URBAN TRANSPORT AND CRIME: EVIDENCE FROM UNANTICIPATED MASS TRANSIT STRIKES

We examine the effects of mass transit strikes on criminal behavior in Los Angeles County utilizing a unique dataset of reported crimes between 2000 and 2007. Geocoded location and time information pertaining to each offense accommodates a fine grained difference‐in‐differences panel data analysis. We find that in locations affected by the strike, aggravated assaults rose by 18.7% while aggregate property crimes increased by 5.7%, relative to their mean. This increase in crime was disproportionately larger in lower income neighborhoods, which report higher usage of mass transit, suggesting local isolation of both criminals and victims as a mechanism. (JEL J52, K42, K31)     

Social Control and Delinquent Behavior: An Examination of the Elements of the Social Bond

This research examines the overall and relative effects of the elements of Hirschi's Social Bonding Theory on four separate measures of deviance using data drawn from a sample of 3065 adolescents. The magnitude and direction of the observed relationships moderately support the theory for all four deviant behavior scales; the elements of the bond are more predictive of the less serious forms of deviance than they are of the more serious forms. The element of commitment is more strongly related to deviant behavior than either the element of belief or attachment. A comparison of the theory for males and females demonstrates that the overall model consistently explains more variation in the dependent variables for females than it does for males. The commitment and belief variables are more strongly related to deviant behavior for females than for males while attachment is more important for males. These findings are discussed in relation to the overall viability of social bonding theory.     

未成年人犯罪成因及服刑期间心理状态

近年未成年犯罪问题十分严重,引起了各界广泛关注。对正在服刑的犯罪未成年人的调查发现,导致未成年人犯罪行为的主要原因包括家庭、学校、社会和自身四个方面。当前服刑在押的犯罪未成年人存在的典型心理状态有防御心理、烦恼情绪、悔罪向上心理、幼稚心理和情感冷漠,另有少数人存有敌对仇恨心理,这些心理问题可能会成为他们重返社会时的重大障碍。应该通过提供心理援助,提供基础教育和职业技能教育,建构未成年人犯罪前科消灭制度,落实刑满释放后的社会帮助工作等帮助其克服心理问题,走上积极的人生。     

Criminal Behavior Associated with Pathological Gambling

The influence of addictive gambling behavior on criminal behavior was examined in this study. A sample of pathological gamblers from in- and outpatient treatment centers and self-help groups (n = 300) and a sample of high and low frequency gamblers from the general population and army (n = 274) completed a comprehensive questionnaire which assessed social attachment, personality, pathological gambling and criminal behavior variables. The causal analysis of a Lisrel Model leads to the following results: addictive gambling behavior is an important criminogenic factor. This predisposing factor alone cannot sufficiently explain criminal behavior associated with pathological gambling. Personality variables also directly influence the intensity of criminal behavior. Social attachment variables have only an indirect effect. As far as property offenses are concerned, it was found that the direct causal effect of addiction behavior is greater than that of personality.     

Character Contests and Violent Criminal Conduct: A Critique*

Goffman's theory of violent criminal behavior, which is based upon the complementary notions of “character contest” and “stake in conventional institutions,” is relatively unique in that it makes problematic both the violent criminal act and actor. However, the explanation Goffman's work provides is inadequate for three major reasons. First, mutual consent among the conflicting parties to use violence to settle their dispute rarely occurs in violent criminal acts. Secondly, the meanings with which most violent criminal acts are imbued are different from that of a character contest. Finally, violent people cannot be distinguished from non-violent ones merely on the basis of whether or not they have a stake in conformity. Thus, a more accurate and adequate theory of violent criminal behavior which takes into account both the nature of the violent criminal act and actor is needed. The outlines of such a theory are briefly described.     

Interrogating Whiteness Within Criminology

This paper merges critical White studies with the sociological field of criminology as a means to progress understanding of criminal behavior, justice, and social control. Up to this point, criminology has largely neglected the significance of whiteness within its boundaries of study. Thankfully, a strong foundation of research and theoretical statements has been completed in the interdisciplinary field of critical White studies. The formation of criminal law can be more clearly understood through the inclusion of frameworks offered by critical White studies. Additionally, nuanced explanations of criminal behavior and hate crime among Whites can be attained through this perspective.     

