Bradford W. Reyns

Gender, Adolescent Lifestyles, and Violent Victimization: Implications for Routine Activity Theory

Abstract Using data from 541 high school students, we examine the associations between structured and unstructured routine activities and adolescent violent victimization in light of genders influence. In particular, we focused on whether such activity-victimization relationships explained any effect of gender or, in contrast, were perhaps contingent upon gender. The results showed that genders effect on both minor and serious victimization was substantially mediated by one measured lifestyle, in particular the delinquent lifestyle. In addition, there was only modest evidence of gender moderating the effects of certain lifestyles on victimization; the effects of most activities were consistent across male and female subjects. Implications of our findings for a contemporary age-graded and gendered routine activity theory are discussed.

Fear of In-School Victimization: Contextual, Gendered, and Developmental Considerations

This study explores gendered and age-graded effects of key theoretical predictors of fear of crime among a panel of approximately 4,000 public middle and high school students in Kentucky. Theoretically, fear of school crime is presumed to be driven by individual-level indicators of vulnerability, as well as by school-level indicators of crime/disorder and social integration. Multilevel analysis revealed little effect of school-level contextual factors, whereas the key individual-level indicators of vulnerability were quite robust in their effects across male and female students. Further analysis, however, revealed that school context in the form of school-level delinquency significantly moderated the effect of individual-level perceived risk of victimization on fear for female students especially. Results provided little evidence of age-dependent correlates. In one exception, the positive effect of perceived risk of victimization on both male and female student fear declined, as students moved from the 7th grade to the 10th grade.

Do Good Recruits Make Good Cops? Problems Predicting and Measuring Academy and Street-Level Success

The purpose of this study is to extend White’s analysis predicting successful police recruit performance during academy training. Using police personnel data collected on 486 officers hired between 1996 and 2006 by a Midwestern police department, the authors examine characteristics related to academy success as well as active police service. The results show that most demographic and experience variables did not predict academy or active service success. However, White recruits and those scoring higher on the civil service exam consistently performed better on multiple academy outcome measures than their counterparts. In addition, those scoring higher on the overall academy success measure generally received better evaluations from their superiors. The results also show that higher education is not related to any of the measures of academy or on the job success used in these analyses.

Gender differences in acknowledgment of stalking victimization: results from the NCVS stalking supplement.

Research suggests that a significant portion of victims of interpersonal violence do not acknowledge or label their experience as a criminal victimization. Studies exploring unacknowledged victimizations have found that individuals are more likely to acknowledge victimization when the experience meets certain, often stereotypical criteria. This study addressed this issue by integrating literature on victim acknowledgment and stalking victimization to identify correlates of victimization acknowledgment among stalking victims. Data were drawn from the 2006 stalking supplement to the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS), and the sample included both female and male victims of stalking. Findings revealed support for a “classic stalking script,” which included a reliance on stereotypical types of stalking behavior (i.e., being spied on) that were shown to increase acknowledgment for victims of stalking. Results also described gender based correlates of victimization acknowledgment.

Superhero justice: The depiction of crime and justice in modern-age comic books and graphic novels

Purpose – Crime, criminals, the criminal justice system, and criminal justice system actors have traditionally occupied a prominent place in popular media. Comic books and graphic novels are no exception to this trend. Despite this, these media have received comparatively little attention from criminal justice scholars. This chapter seeks to explore the depiction of crime and justice in modern-era comic books and graphic novels. Methodology/approach – Content analysis techniques were used to examine 166 individual comic books from the modern age (mid-1980s to present), including those compiled in graphic novel form. Particular emphasis was placed on issues of crime control and due process. Findings – Clear criminal justice themes were seen across the sample, including an emphasis on crime control and crime prevention. Further, comic books featuring the individual characters of Superman and Batman portrayed opposing conceptions of justice, such as justified/unjustified use of force and a willingness to follow or break the law. Research limitations – This research represents an exploration of the depiction of crime-related themes in comic books and graphic novels, but is by no means definitive. It would be useful to extend this research by examining other eras in comic book history as well as other comic book characters and publishing companies. Practical implications – The publics perceptions of the criminal justice system ultimately affect societal views of the legitimacy of the system. Since legitimacy is a requisite for compliance, it is important to understand factors that may influence these perceptions. These may include comic books, graphic novels, and other popular media. Originality/value of paper – Comic books stories and themes have long reflected the times. However, it is unclear how crime and the criminal justice system are portrayed in the comic book world. This chapter is an attempt to fill a gap in the extant literature by examining this often neglected form of popular media.

Patterns of Victimization Between and Within Peer Clusters in a High School Social Network

This study presents a descriptive analysis of patterns of violent victimization between and within the various cohesive clusters of peers comprising a sample of more than 500 9th–12th grade students from one high school. Social network analysis techniques provide a visualization of the overall friendship network structure and allow for the examination of variation in victimization across the various peer clusters within the larger network. Social relationships among clusters with varying levels of victimization are also illustrated so as to provide a sense of possible spatial clustering or diffusion of victimization across proximal peer clusters. Additionally, to provide a sense of the sorts of peer clusters that support (or do not support) victimization, characteristics of clusters at both the high and low ends of the victimization scale are discussed. Finally, several of the peer clusters at both the high and low ends of the victimization continuum are “unpacked,” allowing examination of within-network individual-level differences in victimization for these select clusters.