By Faculty
The current research, using qualitative methodology and grounded theory analysis for model building, examines if and how juvenile court judges draw from developmental and life course criminology (DLC) in discretionary judicial waivers. This study develops three progressive models, emerging from interviews with juvenile court judges from two large Southern states (N = 30), that demonstrate how principles... Learn More
By Faculty
This article acts as a toolkit for members of the judiciary on defendants with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and specifically looks to equip judges with knowledge, evidence, and resources on recognizing and understanding symptoms of ASD in order to better identify and evaluate diagnosed defendants and their offending behavior. This will allow judges to have... Learn More
By Faculty, By Students
One of the central debates animating the interpretation of gun research for public policy is the question of whether the presence of firearms independently makes violent situations more lethal, known as an instrumentality effect, or whether determined offenders will simply substitute other weapons to affect fatalities in the absence of guns. The latter position assumes... Learn More
By Faculty
Idiopathic and acquired paedophilia are two different disorders with different aetiology, neural basis, modus operandi, and possible treatments. In this chapter, these differences will be summarized and the legal implications for punishment will be discussed for both forms of paedophilia. We conclude that, based on our current scientific knowledge regarding both disorders, retributive punishments are... Learn More
By Faculty
Using a national sample of U.S. adults (N = 371), this study experimentally examines (1) public support for the use of strategies that provide early release (i.e., “second chance” mechanisms) to individuals serving long-term prison sentences for drug crimes; and (2) how levels of support, and reasons for support, may vary depending on the type... Learn More
By Faculty
The current study explores if and how dual-process thinking styles (System I/experiential and System II/rational processing) predict and explain the degree to which members of the public express moral panic toward and support for existing sex offender management policies (registration, notification, residence restrictions), regardless of their efficacy or effects on recidivism rates, for different types... Learn More
By Faculty
This study examines US popular support for mechanisms that provide early release and “second chances” for individuals serving long-term prison sentences. An experiment using a national sample of US adults (N=836). Data showed moderate, consistent levels of general support for using a range of commonly available “second chance” mechanisms that also extended to offenders convicted of both... Learn More
By Faculty
This paper discusses how existing legal strategies can be used to help bring immediate relief to individuals serving long-term prison sentences for drug-related crimes by creating or expanding opportunities for their early release. These strategies, which currently exist at both state and federal jurisdictions, are conceptualized as mechanisms that can provide “second chances” to drug... Learn More
By Faculty
U.S. courts currently show no coherent approach with regard to how evidence of childhood abuse is considered in sentencing. Existing state and federal caselaw suggests that courts rarely place significant consideration on evidence of childhood abuse during sentencing, but the reasons why offenders who have been subjected to childhood abuse rarely receive mitigated or alternative... Learn More
By Faculty, By Students
Although shame and guilt are often conceived as adverse sentiments in criminal contexts, defendants’ expressions of remorse may actually act as an effective “therapeutic tool” in the legal process in order to reduce negative emotions, decrease future recidivism, and increase both community and victim healing, as well as rehabilitation. As such, evaluations of remorse should... Learn More
By Faculty
Police officers act under highly variable constraints. Some drug arrests occur on routine patrols in which officers’ exercise discretion, others are a product of departmental priorities, and the remainder occur after police are called to the scene. In his treatise on the Behavior of Law, Donald Black asserted that law behaves directionally according to rank, status,... Learn More
By Faculty, By Students
This study examines temporal variations in the spatial influence of environmental features, such as bars and vacant buildings, on criminal behavior across microlevel places. Specifically, 17 environmental risk factors and their spatial influences are identified for calendar year 2014 street robberies in Jersey City, NJ. To explore temporal variation, risk factors and their spatial influences... Learn More
By Faculty, By Students
This study examines temporal variations in the spatial influence of environmental features, such as bars and vacant buildings, on criminal behavior across microlevel places. Specifically, 17 environmental risk factors and their spatial influences are identified for calendar year 2014 street robberies in Jersey City, NJ. To explore temporal variation, risk factors and their spatial influences... Learn More
By Faculty
This article provides county-level estimates of the cumulative prevalence of four levels of Child Protective Services (CPS) contact using administrative data from the 20 most populous counties in the United States. Rates of CPS investigation are extremely high in almost every county. Racial and ethnic inequality in case outcomes is large in some counties. The... Learn More
By Faculty
Evidence-based policing is based on the straightforward, but powerful, idea that crime prevention and crime control policy should be based on what works best in promoting public safety, as determined by the best available scientific evidence. Bringing together leading academics and practitioners, this book explores a wide range of case studies from around the world... Learn More
