as accurate as another, and not as accurate as the fourth in determining the probability that the probationer would successfully complete the terms of probation. The findings of this study are discussed in terms of the cost issue involved in classifying offenders for probation supervision.     

Age of greatest risk for victimization by forced sexual intercourse: Vulnerability of high school women

Data were collected from three studies over an eight–year period, which produced a sample of 868 female college students at a southern university. The three data sets were combined to permit an assessment of the extent to which reported victimization occurred among students before coming to the university rather than during their college experience, and to examine the nature of force in intimate relationships among maturing adolescents. About half of the subjects reported that their last victimization occurred while in high school, thus they were younger and less mature at the time of their victimizations. The researchers note that these two factors raise concern as adolescent girls may not be prepared to adequately define or protect themselves from inappropriate use of force in dating relationships, as the literature reports that both the development of sexuality and a redefinition of the use of force in childhood play are occurring at this point in their development, increasing the potential for victimization.     

Forced Sexual Intercourse Among Intimates

A survey of the prevalence of forced sexual intercourse reported rates approximately equivalent to those noted in other studies that used similar methods. Twenty-two investigations that measured the incidence and prevalence of forced sexual intercourse were reviewed. A comparison was made of the definitions presented, the sampling procedures, the time span of the studies, the geographic locations represented, and the reported rates of forced sexual intercourse. The comparison indicates that much of the variation in prevalence of forced, sexual intercourse can be attributed to variations in investigational methods.