Anita N. Blowers

Race and Misdemeanor Sentencing

This research examines the validity of an integrative theoretical approach that consists of the “liberation hypothesis” and the “focal concerns” perspective to assess the extent racial discrimination is likely to occur in misdemeanor decision making involving less serious cases. We examined decisions involving the prioritizing of cases, the granting of a continuance, conviction, and incarceration in a large county court in a southeastern state. The results fail to provide support for the belief that the likelihood of race effects is increased in cases involving less severity. Race, however, is found to influence misdemeanor decision making directly and indirectly and in interaction with a number of independent variables. The implications of the findings for future research and policy are discussed.

Twelve Important Minutes: Introducing Enhanced Online Materials About Elder Abuse to Nursing Assistants

A pilot project introduced 12 minutes of text and video materials and a reflective online interaction about elder abuse into the online component of a hybrid course in nursing assistant training leading to certification. Didactic presentations on issues of ethics and standards had been given in two different units of the face-to-face component of the course using both the course textbook and an online module keyed to state certification standards. However, student responses suggested that their online writing to each other about the new materials brought issues of elder abuse to the forefront in ways that they could finally internalize.

Sentencing outcomes of the older prison population: an exploration of the age leniency argument

Using data compiled by the United States Sentencing Commission, we examine whether defendants sentenced in US federal courts are shown leniency based on their age, paying particular attention to the outcomes of older defendants (age 50 and over). One way in which this research is unique is that it focuses exclusively on a sample of older offenders and makes more precise distinctions by separately examining three categories of ‘elderly’ offenders – the ‘young-old,’ the ‘middle-old,’ and the ‘oldest-old.’ Consistent with prior research, our findings indicate an age leniency effect where younger defendants (the ‘young-old’) had the highest odds and older defendants (the ‘oldest-old’) had the lowest odds of incarceration. However, contrary to expectations, this finding does not hold for the sentence length decision. Legal factors (criminal history, number of counts, going to trial) also played a large role in increasing the likelihood and length of their sentence outcomes. In addition, variations were found across different types of offense categories. The findings in this study point to the importance of making clearer distinctions between the ‘elderly’ offender populations and suggest that findings may be masked if differences between the ‘young-old’ and the ‘old-old’ are not considered. Our results indicate the need for continued exploration of issues dealing specifically with the aging prison population, as well as the examination of policies and practices that impact offenders of all ages.

An examination of prison misconduct among older inmates

One of the consistent research findings is the relationship between age and inmate misconduct. Previous research indicates that as inmates age, they are generally involved in less-deviant behavior and less-violent behavior, thus showing an inverse relationship between age and inmate deviant behavior. However, most of the previous studies examining age focused attention on comparing young offenders with middle-age offenders. The unique challenges faced by older inmates may complicate adjustment as these offenders struggle to fit into facilities that were not designed to house older offenders. Using data from the Survey of Inmates in State Correctional Facilities, we examine the types of violations committed by older versus younger inmates. The findings suggest that there are important differences in the factors associated with misconduct for older inmates as compared to younger prisoners and point to the need to further explore how to best manage the aging prisoner population.

Teaching criminal justice through the social inquiry method

Alternative teaching methods are becoming increasingly popular among college teachers. Lecturing does not always provide the best approach to learning. Alternative methods exist, which involve students in active learning. The social inquiry method of teaching is one way of seeking change in the classroom pedagogy. This method employs interactive stages of inquiry, examination, and conclusion, and provides the motivation often missing with less active teaching styles. In this paper we introduce the applicability of the social inquiry method to criminal justice classrooms.

Health Self-management Among Older Prisoners: Current Understandings and Directions for Policy, Practice, and Research

ABSTRACT The population of aging prisoners has increased significantly over the past several decades, resulting in concerns about the criminal justice system’s ability to address the needs of prisoners and parolees with chronic health conditions. This is troubling, given the health disparities among incarcerated populations. Health self-management has become a strategy within the community-based health care industry to improve health services and outcomes while reducing health care costs for nonincarcerated individuals with chronic conditions. However, to date little research has focused on the practice or promotion of health self-management among current and former incarcerated populations. This article highlights current understandings about chronic health self-management among older prisoners and parolees, with an emphasis on the potential benefits and current challenges in promoting their health self-management practices. Finally, specific recommendations are made for promoting health self-management for these populations through social work practice, policy advocacy, and research to achieve goals in improving health outcomes and reducing healthcare costs.

Elders and the criminal justice system

The proportion of older people in society today is greater than ever before and growing faster than any other segment of the population. The population aged 65 and over numbered 43.1 million in 201...