Criminal Justice Policy Review

Akers’s Social Structure-Social Learning Theory (SS-SL) has recently been criticized for dealing with social structural factors as exogenous variables rather than integrating them into propositions that specify the learning processes better. For example, Morash has argued that SS-SL has largely ignored the ways in which gender structures institutions, interactions, and behaviors and takes Akers to task for ignoring feminist theories. This research uses Core Alcohol and Drug Survey data from a subsample of White unmarried college students from eight diverse campuses throughout the United States to examine how conflict structured by gender affects differences in the use of alcohol before sex. The research specifically examines Akers’s claim that social learning variables (in this case, anticipated reward and risk of harm) will substantially mediate the effects of structural variables rather than modulate or moderate them. The policy implications of the research are discussed.

Absenteeism creates problems for organizations. The policies of the Civil Service Retirement System, available to federal workers hired before 1987, allow unused sick leave to be added to length of service when workers retire. The policies of the Federal Employees Retirement System, on the other hand, create a use or lose situation. Yearly data on sick leave, a measure of absenteeism, for employees at the Federal Bureau of Prisons were examined for 1994 through 2003. The results of multilevel analysis confirmed that different incentive structures of the two federal retirement systems produced differences in the use of sick leave. The analysis also demonstrated that the use of leave was affected by differences in the environment at the respective prisons. Finally, some preliminary and rough cost figures are presented to give some idea of the financial costs associated with the greater leave associated with the newer federal retirement system.

This study examines the role that disorder and neighborhood physical condition play in explaining the variance in crime, controlling for theoretically relevant neighborhood socioeconomic conditions. Three hundred forty-nine blocks were randomly selected from two police precincts in Mobile, Alabama. Violent crime, property crime, and disorder were measured by block from police department data. An environmental survey was conducted by block to determine various physical characteristics that are believed to attract or repel predatory criminals. Violent crime and property crime were regressed on disorder, physical condition, and several socioeconomic variables. Models were constructed to explore the interaction between disorder and physical condition. The findings reveal an interaction between disorder and physical condition that are significantly related to crime, controlling for socioeconomic variables. Implications of the findings are discussed with respect to the “broken windows” controversy and practical police tactical operations.

Throughout U.S. history, volunteers have had a persistent role in supporting the religious rights of prison inmates. In some states today, the only religious services available to inmates are provided by volunteers. The presence of volunteers inside prisons may potentially provide personal support to individuals in arguable need of ethical rehabilitation. However, because the provision of services is heavily reliant on the motivation of volunteers, the religious needs of inmates may not be met. The situation is compounded by America’s increasing cultural diversity. To understand the magnitude of the trend toward voluntarism and its implications for the religious rights of inmates, this article presents a framework for understanding the constitutional issues involved in using religious services volunteers and a description of the process whereby states have adapted to volunteer-driven programs. It concludes by offering secondary analysis of national data about some implications of volunteer use in religious services to inmates.

The goals of the current study were to assess if domestic violence and sexual assault case outcomes and women’s perceptions of legal system response can be predicted by the level of interaction between community agencies and the level of legal system response after communities receive STOP funding. A total 1,509 interviews were conducted with women living in 26 communities. Two samples were included: (a) a Help Seeker sample recruited from nonprofit victim service agencies and their legal system agency partners, and (b) a Community sample of women ages 18 to 35 recruited through random digit dialing of households. Results show that women’s perceptions of whether community agencies were working together to assist her and her case significantly and positively related to arrests in domestic violence and sexual assault cases and to convictions in domestic violence cases. It also increases women’s beliefs that law enforcement and prosecution are effective agencies.

Restorative health refers to a construct applicable for those who have been denied access to resources and support necessary for healthy functioning. In two different studies, marginalized girls were interviewed about their experiences of health and justice. Based on their responses and their lived realities, recommendations for a restorative health approach to address their needs are made. The authors argue that a preventative restorative health model would be more effective than a Restorative Justice model in promoting well-being for these girls.