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Existing research yields inconsistent results with regard to differences among type of counsel in criminal cases. Studies in the area generally compare the effectiveness of indigent versus retained counsel, and public defenders versus assigned counsel, and focus on broad categories of crime. The present work expands this literature through comparing case outcomes between assigned and retained counsel in the processing of criminal trespassing cases. It also contributes through measuring type of counsel in relation to the imposition of charge enhancements, a variable largely absent from the research literature. Results suggest that type of counsel does impact case outcomes, as defendants with assigned counsel were more likely to have a charge enhancement, be sentenced to jail, and spend more time in jail. Focusing on less serious offenses provides a more reflective account of what often occurs in court given that most crimes are less serious in nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Factors affecting prosecutorial decision-making represent one of the most understudied parts of the criminal justice system. Documenting these influences in relation to sexual assault cases is even more rare. The present study analyzed the complete prosecutorial case files of a large, southern district attorney's office regarding all adult sexual assault cases received over a three-year period. Logistic regression and continuation ratio modeling were used to determine which factors were related to continued progression through the court system, from charging to sentencing. The findings indicate that cases with older or Latino defendants, as well as cases involving injury to the victim, were significantly more likely to be charged. A continuation ratio model of subsequent case outcomes indicated that factors such as DNA evidence, the use of a weapon, and the inclusion of a victim impact statement increased the likelihood of a case progressing to later stages of the system. The influence of criminal history and the amount of prosecutor contact with the victim, however, varied across outcomes. Namely, criminal history increased the odds of receiving a prison sentence while prosecutor contacts with the victim increased the odds of case indictment. These findings imply potential shifts in the treatment of these cases while also suggesting areas of improvement. Namely, prosecutors should strive to increase the amount of meaningful contacts with victims and encourage their participation in the court process. These findings also support the use of sexual assault packets by law enforcement to improve and standardize reporting practices for these cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Criminal trespassing (CT) is an understudied misdemeanor offense often enforced to maintain control over contested spaces and, in practice, often disproportionately used against disenfranchised populations such as the homeless and mentally ill. This study uses the CT case files of a county criminal district attorney's office to investigate how cases involving defendants experiencing homelessness are handled compared with other defendants. Results show that homeless defendants make up a substantial portion of all CT cases, are more likely to be repeat CT defendants, and account for most jail sentences. Whereas defendants with mental health issues were often deferred for services, this avenue was not similarly extended to homeless defendants. Qualitative analyses show varied circumstances related to CT arrest for homeless and non-homeless defendants. The findings suggest various policy implications to refocus police resources and promote interagency cooperation to address the underlying causes of CT involvement by people experiencing homelessness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deinstitutionalization coupled with inadequate and strained community resources in the United States have resulted in many people with mental illness and psychiatric disorders without critical help and in the public. They often experience police encounters that can turn deadly. Injuries and death to both people with mental illness and officers underscore the need for mental health professionals and the police to establish effective and sustained partnerships to ensure the care and safety for this population. This qualitative study draws from interview data from 17 mental health professionals and law enforcement officers working with individuals with mental health needs to identify barriers to obtaining help. Initial findings suggest substance use, homelessness, trauma, and lack of funding are significant barriers. Societal issues and inter-organization factors are discussed with policy implications detailed to combat these barriers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research has established that sexually abusive priests often use grooming strategies on victims. Recently, researchers have proposed a behavioral taxonomy used specifically by clergy who sexually abuse children. Because this nascent taxonomy has only been studied once using a limited sample of sexually abusive priests, we seek to replicate and expand on its findings using a sample of abusive clergy from a separate institution. Specifically, we analyzed files of 18 monks in Minnesota who were credibly accused of sexual abuse. Using a deductive approach, we searched through these files in an effort to find all instances of eight clergy sexual grooming behaviors that were identified in previous research by Spraitz, Bowen, and Strange. Our findings suggest there is evidence to support the existence of this taxonomy of priest sexual grooming, although we argue that certain aspects of the centerpiece technique of their classification scheme are faulty and must be studied more extensively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reentry research has primarily focused on systemic and structural issues, with relatively little attention paid to the individual differences among ex-offender participation in community-based reentry services. Researchers often assume that the limiting factor for utilization of reentry services is the capacity for these services, without taking into account individual agency. This study examines factors that contribute to whether individuals participate or forego services, using data from a North Texas nonprofit client support organization, Texas ReEntry Services. Utilizing descriptive statistics and logistic regression, the researchers examine individuals who participate in the Job Readiness Program and compare them to individuals who do not utilize this service. Initial findings suggest that only a small percentage of unemployed ex-offenders take advantage of employment training and other free services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the denial of responsibility and failure to act as the author examines persistent sexual abuse by clergy in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. The article exposes the sexually abusive behavior of overforty priests and uncovers five techniques that have been repeatedly used by diocesan officials to neutralize complaints of abuse.

