Understanding Crime (Misc.)

The stuff that doesn't fit on Understanding Crime.

[understandingcrime]

Guns, drugs, violence

The following tweets were popular among my Twitter followers over the course of the last week :

Do Violent Video Games Really Cause Violent Behavior? - ReadWriteWeb http://buff.ly/VOTXKP#violence

Have We Lost the War on Drugs? - Wall Street Journal http://buff.ly/UwpcL9#drugwar

Taiwan's plan for state executions regrettable: British criminologist - Focus Taiwan News Channel http://buff.ly/UzVYuN#criminology

When Massacres Force Change: Lessons from the UK and Australia - TIME http://buff.ly/UnOoSk#violence #criminology #guns

We, Too, Are Violent Animals - Wall Street Journal http://buff.ly/138YEo9 #violence

If any of these interest you, you might like to follow me on twitter.

[understandingcrime]

5 tweets about recent crime research

The following tweets were popular among my Twitter followers over the course of the last week :

Research links domestic violence and mental health issues - This is Bristol http://bit.ly/TwG1Fs #criminology #IPV #violence

Seeking Answers in Genome of Gunman - New York Times http://bit.ly/Ulbwnc #violence

JAMA Authors Lament Suspension of Gun Violence Research - Occupational Health and Safety http://bit.ly/YBzIRb #criminology #IPV #violence

Gun Research Silenced by Cut in Funds, Docs Say - MedPage Today http://bit.ly/UsxMeG #violence #criminology #guns

Working women twice as likely to be abused - Independent Online http://buff.ly/130n2YX #criminology #IPV #violence

If any of these interest you, you might like to follow me on twitter.

[understandingcrime]

Obligatory I've-been-a-bad-blogger-but-I'll-be-better post

Check this space Friday morning for something new...

[understandingcrime]

Abstract: Research examining the impact of self-protective behaviors on outcomes in nonsexual assaults involving intimates has focused solely on one mainstream sample (National Crime Victimization Survey) in which violence is a relatively rare event. Using the Women’s Experience of Violence (WEV) project which collects data from a sample of incarcerated women, we explored the phenomenon of self-protective behaviors to assess whether their use impacts the probability and severity of subsequent injury during a domestic violence incident. In addition to utilizing a unique sample, we considered an alternative operationalization of self-protective behaviors that separates physical and verbal responses to include whether the behavior involved an element of force. Results suggest some similarities between a mainstream sample and our marginalized sample. Namely, the frequency in which they utilize countermeasures and the effect of "fighting back" appear to be consistent with previous research. However, the more nuanced categorization of self-protective behaviors demonstrates the importance of considering whether the strategy was forceful when examining women’s responses to violence.

Self-Protective Behaviors and Injury in Domestic Violence Situations: Does It hurt to Fight Back? http://bit.ly/Qhy495

[understandingcrime]

This study used a sample of 2,230 female university students to assess the applicability of routine activity theory and self-control on property, personal, and sexual assault victimization. Results indicate that (a) both self-control deficits and participation in drug sale behavior were significantly correlated with increased property, personal, and sexual assault victimization; (b) increased partying and shopping frequency and off-campus housing significantly and substantively correlated with increased property victimization; (c) off-campus housing was correlated with increased personal victimization; and (d) increased number of days spent on campus and increased frequency of partying significantly increased sexual assault victimization, net of controls. Future directions for the integration of feminist theory and strategies for crime prevention are discussed.

Assessing the Effect of Routine Activity Theory and Self-Control on Property, Personal, and Sexual Assault Victimization http://bit.ly/S5UmVZ

[understandingcrime]

Abstract: Mass violence and genocidal events are presently characterized by new patterns that clearly set them apart from previous genocides and mass atrocities. These changes in the nature of mass atrocity events have necessarily shifted perspectives and conceptualizations of genocide and mass atrocities. Gerlach’s (2006, 2010) concept of ‘extremely violent societies’ seeks to deconstruct conventional understandings of genocidal mass violence and to re-contextualize it within a larger framework of conflict and in the ‘grassroots nature’ of other types of violence from which these events emerge. Based on his concept, I constructed a ‘Violent Societies Index’ (VSI), which offers a new approach to the multifaceted nature of contemporary mass violence and provides a new tool for a contextual and pattern analysis: it is the ‘how’ of extreme levels of violence that is addressed rather than the ‘why’.