Clarifying Criminological and Social Psychological Theory: A Second Look at the Relationship between Injustice and General Strain Theory

Research in social psychology and criminology reveals a great deal of overlap when explaining the relationship between injustice and criminal or deviant behavior. The organizational justice literature examines how the major forms of justice (distributive, procedural, and interactional) combine and interact to influence criminal or deviant behaviors in the workplace. While general strain theory (GST) recognizes that injustice is an aspect of strain that fosters criminal coping in multiple contexts, it does not detail the additive and interactive effects that these types of injustice may have on crime. Nevertheless, GST can provide a useful theoretical lens for understanding how injustice facilitates criminal behavior. This article provides an overview of major findings regarding the relationship between injustice and crime according to a GST framework, concluding with a discussion of new directions for future research.     

From Parent Verbal Abuse to Teenage Physical Aggression?

Teenagers who were considered status offenders and criminal offenders were randomly matched to a group of teenage non-offenders for age, sex, ethnicity and family structure. The teens rated themselves for aggression, both physical and verbal. They gave their perceptions of physical and verbal aggression between their parents and between their parents and themselves. Substance abuse, runaway behavior and elements of teenage culture such as movies, music and videos were also compared between the two groups. The offenders reported an extreme use of verbal abuse in their families that did not exist for the non-offenders. The teens in the offender group were much more physically aggressive compared to their parents and to the teens and parents in the non-offender group.     

Catching Babies in Prohibition States: Midwives' Accounts for an Illegal Profession

Practicing midwifery is illegal in four states and the District of Columbia. However, midwives still practice as they and much of the public do not see their behavior as criminal. Based on in‐depth interviews with twenty‐six midwives, our findings demonstrate that midwives employed both public and professional accounts. They collectively justified midwifery in prohibition states by condemning their condemners, appealing to higher loyalties, denying injury, and justifying by comparison. We also found a new account, denial of illegality. This research uniquely applies the concept of collective accounts to an illegal but socially acceptable career.     

The Effect of Social Class on the Adjudication of Criminal Cases: Class-linked Behavior Tendencies,Common Sense,and the Interpretive Procedures of Court-appointed Defense Attorneys

This article addresses some important issues concerning the effect of social class on criminal case outcomes. Although the findings reported here support Donald Black's (1989) argument that a defendant's relative social class effects the quantity of law applied to a criminal case, they also indicate that this influence occurs through actors' interpretive procedures. Specifically, one group of court-appointed defense attorneys link behavior tendencies to court actors characterized as different social class types. These behavior tendencies are expressed through the grammar and rhetoric of “common sense”—a knowledge system which is evoked throughout all types of judicial proceedings. The attorneys' expectations of court actors shape their behavior such that lower-class defendants are likely to endure a greater quantity of law. The article concludes with some suggestions on how researchers might reconsider studying the effect of social class on criminal case outcomes.     

Self-identified strengths among youth offenders charged with assault against a non-intimate family member

Youth involved in the criminal justice system are particularly vulnerable to increased risk for continuing offending behaviors since aggressive and/or violent behavior compromise developmental growth. The present study seeks to build on the current literature related to youth offenders by using an exploratory qualitative approach to analyze strength-based asset interviews completed by youth referred to a diversion program. Results revealed four distinctive themes: 1) hardiness, 2) grit, 3) social competence, and 4) empathy. Broadening the scope of research focusing on youth offenders, the present study offers a number of implications for social work practice.     

Familiarity, legitimation, and frequency: the influence of others on the criminal self-view

From an identity theory perspective, reflected appraisals from others are relevant for social behavior, because behavior is motivated by the desire to achieve congruence between reflected appraisals and the self-view for a particular identity. This study extends prior identity theory work from the laboratory setting by examining identity processes with respect to the criminal identity in the unique “natural” setting of a total institution. The findings build on prior work which finds that reflected appraisals do have an influence on identities and behavior by demonstrating that the relationship one has to the source of reflected appraisals is important for the way in which reflected appraisals influence the criminal self-view for an incarcerated population.     

Community Integration of Older People with Developmental Disabilities in Hong Kong

ABSTRACT

To understand the community integration of adults with developmental disabilities in Hong Kong, a comprehensive measure includes four dimensions, pertaining to social activity, social services, interpersonal behavior, and people involved in social interaction. Applying this measure to 692 adults (aged 15–62), the territory-wide study finds that these adults lack company for out-of-home activities and community activities despite their higher knowledge, assertiveness, social interaction, and feeling accepted in the community. With the strengthening of many conditions (including knowledge and community support) for community integration, the adults tend to have greater need for empowerment to enhance their active participation in community activities.     

