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Increasingly, criminal justice practitioners have been called on to help solve breaches in cyber security. However, while the demand for criminal justice participation in cyber investigations increases daily, most universities are lagging in their educational and training opportunities for students entering the criminal justice fields. This article discusses the need to incorporate courses discussing the Dark Web in criminal justice. A review of existing cyber-criminal justice programs in Texas and nationally suggests that most community colleges and 4-year universities have yet to develop courses/programs in understanding and investigating the Dark Web on the internet. The Dark Web serves as the new "Criminal Underground" for illegal activity and needs to be understood. This research outlines the need for criminal justice programs to teach courses in the Dark Web and offer course recommendations. Recommended syllabi material for Dark Web courses in criminal justice, and recommendations for development of these programs are included.

Team-based learning (TBL) is a non-traditional method of instruction that utilizes permanent teams working together to solve problems and make decisions. The authors extend the prior TBL criminal justice literature through a detailed explanation of the use of application-focused activities in the classroom. Specifically, application-focused activity examples demonstrate the versatility and practicality of TBL in the criminal justice classroom, highlighting their ability to foster critical thinking and communication skills among students. The authors conclude with a discussion of future directions for TBL in research and pedagogy in criminal justice and related disciplines.

Law enforcement are tasked with confronting a variety of crimes on a daily basis, ranging from traditional offenses, such as burglary or assault, to online crimes, such as identity theft. The expansion of the internet has provided a new realm for investigatory consideration as buyers seek the tools of the crime as well as illegal products online. Since the inception of the Silk Road, the Dark Web's first darknet marketplace, buyers and sellers have worked together to distribute and obtain products and services that were previously only available offline. For example, drugs, weapons, consumer data such as credit cards numbers, and other illicit products are all available for purchase on the Dark Web. Early on, Ross Ulbricht, founder of the original Silk Road Dark Web marketplace, incorporated consumer "reviews" on illegal websites to protect customers and to ensure that sellers were not taking advantage of potential buyers. The nature of illicit markets, where websites, vendors, or markets themselves can be online one day and gone the next, present challenges to developing a complete understanding as to how these networks operate. This study builds on existing research by providing an exploratory examination of the prevalence of consumer feedback and review indicators on approximately 50 Dark Web marketplaces. Findings indicate that more than half of explored sites displayed consumer reviews on their postings. Policies incorporating feedback indicators may be implemented to both identify and target for investigation and prosecution highly rated and high-profile sellers on Dark Web markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, advances in DNA testing technology have been coupled with DNA exonerations. In response, increasing public and empirical attention have been given to the experiences of those wrongfully convicted by the criminal justice system. Several jurisdictions have created Conviction Integrity Units (CIUs) to review convictions of primarily violent defendants for wrongful conviction. However, empirical examination of the impact of CIUs and other factors predicting DNA exoneration remains limited. This study uses data from the National Registry of Exonerations to examine the impact of CIUs, location of conviction, and other factors that make exonerations more likely to feature DNA evidence. Findings suggest that offense type, year of conviction, and gender are significant predictors of DNA exoneration. Policy implications are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study investigates a sample of American university students' (n = 304) perceptions of legal and extralegal punishments for Kevin Spacey, Matte Lauer, and Roy Moore in the initial days of the 'MeToo' movement. Specifically, we examine the impact of respondent gender to determine if the 'MeToo' movement has changed the discrepancy in perceived seriousness between males and females. Being female and having knowledge of the allegations against the individual in each case significantly increased the odds of support for punishment. Findings are discussed in the cultural context of 'MeToo.' [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although a growing body of literature in the field of criminal justice documents the relationship between victimization and offending, only recently has this knowledge been applied to the study of intimate partner violence (IPV). Utilizing data obtained from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health), we examine whether low self-control predicts IPV victimization, IPV offending, or both IPV victimization and offending. Specifically, the study extends prior literature by (1) investigating the influence of self-control on the victim-offender overlap in IPV, (2) using longitudinal data, and (3) utilizing a sample of U.S. adults ages 24 to 33. While low self-control was found to significantly predict IPV offending and the overlap in IPV victimization and offending, low self-control failed to significantly predict IPV victimization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study examines the mediating and moderating effects of both social learning theory (SLT), focusing on peer interactions (including both traditional and virtual peers), and self-control theory on self-reported cyber offending. Results for the two strongest SLT predictors, differential association and definitions favorable to crime, were in line with previous studies of both traditional and cyber offending in their conditional relationship with cyber offending. Self-control had no direct effect on cyber offending but displayed a significant interaction effect with both differential reinforcement and definitions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The expansion of the internet and personal technology devices has been coupled with the development and increase in cyber offending behaviors. In response, a growing body of literature has sought to extend the application of traditional criminological theories to cyber offending to determine if they explain this new crime type in a similar manner. This paper utilizes an undergraduate student sample (n=428) to examine the effects of self-control on a variety of self-reported cyber offenses as well as anticipated cyber offending behaviors. Findings indicate that while self-control was not significantly predictive of past participation in cyber offending, there is a significant impact of low self-control on anticipated participation in both digital piracy as well as a general measure of cyber offending behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extant research on the demographic correlates of capital punishment opinion has separately analyzed race, gender, and class. Intersectionality has shown a flaw of this approach is that these characteristics overlap and interact to shape people's identities and opinions. Using data from the Cumulative File of the General Social Survey (1972–2016), we regressed capital punishment opinion on respondents' race, gender, and class intersections. Findings show wide variation in opposition to capital punishment. Implications of the findings, including the superiority of the intersectional approach, are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With increased attention given to highly publicized incidents of school shootings, Texas is among a handful of states that considered the implementation of a concealed carry policy on their university campuses. Texas State Senate Bill 11 (SB11) made it legal for handgun license holders to carry concealed handguns on college and university campuses, however, the debate surrounding campus carry continues as most states have made no such provision. The university surveyed, like many other in the state, held educational and information sessions to inform students, faculty and staff of the guidelines of the campus carry policy. The current study explores students and faculty/staff attitudes toward campus carry at a midsize southern suburban university in Texas shortly after the implementation of SB11 considering their awareness of the change to the campus carry policy. Findings suggest that students and faculty/staff have similar concerns surrounding campus carry, and also that similar factors predict their support, or lack thereof, for the policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Responses to breaches in cybersecurity are increasingly reliant on criminal justice practitioners. However, while the demand for criminal justice participation in cybersecurity increases daily, most universities are lagging in their educational and training opportunities for students entering criminal justice agencies. This paper discusses the need for cybersecurity programs in criminal justice, and examines how the evolution of this "new crime" has become an issue for criminal justice professionals in addition to computer science experts. A review of existing cybersecurity programs in Texas suggests that most four-year universities have yet to develop courses/programs in criminal justice. Course recommendations, sample syllabi for cybersecurity courses in criminal justice, and recommendations for development of these programs are included. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]