Contextualizing mass atrocity crimes: The dynamics of 'extremely violent societies' http://bit.ly/UnKyen

[understandingcrime]

Abstract: Mass atrocities are episodes of violence that do not unfold at random: (a) there are recurrent patterns in the forms that violent behavior takes; (b) the chain of events in which violence unfolds is patterned internally, that is, there are processual patterns. These patterns are not the mere outcome or reflection of larger structures such as ethnic conflict; violence instead has patterns (including processual patterns) with a logic of their own. By tracing the onset and early phases of massacres in Srebrenica and Rwanda, it is shown that patterns of violence are shaped by local emotional dynamics. The paper builds on recent findings in the micro-sociology of violence by Collins and others and on Horowitz’s research on the processual character of violence in riots.

Massacres as process: A micro-sociological theory of internal patterns of mass atrocities http://bit.ly/QBoNEr

[understandingcrime]

Domestic violence is a core public health issue for GPsGP onlineGPs are often the first port of call for the 25% of women and 15% of men in the UK who suffer domestic violence at some point in their lives, according to research. Add to CPD Organiser. Domestic violence: affects 25% of women and 15% of men in the UK ...

Domestic violence is a core public health issue for GPs - GP online http://bit.ly/QKBUoF

[understandingcrime]

Criminology for the masses at Laurier BrantfordBrantford ExpositorAs part of the series, guest criminologists have been invited from across Canada and the U.S. to Brantford to share their thoughts, research and experience on various topics related to the field of criminology. The presentations have been explicitly ...

Criminology for the masses at Laurier Brantford - Brantford Expositor http://bit.ly/RQP04t

[imathers]

That’s why some people say the Joker’s a perfect foil for Batman — he’s the embodiment of chaos. This view overlooks the fact that Batman is, too. Batman wears the night as a costume and makes himself the patron saint of unknown terrors. He isn’t about order; he’s about control, which is much more protean. He became an avatar of the same unpredictability that ruined his life. Both hero and villain agree that life is horrifying and brutal, but the Joker wants everyone to see that there’s nothing to be done for it, so you might as well laugh — and, in fact, you might not be able to stop laughing well past the point of coughing up blood… The Joker is a perfect foil, but only because he wants Batman to see the futility of fighting the inevitable. Like most great comedians, he offers a perfect critique of how screwed we all are, but no solutions beyond “Y’gotta laugh, right?” And Batman, like many offended audiences, keeps interrupting the act to tell him he sucks.

This article is far from perfect, but I like this bit. Everyone who thinks about Batman for more than five seconds is building their own version anyway, and this part fits in with my personal one nicely. (via imathers)

[understandingcrime]

Abstract: The purpose of the current study is to examine the influence of multiple offender motivations (including no indication of a motivation), relationship length, and gender role beliefs on perceptions of a male-on-female date rape. A sample of 348 U.S. college students read a brief vignette depicting a date rape and completed a questionnaire regarding their attributions about the victim (culpability, credibility, trauma, pleasure) and perpetrator (culpability, guilt, sentencing recommendations). Results indicate that providing observers with information about the perpetrator’s motivation was associated with lower victim blame. Relationship length is not predictive of rape attributions. Egalitarian gender role attitudes are associated with lower levels of victim blame. Overall, gender role attitudes exert a more significant influence on rape attributions than participant gender. The findings suggest that knowledge of an offender’s motivation as well as observers’ gender role attitudes can influence attributions about the culpability of victims and perpetrators of date rape.

Predicting Perceptions of Date Rape: An Examination of Perpetrator Motivation, Relationship Length, and Gender Role Beliefs http://bit.ly/OVPbt3

[understandingcrime]

Abstract: The objective of this study was to measure the efficacy of protection orders (POs) in reducing assault and injury-related outcomes using a matched comparison group and tracking outcomes over time. This study was a retrospective review of police, emergency department, family court, and prosecutor administrative records for a cohort of police-involved female IPV victims; all events over a 4-year study period were abstracted. Victims who obtained POs were compared with a propensity-score-based match group without POs over three time periods: Before, During, and After the issuance of a PO. Having a PO in place was associated with significantly more calls to police for nonassaultive incidents and more police charging requests that were of multiple-count and felony-level. Comparing outcomes, PO victims had police incident rates that were more than double the matched group prior to the PO but dropped to the level of the matched group during and after the order. ED visits dropped over time for both groups. This study confirmed the protective effect of POs, which are associated with reduced police incidents and emergency department visits both during and after the order and reduced police incidents compared with a matched comparison group.

Protection Orders Protect Against Assault and Injury: A Longitudinal Study of Police-Involved Women Victims of Intimate Partner Violence http://bit.ly/Pxt8HG

[understandingcrime]

Abstract: The relationship between male rape myth acceptance, female rape myth acceptance, attitudes toward gay men, a series of gender role and sexism measures, victim blame and assault severity were investigated. It was predicted that men would display more negative, stereotypical attitudes than women and that male rape myth endorsement would be related to, and predicted by, the other attitude and attribution scales. Respondents comprised 323 undergraduates (146 males and 177 females) from a large University in the Northwest of England. Results broadly conformed to predictions, with men generally more negative than women, and male rape myth acceptance significantly related to female rape myth acceptance, negative attitudes about gay men, gender role attitudes, and victim blame. Furthermore, male rape myth acceptance was predicted by female rape myth acceptance, gender attitudes, and victim blame. Methodological issues and implications for future work and those working with victims are discussed.