Allegations of sexual abuse against minors by priests in Roman Catholic dioceses throughout the US are not new. Yet, it has only been within the past three years that dioceses (including Milwaukee, Chicago, Los Angeles, Joliet, and Winona) have unsealed files of priests accused of sexual abuse. Using available files from one Benedictine Abbey in Minnesota, we conducted a retrospective content analysis with a focus towards the way those within the diocese justified, neutralised, or shifted blame for these crimes. In addition to the presence of some of these themes, we also uncovered evidence of concealment by upper-level administrators. This manuscript offers a brief summation of the sexual abuse scandal within the Church, a case study of this abbey’s changing response to allegations over the past three decades, and a discussion of our findings, ideas for policy changes, and directions for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Difficulties of returning prisoners to society have been well documented in research the last few decades. This article looks at reentry programs and finds very few standardized programs and brought up many practical issues exoffenders face upon reentry. We examine a nonprofit regional reentry program in North Texas in order to better understand the number and nature of services available and the difficulties the organizations face and its potential impact on former inmates. We use Texas ReEntry Services (TXRS) data located in Fort Worth, Texas, as a starting point for mapping the reentry landscape, including client information in order to identify variables that affect obtaining resources, such as transportation. Finally, we discuss the potential impact of this networked arrangement on policy and recidivism. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

While much is known about the sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic Church, there are very few criminological studies on the topic. This research adds to that knowledge base. This study examines the techniques of neutralization used by diocesan personnel in their efforts to justify priests' abusive behaviors and temper public knowledge of what was occurring behind closed doors. Over 4000 pages of documentation, from 42 priest files, unsealed by the Archdiocese of Milwaukee in July 2013 were analyzed retrospectively via qualitative content analysis of all statements consistent with neutralization techniques. Findings indicate that diocesan personnel were most likely to deny injury and responsibility, and that some were very forthright about covering up these crimes. The need for continued qualitative research using more recently released files, as well as surveys and interviews with Church leaders, also is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Empirical research has established social information processing (SIP) theory as a prominent theory of youth aggression. However, little research on the theory exists in the criminological research. The purpose of this study is to conduct a partial test of SIP theory on a sample of 330 adult offenders using vignettes. Specifically, utilizing hierarchical generalized linear modeling (HGLM), we examine self-reported situational decision making (anger, intentions, goals, and response generation) and person-level variables (anger and hostile attribution bias) in predicting reported outcomes to high risk for violence vignettes. Results indicate that SIP and anger variables are important to further examine with the adult criminal population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2015, Texas joined the ranks of other states that approved a concealed campus firearm carry bill. The state also approved a bill that allows for open carry of firearms for licensed gun owners. Taken in combination, the potential for the development of a future open carry campus bill is possible. This study surveyed Texas University and College Police Officials to determine their perceptions of the perceived effects an open carry on college campus bill would have on campus crime, firearm incidents and fear of victimization among students, staff and faculty. Findings suggest that the perceived amount of crime on campus and number of firearm related incidents would remain unchanged. However, the fear of victimization of campus students and personnel would increase. Ultimately, the Texas higher education Police Officials are strongly opposed to the idea of any potential open carry bill for college campuses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In December 2012, Pennsylvania became the 16th state to comply with regulations stipulated in the Adam Walsh Act (AWA). Title I of AWA stipulates that all jurisdictions support a sex offender registry comprised of three registration levels: 15 years, 25 years, and life. Prior to implementation of AWA guidelines, the sex offender registry in Pennsylvania consisted of two registration levels: 10 years and life. Given the collateral consequences that sex offender registries create, we were interested in how registered offenders in Pennsylvania felt about the new legislation. As part of a larger project, self-report surveys were mailed to registrants in one urban county in Pennsylvania. Participants were asked about their knowledge of impending AWA-compliance and how they would be affected by it. Results suggest that sex offenders in Pennsylvania are more likely than their peers in other states to be fearful of the consequences of this change. