Brian K. Payne

Racial Differences in Resolving Conflicts: A Comparison between Black and White Police Officers.

This study examined the behavioral differences between Black and White police officers in handling interpersonal conflicts. Observational and survey data from the Project on Policing Neighborhoods and the 1990 census data were used. Actions taken by officers are examined along two behavioral dimensions: coercion and support. Findings show that Black officers are more coercive than their White counterparts in responding to conflicts. Black officers are also more likely than White officers to conduct supportive activities in predominantly Black neighborhoods, whereas they do not differ in initiating supportive actions in racially diverse communities. Situational characteristics play a strong role in determining police actions during conflict resolution. Implications for policy and future research are discussed.

Using Student Samples in Criminological Research

Professors have long relied on the assistance of their students in various aspects of the research process. For example, students often contribute in their role as research assistants and as co‐authors on scholarly papers and presentations. They also participate in another important way—as samples in their professors’ research projects. In criminology and criminal justice, student samples are often used in behavioral studies, tests of criminological theories, pilot tests of methodologies, and in evaluating attitudes toward crime and justice issues. This article provides an overview of the types of studies that have used students as samples in criminological research. Attention is given to the strengths and weaknesses of using such an approach, and implications for continuing to use students in criminological research are discussed.

A Qualitative Assessment of the Pains Experienced on Electronic Monitoring

In response to prison overcrowding, new methods for punishing offenders evolved in the early 1980s. Although on the surface these new methods may seem less punitive to some, studies show that many convicted offenders prefer jail or prison to many of the newer intermediate sanctions. However, these studies have relied primarily on the perceptions of prisoners to gauge the severity of the different punishments. The focus of this article is on the way 27 participants on electronic monitoring in the past year in Norfolk, Virginia, experienced pains of imprisonment similar to those described by Gresham Sykes in The Society of Captives. Results suggest that those on electronic monitoring experience the sanction in ways similar, yet qualitatively different, from those sentenced to jail or prison. Implications for research and policy are provided.

The relationships between time in jail, time on electronic monitoring, and recidivism: An event history analysis of a jail-based program

Considerable theoretical and empirical attention has been given to the relationship between time incarcerated and recidivism. Much less attention has been devoted to alternative sanctions such as house arrest with electronic monitoring and recidivism following participation in such programs. In this paper we use event history techniques to assess the relationships between time spent in jail, time spent on electronic monitoring, and recidivism in a sample of offenders who spent at least some time on electronic monitoring. The results suggest that the longer the time on electronic monitoring, the lower the likelihood of recidivism. This effect, however, varies by type of offender. Despite some evidence of a curvilinear relationship between time in jail and recidivism, the relationship is not robust to the inclusion of other control variables. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

Understanding the Experience of House Arrest with Electronic Monitoring: An Analysis of Quantitative and Qualitative Data

In this article, the authors use both qualitative and quantitative methods to investigate the experiences of offenders on house arrest with electronic monitoring. The data suggest that offenders, for the most part, do not view house arrest with electronic monitoring as particularly problematic, and most cite positive aspects of their program in comparison to jail. However, some aspects of the sanction are seen as more punitive than others, and there is important variation in how punitive offenders view the sanction. With few exceptions, however, offenders’perceptions were not strongly correlated with social and demographic characteristics. The findings are discussed in terms of their implications for criminal justice policy regarding this alternative sanction.

The Electronic Monitoring of Offenders Released from Jail or Prison: Safety, Control, and Comparisons to the Incarceration Experience

A number of concerns have surfaced about the use of electronic monitoring as a sanction since its inception in 1984. Research into these concerns has examined the sanction’s breadth, pitfalls, and successes. This research focuses on the way electronically monitored offenders define various issues about the sanction. Results suggest that offenders do not necessarily see the sanction in ways that are consistent with the portrayal of the sanction in the literature and the media. Implications are provided.

An integrated understanding of elder abuse and neglect

In the past three decades, society has developed interest in what has come to be called elder abuse. Since interest initially appeared, concern about elder abuse has gone through different cycles regarding the conceptualization of the problem, appropriate responses, and explanations. A recent trend has witnessed a call for an interdisciplinary and integrated understanding of, and response to, elder abuse. This article describes what is meant by an integrated response to elder abuse. Ways to promote a broader response to the problem are suggested.

Using Electronic Monitoring to Supervise Sex Offenders Legislative Patterns and Implications for Community Corrections Officers

The contemporary crime control policy arena is one in which many states and the federal government are passing increasingly punitive legislation authorizing, and often, requiring electronic monitoring of sex offenders. This article reviews exploratory legal data on relevant state codes of all 50 states in the United States. The authors review state statutes regulating the electronic monitoring of sex offenders to identify the characteristics of the legislation, the necessity of (and budgetary support for) the laws, and the implications for probation and parole agencies and officers. Eight patterns are identified through the content analysis of recent legislation regarding electronic monitoring of sex offenders. Policy implications are identified.

Addressing issues in group work in the classroom

For group projects to be pedagogically successful, instructors must understand how students view group work, factors that influence students’ perceptions about group work, and students’ views about the importance of group work. Understanding these factors will provide instructors with guidance in effectively using group projects in their courses. This study examines how students perceive group work after completing a semester-long group project. Our sample consists of 145 students taking an upper division research methods class in the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice at a large regional university. Our data support the idea that small groups may work more effectively together than larger ones, that high grade point average students have more concerns than others about group work and that those with more time demands are less positive than others about group work. The authors suggest strategies for successful group work in classes.

Changing Attitudes Toward House Arrest With Electronic Monitoring: The Impact of a Single Presentation?:

The notion that community support is critical for program success is a consistent theme in the literature on community-based corrections. Unfortunately, many citizens know very little about alternative sanctions, are misinformed about them, and do not view them favorably. At issue is whether information about alternative sanctions affects individuals’ attitudes regarding them. To address this question, students in an upper division criminal justice course were surveyed before and after a presentation on electronic monitoring. Following the presentation, students were more likely to agree that electronic monitoring is punitive and that it meets several goals of the justice system. Implications for policy makers and educators are provided.