Examining the Relationship Between Male Rape Myth Acceptance, Female Rape Myth Acceptance, Victim Blame, Homophobia, Gender Roles, and Ambivalent Sexism http://bit.ly/O11O96

[understandingcrime]

Abstract: Although there has been an increase in research on sex offenders’ modus operandi, geographic decision making, and hunting behavior, most studies still tend to emphasize criminal motivation while overlooking the role of situational and environmental factors. Studies of mixed samples of rapists and child molesters typically neglect to conduct comparative analyses. Consequently, the full nature of their distinction is not clear. This is particularly problematic for the understanding of crossover or polymorphous sex offenders, who target victims from various age groups. Using a sample of 216 incarcerated sexual offenders, hunting behavior patterns were identified and tested to establish which hunting behavior patterns were associated with each type of offender. Relationships between modus operandi, geographic decision making, and hunting behavior were also examined. Three types of offender were identified: (a) manipulative; (b) opportunist; and (c) coercive. The manipulative offender is typically a child molester. The coercive offender is typically a rapist. The opportunist offender includes both rapists and child molesters. These findings emphasize the relevance of polymorphous, crossover, or versatile sex offenders and suggest new ways of conceptualizing sex offenders and their study.

Sexual Predators and Prey: A Comparative Study of the Hunting Behavior of Rapists and Child Molesters http://bit.ly/O11O8Z

[understandingcrime]

Abstract:  Research on race effects in police traffic stops is theoretically underdeveloped. In this study, we derive propositions from Donald Black's theory of law to explain the interaction effects of officer and driver race on searches in traffic stops in St. Louis, Missouri. Our citywide results and those for stops in predominantly White communities are generally consistent with the theory: Searches are more likely in stops of Black drivers than in those of White drivers, especially by White officers, controlling for other characteristics of the officer, driver, and stop. In predominantly Black communities, however, stops of White drivers by White officers are most likely to result in a search. We interpret both sets of results as manifestations of racial profiling in segregated communities and suggest that Black's theory of law remains a promising theoretical framework for future research on the continuing significance of race-based policing in the United States.

POLICING RACE: THE RACIAL STRATIFICATION OF SEARCHES IN POLICE TRAFFIC STOPS* http://bit.ly/TtKkyW

[understandingcrime]

Abstract: Intimate partner violence (IPV) constitutes the majority of assaults against women in the United States, and greater than one third of female homicide victims are murdered by an intimate partner. In a small percentage of cases, battered women kill their abusers, and evidence of battering and its effects may be used to support a plea of self-defense in these cases. Prior research has shown that culpability attributions toward battered women who have killed their abusers are influenced by perceiver variables, including gender. The present study expands on this research by examining the influence of psychological distress resulting from perceivers’ own IPV experiences—and the mechanisms of this influence—on their culpability attributions toward a battered woman defendant. Female undergraduates in the present sample (N = 154) read a vignette, adapted from an actual criminal case about a battered woman who had killed her abuser. Data supported a hypothesized path model, wherein participants reporting greater psychological distress resulting from IPV perpetrated against them perceived themselves more similar to the defendant, in turn empathized with her to a greater extent, and, in turn, attributed less legal culpability to her. Implications for future research are discussed.

Distress Resulting From Perceivers' Own Intimate Partner Violence Experiences Predicts Culpability Attributions Toward a Battered Woman on Trial for Killing Her Abuser: A Path Model http://bit.ly/NPryAE

[understandingcrime]

Abstract: Females who have experienced victimization or abuse during childhood tend to have poorer outcomes in adulthood with regard to criminal behavior, mental health, and social relationships. Although scholars have hypothesized that female offenders may benefit from programming that emphasizes empowerment and healthy relationships, empirical examination of this idea remains limited. Using a sample of 300 female offenders, this study empirically explored whether a history of victimization is a risk factor for future mental health problems and criminal behavior, and whether positive social functioning serves as a protective factor for females with histories of victimization. The results indicated that victimization history in this sample may not be associated with recidivism risk but with vulnerability to stress and mental health problems. In addition, the presence of social resources such as education and noncriminal friends appeared to act as a buffer against stress experienced as a result of life events.

Social Functioning, Victimization, and Mental Health among Female Offenders http://bit.ly/T047FP