Alese Wooditch

WHICH CRIMINOGENIC NEED CHANGES ARE MOST IMPORTANT IN PROMOTING DESISTANCE FROM CRIME AND SUBSTANCE USE

Andrews and Bonta identified the following criminogenic needs as important to reducing offending: substance use, antisocial cognition, antisocial associates, family and marital relations, employment, and leisure and recreational activities. This study examines dynamic criminogenic need changes across a 12-month period and identifies which need changes are the best predictors of criminal offending and illicit drug use among a sample of drug-involved probationers who participated in an intervention (N = 251). Probationers had significant changes in several need areas, and treatment participation moderated some changes. Probationers who had reductions in criminally involved family members they associate with, improved work performance, and decreased alcohol use had the greatest reductions in offending. Those who increased time spent engaged in leisure and recreational activities were less likely to self-report subsequent drug use. These findings suggest that certain dynamic need changes may be more important than others, and designing interventions to impact these needs might improve outcomes.

Do Stop, Question, and Frisk Practices Deter Crime?

Research Summary Existing studies examining the crime impacts of stop, question, and frisks (SQFs) have focused on large geographic areas. Weisburd, Telep, and Lawton (2014) suggested that SQFs in New York City (NYC) were highly concentrated at crime hot spots, implying that a microlevel unit of analysis may be more appropriate. The current study aims to address the limitations of prior studies by exploring the impact of SQFs on daily and weekly crime incidents in NYC at a microgeographic level. The findings suggest that SQFs produce a significant yet modest deterrent effect on crime. Policy Implications These findings support those who argue that SQFs deter crime. Nonetheless, it is not clear whether other policing strategies may have similar or even stronger crime-control outcomes. In turn, the level of SQFs needed to produce meaningful crime reductions are costly in terms of police time and are potentially harmful to police legitimacy.

The Geography of Drug Abuse Epidemiology Among Probationers in Baltimore

Substance use is a pervasive health problem that contributes significantly to the recycling of offenders through the justice system. This study uses routine activities theory as a framework to determine whether the availability of illicit drugs in a probationer’s immediate residential environment is associated with their use of illegal substances. Combining narcotics-related calls for police service data, interviews with offenders, life history event calendars, and biological drug test results, a clustered-logit regression model of 250 drug-involved probationers indicates that the availability of drugs within the probationer’s immediate area is associated with a higher probability of testing positive for illicit substances. The results suggest a broader epidemiological framework to understand how environment affects drug use. Further research in this area will improve supervision practices of drug-involved individuals and interventions to reduce drug use.

Understanding the Mechanisms Underlying Broken Windows Policing: The Need for Evaluation Evidence

Objectives: We argue that the model underlying broken windows policing requires a developmental sequence involving reductions in fear of crime and eventual enhancement of community social controls. We investigate whether existing evaluation studies provide evidence on these mechanisms. Methods: Drawing from a larger systematic review of disorder policing, we identify six eligible studies. We use narrative review and meta-analytic methods to summarize the impacts of these interventions on fear of crime and collective efficacy (a proxy for community social controls). Findings: Disorder policing strategies do not have a significant impact on fear of crime in a meta-analysis of six studies. In the one study measuring collective efficacy, there is also not a significant outcome. Conclusions: Existing broken windows policing programs do not show evidence of influencing the key mechanisms of the broken windows model of crime prevention, though evidence is currently not persuasive. We outline four key directions for improving research in this area, namely, (1) explore the mechanisms underlying the model, not just test crime outcomes; (2) use measures of disorder distinct from crime; (3) employ longitudinal designs to better fit the developmental nature of the mechanism; and (4) include observational analyses to examine the complex nature of feedback mechanisms.

The Efficacy of the Trafficking in Persons Report A Review of the Evidence

Anti-trafficking efforts have been adopted globally to curb human trafficking, yet many nations have failed to put initiatives into practice. As a consequence, the U.S. Department of State implemented the Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report to monitor and increase efforts worldwide and serve as a guide to funding anti-trafficking programs aboard. This exploratory study investigates the efficacy of this policy initiative by means of a longitudinal assessment of the TIP Report’s tier classifications, a system that grades countries based on anti-trafficking initiatives, and determines if U.S. funded anti-trafficking initiatives internationally target those countries in need. The findings suggest that tier ranking has not improved over time, and the United States has failed to systematically allocate funds based on the recommendations of the tier classification system. Policy recommendations and implications for future research are discussed.

