Brenda Sims Blackwell

Race and attitudes toward the police: Assessing the effects of watching “reality” police programs

Compared with Whites, African Americans generally have less positive attitudes toward the police (ATP) and this is most often attributed to the differential nature of citizen-police interaction experienced by Blacks and Whites. It has been suggested that the media play an important socializing role, in the form of “vicarious” police contacts, in generating ATP. To assess this possibility, this research examined the relationship between ATP and watching television news as well as “reality” crime programming, such as COPS and Americas Most Wanted. Data used in these analyses were taken from a 1996 survey of 1,492 adults residing in a southeastern metropolitan area. When other factors influencing ATP were controlled for in ordinary least squares (OLS) regressions, the frequency of watching news was positively related to ATP for Blacks and Whites alike, but watching “reality” crime programming improved ATP only for Whites, males, and those with no college experience. “Reality” crime programming increased the racial divide in ATP.

Dual Arrest Decisions in Domestic Violence Cases: The Influence of Departmental Policies

Dual arrests in family violence cases have increased following passage of proarrest laws. This study examined the relationship between officers’perceptions of their departmental policies and arrest outcomes. Each officer was given 1 of 6 hypothetical scripts that varied as to whether the wife only was injured or the wife and husband were injured. They were then asked what action they would take. Results indicate that officers who believed that their department would support arrest of both parties are more likely to arrest both parties. Officers who perceived that their department encouraged arrest of the primary aggressor only are more likely to arrest the husband only. When both parties were injured, officers were likely to arrest both. Experienced officers were more likely than novice officers to use dual arrest. Implications for the importance of primary aggressor language are discussed.

The Impact of the Pennsylvania Sentencing Guidelines on Sex Differences in Sentencing

Although it has been argued that sentencing guidelines reduce the favorable treatment afforded female offenders, only one study has directly theoretically assessed the impact of guidelines on sentencing outcomes for men versus women. This study examines the influence of guidelines on the outcomes of male and female defendants sentenced in Pennsylvania by examining three periods, including one period during which guidelines were suspended. Results indicate that female, compared to male, offenders were less likely to be incarcerated in jail or prison and received shorter sentences in all periods; differences were not greatest when guidelines were suspended. Findings suggest that Pennsylvanias structured sentencing model has not affected the sex—sentencing relationship in that state.

Power-control as a between- and within-family model: Reconsidering the unit of analysis

Power-control theory predicts gender differences in delinquency based on the level of patriarchy in the family. Tests yield mixed results, generally supporting some elements of the theory. However, because previous research does not test the theory at the family level, research does not capture within-family, as well as between-family, differences. This study, using the National Youth Survey, yields support for the use of family-level data, over individual-level data, in testing power-control theory.

Explaining the gender gap in juvenile shoplifting: A power-control theoretical analysis

Shoplifting is one of the crimes with the smallest gender gap among all offense types. Contrary to common stereotypes, males commit shoplifting more frequently than females. Apart from the insight that the share of female offenders is highest for crimes that are well compatible with the prevailing female role, the roots of the gendered distribution of shoplifting have not been extensively studied. Its focus on gender roles and gendered socialization processes makes power-control theory an obvious explanatory approach, yet it has never specifically been utilized to examine the gender gap in shoplifting. This study attempts to close this research gap. Based on a large-scale student survey from Austria, this study scrutinizes the theorys potential to account for the gender divide in juvenile shoplifting. Results provide somewhat more support for the control and risk-related parts of the theory than for its power component.

Exploring the Ties between Career Satisfaction and Education: Trait versus Situational Approaches

Many studies have considered the influence that education has on career satisfaction. This literature typically has treated education as a trait—something a person has, perhaps in varying degrees. The authors suggest that education should instead be treated as a situational factor that varies between individuals, particularly given that individuals differentially define the quality of their education. Using a sample of 151 criminal justice graduates, this paper explores how education, measured both as a trait (focusing on quantity) and a situational characteristic (focusing on perceptions of quality of the education) influences career satisfaction. Results showed that level of education did not influence career satisfaction, but the measures assessing perceived quality of education did influence satisfaction. Criminal justice graduates who rated higher on satisfaction with skill development, satisfaction with social science/criminal justice knowledge, program satisfaction, and overall satisfaction were more likely to be very satisfied with their careers than those who scored lower on these measures. Furthermore, males were more likely to be very satisfied with their careers than females. Implications focus on balancing skills and social science frameworks in criminal justice curricula and expanding future career satisfaction research to more broadly define and measure education.

Attitudes about Advising among Criminal Justice Graduates: Ties to Educational and Departmental Outcomes

Research indicates that effective advising has important ramifications for students’ coursework as well as future careers, yet, very few studies have assessed how college graduates define their advising experiences, and whether the experience of “bad advising” truly results in negative outcomes for students and departments. To fill this void, attention is given to the way that graduates from one department defined their advising experiences. Results show that ineffective advising influenced learning outcomes and perceptions of the department. Implications for improving advising practices are suggested.