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Sex offender registration and notification laws have been widely studied since their implementation during the mid-1990s. Within the last decade, researchers have turned their focus towards the unintended and collateral consequences that registered sex offenders (RSO) experience as a byproduct of being listed on a registry. This study of the consequences that RSOs in Pennsylvania, Texas, and Wisconsin endure mirrors research that has studied offenders in Kentucky and Indiana (Tewksbury, 2004, 2005). Self-report surveys containing Likert-type and open-ended questions were mailed to RSOs in three states. Participants were asked how the registry has affected their relationships and how they have been treated by family, friends, employers, and strangers. Descriptive results from the sample of 443 respondents suggest that RSOs are treated similarly across various geographic locales and qualitative responses depict collateral consequences that impact family and friends of the offender and go further than traditional correctional aims. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Criminological research has favored the rational choice perspective in studying offender decision making. However, this theoretical approach does not take into account the complex interplay of situational, cognitive, emotional, and person factors that likely influence criminal decision making. To that end, the current study examines decision making in high-risk-for-violence situations focusing on social information processing and emotional state variables. The current study utilizes a sample of 236 newly incarcerated jailed inmates who provide personal level data and situational reports of violent and avoided violence situations (n=466). Hierarchical generalized linear modeling (HGLM) is applied to analyze the data and the findings show that several situational, social information processing, and emotion variables, such as intent interpretation, goal, and response generation, are significant predictors of the escalation of violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study contends that democracy can be enduring only when the police of a nation accept and embody democratic values in their practices. As an example of a growing trend towards democracy among developing countries, Turkey is engaged in a programme of admittance to the European Union. Recently, the Turkey National Police (TNP) has implemented a series of reforms and changes resulting in a transformation towards democratic policing. This study examined the implementation of a democratic policing, framework, using quantitative methods to assess the attitudes of 384 TNP officers. Its focus was the attitudes, values and characteristics of TNP members, organisational capacity, police culture and other contemporary criminal justice policies of the TNP. Multiple regression (OLS) revealed that democratic development, departmental leadership, cynicism for the reforms and aggressive law enforcement orientation were significantly related to the acceptance of democratic policing. Demographic variables, except tenure, were not significantly related to democratic policing. In conclusion, democratic policing was accepted by the organisation and more research is needed to further explore the process through which confronts democratisation of the TNP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

General strain theory has been tested critically, but the development of the theory has lagged because tests of the full model are rare, and the integration and specification of conditioning variables that affect crime and deviance are not clear. This test of general strain theory used a young adult sample (n=679) of university students to complete a comprehensive analysis of the main tenets of general strain theory with the specific inclusion of conditioning variables such as self-esteem, self-efficacy, and delinquent peers, and expansion of the traditional measures of affective states, coping strategies, and types of deviant and criminal behaviors. General support for the theory was confirmed. The results show that perceptions of success and fairness, a more traditional measure of strain, are not related to crime and deviance, but the more subjective measure of stress, consistent with general strain theory, does have a relationship with crime and deviance. Implications based on these findings are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research has established that sexually abusive priests often use grooming strategies on victims. Recently, researchers have proposed a behavioral taxonomy used specifically by clergy who sexually abuse children. Because this nascent taxonomy has only been studied once using a limited sample of sexually abusive priests, we seek to replicate and expand on its findings using a sample of abusive clergy from a separate institution. Specifically, we analyzed files of 18 monks in Minnesota who were credibly accused of sexual abuse. Using a deductive approach, we searched through these files in an effort to find all instances of eight clergy sexual grooming behaviors that were identified in previous research by Spraitz, Bowen, and Strange. Our findings suggest there is evidence to support the existence of this taxonomy of priest sexual grooming, although we argue that certain aspects of the centerpiece technique of their classification scheme are faulty and must be studied more extensively.