CAN HOT SPOTS POLICING REDUCE CRIME IN URBAN AREAS? AN AGENT-BASED SIMULATION†

Over the past two decades, there has been a growing consensus among researchers that hot spots policing is an effective strategy to prevent crime. Although strong evidence exists that hot spots policing will reduce crime at hot spots without immediate spatial displacement, we know little about its possible jurisdictional or large-area impacts. We cannot isolate such effects in previous experiments because they (appropriately) compare treatment and control hot spots within large urban communities, thus, confounding estimates of area-wide impacts. An agent-based model is used to estimate area-wide impacts of hot spots policing on street robbery. We test two implementations of hot spots policing (representing different levels of resource allocation) in a simulated borough of a city, and we compare them with two control conditions, one model with constant random patrol and another with no police officers. Our models estimate the short- and long-term impacts on large-area robbery levels of these different schemes of policing resources. These experiments reveal statistically significant effects for hot spots policing beyond both a random patrol model and a landscape without police. These simulations suggest that wider application of hot spots policing can have significant impacts on overall levels of crime in urban areas.

Short-term trajectories of substance use in a sample of drug-involved probationers☆

The current study estimates trajectories of illegal substance use in a sample of 251 drug-involved probationers to identify risk profiles that predict group membership and explores the impact of treatment participation across these trajectories. Trajectory analyses reveal five patterns of drug use during probation supervision. Age and the use of hard drugs are identified as the strongest predictors of involvement in illicit drug use while on probation. The effect of participation in substance use treatment varies across treatment settings and trajectory groups. Prior research has tended to treat drug abusers as a homogeneous population, but the current study findings suggest considerable heterogeneity amongst drug users involved in the criminal justice system. Identifying trajectories of drug use during supervision can help identify individuals who may be more likely to persist in drug use, can inform practice by identifying individuals in need of more intensive treatment services, and can assist in developing new drug treatment strategies.

Considerations for Faculty Preparing to Develop and Teach Online Criminal Justice Courses at Traditional Institutions of Higher Learning

Criminal justice programs at traditional institutions of higher learning have been moving toward offering courses online and, in some cases, placing entire programs online for the better part of the past decade. In competition with for‐profit institutions, many traditional colleges and universities have expanded their distance education programming to include online courses and programs to attract students. As a result, the number of criminal justice students has increased, as have the profits for home institutions. With this growth in the online education market, the criminal justice faculty member has been thrust, willingly or unwillingly, into the world of online teaching—a method of instruction foreign to many instructors. From the authors’ experience at their current (and in the case of the lead author a second) institution, this paper addresses many issues that must be considered by faculty members before embarking on this type of time‐intensive initiative.

A survey of existing program strategies for offenders with intellectual and developmental disabilities under correctional supervision in Pennsylvania

Mental institutions housed individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I&DD) until the 1960s. Community-based alternatives became the preferred treatment method to relieve overcrowding and declining living conditions. This movement towards deinstitutionalization had several unintended consequences, including placing responsibility on the criminal justice system to serve as mental health providers. This study examines treatment programs for offenders with intellectual and developmental disabilities in county jails and probation and parole offices in Pennsylvania to examine current treatment models. The research examines the extent of programming for individuals with I&DD and provides recommendations for improving service provision for this growing population of offenders.

Factors associated with non-adherence to buprenorphine-naloxone among opioid dependent African-Americans: A retrospective chart review

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Opioid use disorders are common, chronic relapsing disorders. Buprenorphine (BUP) is an FDA approved medication in the treatment of opioid use disorders, but patient adherence to this medication remains a challenge. To identify risk factors for non-adherence, this chart review study examined the association between DSM-IV Axis I psychiatric disorders, substance use, demographics, and adherence to BUP-naloxone in African-American patients. METHODS Charts were selected of patients who had ≥5 visits and completed psychometric screens (Patient Health Questionnaire, Mood Disorder Questionnaire, and a posttraumatic stress disorder questionnaire) at the time of the initial visit (N = 50). Urine drug screens (UDS) were also obtained. Treatment adherence was defined as BUP presence in UDS for ≥80% of the visits. RESULTS A total of 48% of patients were adherent to treatment. Non-adherent patients had higher rates of use for not only opioids, but also cocaine, and alcohol. Cocaine use was associated with BUP-naloxone non-adherence even after controlling for opioid use. Attendance in cognitive behavioral group therapy sessions (CBT) was significantly associated with adherence. Patients endorsing PTSD symptoms showed higher adherence to treatment compared to those who did not endorse these symptoms. CONCLUSIONS AND SCIENTIFIC SIGNIFICANCE Our results indicate that alcohol and illicit substance use is associated with non-adherence to BUP-naloxone treatment, and suggests that CBT and efforts to promote abstinence from non-opioid substance use may improve adherence among African-Americans. These findings contribute to growing literature on understanding adherence to BUP-naloxone, which is critical to reduce morbidity and mortality.