Criminal Justice and Behavior

Publisher:: Sage Publications, Inc.
Publication date:: 2021-09-06

ISBN:: 0093-8548

Issue Number

No. 52-2, February 2025

Latest documents

What Are Community Supervision Officers’ Knowledge and Views of Naloxone? An Exploratory Study
Naloxone is a critical component in fighting the opioid epidemic, particularly for justice-involved individuals who are at an increased risk of drug-related deaths. However, numerous barriers to carrying the medication continue to exist for individuals under community supervision. Little is known about community supervision officers’ perceptions and knowledge surrounding Naloxone, which is critical in understanding barriers to Naloxone possession for those on supervision. To address this gap in the literature, this exploratory mixed-methods study gathered data through an online survey of community supervision officers (n = 109). The findings suggest that while Naloxone is widely known among community supervision officers, there is a need for more consistent training to improve knowledge, address stigmas/misconceptions, and further equip officers to support overdose prevention through harm reduction. Future research on this topic is crucial to help address barriers to distributing and using Naloxone to reduce opioid overdose deaths among those on community supervision.
A Framework for Understanding Credibility: What Makes Credible Messengers “Credible” in a New York City–Based Sample of Gun Violence Intervention Programs?
The use of credible messengers to deliver violence reduction programs has spread rapidly since it was first used in a criminal justice context by Cure Violence in 1999. However, there is no clear conceptualization of what a credible messenger is, aside from vague definitions contained in the evaluation literature. We provide a “broad strokes” framework for developing a general theory of credibility that might extend from criminal justice across disciplines. The framework also provides the basis for developing a middle theory on credibility within the area of violence intervention. We demonstrate how this might be done, using the theoretical framework to explore a set of 22 interviews with credible messenger staff.
Sex Differences in Coping Strategies and Well-Being During the COVID-19 Pandemic Among Taiwanese Police Officers
This study compares Taiwanese male and female police officers’ work stress and coping strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data derived from 1,329 male and 225 female police officers between May and July 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was found that male officers experienced more family-work stress than their female colleagues. Male officers were more likely to engage in avoidance coping and used humor to cope with stress. On the contrary, female officers were more inclined to adopt emotion regulation strategies and distraction to cope with stress. Supervisor support was found to be positively associated with officers’ well-being and negatively connected with officers’ stress. Humor and self-distraction were found to be positively associated with officers’ well-being, whereas avoidance and negative stressor appraisal of COVID-19 were negatively connected with well-being. Policy implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.
“Knowing and Working With Someone Who Has Made It Means I’m Going to Make It Too”: Experiential Knowledge as a Catalyst for Transformation in Reentry and Beyond
Of the 2.2 million adults incarcerated in the United States, between 600,000 and 700,000 return to society annually. The U.S. federal evaluations reveal over a quarter of these individuals are rearrested within 6 months, while studies in more than 40 states find that close to half are reincarcerated within 3 years. Recidivism rates reveal a pressing need to understand reentry from the perspective of those who have experienced it. This study analyzes interviews with previously incarcerated individuals, identifying four key categories of experiential knowledge: impact of clinical staff, re-entry programming staff, mentors, and founder’s experiences. Experiential knowledge, and understandings acquired through direct personal experience, emerge as pivotal in supporting successful reintegration. The discussion highlights its impact beyond reentry, aligning with individuals’ aspirations to help others. By emphasizing the significance of experiential knowledge, conclusions advocate for its integration into re-entry programs to enhance support and services for justice-involved individuals.
Thanks to Reviewers
Examining Optimal Weights for the Youth Assessment and Screening Instrument in North Dakota
The purpose of deriving weights for factors is to identify and discover what items have the strongest relation to the outcome of interest to create an assessment with the best predictive validity. The current study examined and compared weighted and nonweighted models for the pre-screen of the Youth Assessment and Screening Instrument (YASI). The total sample of 6,175 youth from the state of North Dakota, United States, was divided into the calibration sample (33%) to build the models and was cross-validated across five independent subsets. The results were that no method consistently nor substantially outperformed the original method. The one exception was the risk total score produced through the logistic regression model substantially improved the predictive accuracy for violent dispositions after the initial YASI administration in the validation subsets. Therefore, it may be worth considering alternative models and warrants further exploration for the users of the scale.
Can an Expert Opinion Mitigate Racially Biased Diversion Decisions? An Empirical Examination in the Context of Re-Offense Risk Assessment
Using a vignette-based experimental design, this study tested whether the racial or ethnic identity of a justice-impacted person influences jury-eligible individuals’ perceptions of post-conviction risk, placement (incarceration vs. community supervision), and need for mandated treatment. Furthermore, we examined whether the inclusion of data from a reoffense risk tool could mitigate racial bias. Participants recruited through Amazon’s MTurk (N = 448) were randomly assigned to conditions varying by race/ethnicity of an examinee (Black, Latino, White) and if/how risk assessment data were included (no risk data, risk data only, and risk data reported by a qualified examiner). There was no statistically significant effect of the examinee’s racial/ethnic identity on ratings of reoffense risk or placement decisions; however, the Black examinee was more likely to be mandated with treatment. Regardless of examinee identity, participants exposed to risk information proffered by an expert more often calibrated their risk decisions to the examinee’s actual risk level.
Book Review: Juvenile Delinquency: Causes and Control
Are the Kids Alright? An Examination of Antisocial Behavior During Emerging Adulthood Among Justice-Involved Teen Parents
Research has highlighted the role that childbearing and parenting can have in reducing involvement in antisocial behavior among adults. While some studies have similarly examined the short-term implications of parenthood for teen parents, very little research has considered the role that parenthood might have as they enter emerging adulthood. Accordingly, using data from the Pathways to Desistance study, the current study examines whether, among justice system involved young people, adolescent parenthood is associated with offending, incarceration, and drug dependency during emerging adulthood. Results indicate that adolescent parents, particularly teen fathers, are more likely to have continued justice system involvement during emerging adulthood. The opposite is true, however, for teen parents who live with their children (residential parents).
Social Participation in Community Corrections: A Qualitative Analysis of Justice Practices in China
In China, the widespread implementation of community corrections is a key strategy designed to reduce the burden on the criminal justice system. This strategy prominently features social participation as a critical element. This study delves into the effects of social participation on correctional practices by conducting in-depth interviews with a diverse group of stakeholders, including community corrections officials, judicial police, community workers, and counselors. Our findings reveal a predominant government-led approach to social participation, where government-funded social organizations play a major role. The research also highlights significant role conflicts and jurisdictional ambiguities within the system, which may arise from unclear criminal policies. These conflicts and ambiguities underline the challenges in the current implementation of community corrections. By examining these dynamics, the study suggests that refining the government-led model of social participation could provide more effective strategies for enhancing civic engagement and improving the efficacy of community correction.