Elder Abuse and Guardians of Elderly Incompetents

Caregivers vary widely in their behavior toward those for whom they care. Some are very good while others cross over into criminal behavior. Guardians, as one category of caregivers, undoubtedly parallel other caregivers in their behavior patterns in that behavior stretches from the very good to the criminal. The courts who appoint guardians have the responsibility to see that guardians do not abuse or neglect their wards. For courts to improve the performance of guardians will require that that the courts have an effective system of accountability by the guardians as to how they have performed and the power to fine or otherwise penalize errant guardians. Finally, the courts must be given the resources necessary to perform the review function. The court must be transformed from a passive to a proactive entity and be supplied with the staff required to adequately supervise the guardians that it appoints.     

Partner Violence and Street Violence among Urban Adolescents: Do the Same Family Factors Relate?

Few studies have evaluated how participation in violence that occurs on the streets as part of criminal or delinquent behavior relates to violence that occurs as part of dating or marital relationships (partner violence). Using longitudinal data from 141 African American and Latino male youth (15–19 years old), the relation between family characteristics and participation in one or both types of violent behavior was evaluated. The youth in this study were more likely to report use of violence in relationships if they were also participating in violence as part of other criminal behavior. However, there were distinct groups of offenders. Among those males reporting involvement in a dating or romantic relationship, four groups were identified: (1) those who had not participated in either type of violence, 57%; (2) those who had participated in partner violence only, 14%; (3) those who had participated in street violence only, 12%; and (4) those who had participated in both, 17%. Discriminate function analyses significantly differentiated the group who had participated in both types of violence from the nonviolent group, with the former group having poorer functioning families. These two groups were also differentiated from the partner violence‐only and street violence‐only groups. No differences were found between the partner violence‐only and the street violence‐only groups. Implications for intervention and prevention are discussed.     

Status,socialization, and identities: Central factors to understand disparities in crime

Although issues related to disparities and inequalities have long been assessed in criminological research, the orthodox approaches to understanding these differences have historically been largely rooted in cultural deficit or individual pathology perspectives. Progressive scholars have long condemned these failings of orthodox criminology, calling for group‐based theories of crime, with some scholars attempting to heed the call. Although such specific articulations are worthwhile endeavors, they still often overlook the intersectional, multileveled, and historically rooted lived experiences of diverse people. To best understand disparate pathways to and from criminal behavior and entanglements with the criminal justice system, variations in historically rooted social statuses, unique socialization experiences, and how these influence various intersecting emergent identities must be acknowledged and better accounted for in empirical work. Building on Potter's call for a disruption of criminology and taking an interdisciplinary approach, I posit an integrative structured identities model as a potential framework for understanding within and between group disparities in crime. How this model may be achieved empirically as well as the potential theoretical and policy implications are discussed.     

Mental Illness and the Criminal Justice System

This is the second essay in a two‐part series exploring the relationships between mental illness, criminal behavior, and the criminal justice system. The number of mentally ill persons in prisons and jails has increased substantially over the last several decades, and there are currently more people with mental illness behind bars than there are in mental hospitals. In this essay, we place these trends within a broader historical context of the social control of mental illness in the United States. We identify how and why mentally ill persons have come to be overrepresented in the criminal justice system and highlight the unique challenges this population poses for police, courts, and correctional facilities. Finally, we review several recent innovations in policy and practice that may help alleviate that burden of criminal justice involvement on mentally ill offenders, as well as the burden of mentally ill offenders on the criminal justice system.     

Crime and social interactions: a developing country case study

The paper investigates the relationship between social interactions and crime for the case of a developing country that has shown increasing crime rates in recent years. Social interactions are defined as any type of relationship of an individual with other individuals that can affect his/her behavior. We use a unique data set to investigate whether interaction among individuals of the same family and/or a neighborhood or community had any influence on the criminal behavior of individuals who are already convicted. The data set was constructed through interviews at the Papuda State Jail in Brasilia, Brazil. The results are in line with a growing literature on the study of criminal behavior and demonstrate that strengthening family and community relationships can be a desirable way of fighting crime in the context of developing countries.