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Criminologists typically test rational choice theory by examining the relationship between one aspect of decision making—the perceived costs and benefits of crime—and the likelihood of crime, primarily using (experimental) surveys that lack consideration of the neighborhood context. Building on decades of research in the risk and decision sciences, the current study utilizes broader models of decision making to qualitatively examine how youth living in concentrated disadvantage make decisions during incidents of violence. Our thematic analysis of 22 in-depth interviews with youth in a midsize midwestern city indicates that the decision process regarding violence is much more complex than previously theorized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scholarship on white-collar and corporate crime often notes that these crimes are complex due to their scale, longevity, and hidden, layered, and global nature. Embedded in these discursive descriptions is the assumption that complexity is unidimensional and operates solely in a linear fashion. Yet, corruption and transnational bribery are the results of a complex system that involves diverse actors interacting in dynamic environments, which can produce multiple classes of outcomes that may include different patterns of complexity in crime. In this paper, we empirically explore potential variability in patterns of complexity in transnational corporate bribery using official data from cases prosecuted under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act in the United States. Our findings indicate that crime "complexity" can take different forms, suggesting that the relationship between variables can unfold in dynamic ways. Implications for theory and practice are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green criminologists have recently entered a period of self-assessment, critiquing the discursive nature of theory, over-reliance on case studies, and lack of interdisciplinarity in this area of study, and offering a variety of ideas on how to move forward. We propose using conservation criminology, a multi/interdisciplinary and problem-specific research framework, to expand upon exploratory work through empirical research with clearly defined parameters. We use the illegal wildlife trade (IWT) as an example of the potential benefits of this approach, as this body of literature reflects the critiques raised by green criminologists. We further encourage the replication of important studies and the use of common terminology to describe study parameters to build towards greater generalizability that can be tested through meta-analyses and systematic reviews. This approach will help to build a body of interdisciplinary literature that can inform the development of empirically driven policy to address IWT and other environmental crimes and risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transnational environmental crime (TEC) threatens human health and the natural environment. Its complexity also poses a challenge for regulation and enforcement. In the current paper, we present a process evaluation of one attempt to use innovations in policing to improve TEC enforcement. Specifically, we assess the implementation of intelligence-led policing (ILP) in the Environment Agency’s Securing Compliant Waste Exports Project. We find that the team was able to fully implement the UK National Intelligence Model to address illegal exports of hazardous waste, including combining regulatory and enforcement data to generate actionable intelligence. Future research should examine the implementation of ILP in other contexts and to address other forms of TEC to evaluate the generalizability of these results. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article summarizes what is known about the association between lead exposure and human behavior and discusses the implications for criminology. It provides background information about lead sources and measurement and traces the various impacts of lead exposure on humans, including cognition and behavior. It posits that the link between lead exposure, aggression, delinquency, and crime is consistent with the traditional individual-level psychological based and aggregate-level sociological based theories that explain delinquent and criminal behavior and that differential lead exposure and treatment by neighborhood is congruent with theories of social disadvantage. It concludes by enumerating the unsettled debates about the impact of lead exposure and by outlining the profitable avenues for future criminological research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scholars have shown that age, race, and community context are consistent predictors of civilians’ perceptions of police and feelings of safety. Less is known about how young people residing in high-crime disadvantaged neighborhoods perceive police. Using in-depth interviews with 37 youth and adult service providers in Lansing, Michigan, this study examines whether and why young people feel the police increase or decrease their safety within their neighborhood and how these beliefs may differ from those of adults in the community. This study found nearly all of these youth indicated that the police decreased their feelings of safety; however, they did not hold more negative feelings toward the police than adults. Consistent with prior literature, respondents’ feelings were shaped by personal and indirect contact with police, especially adverse incidents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]