Brian Lockwood

Criminogenic Facilities and Crime across Street Segments in Philadelphia: Uncovering Evidence about the Spatial Extent of Facility Influence

Objectives: Test whether the exposure of street segments to five different potentially criminogenic facilities is positively related to violent, property, or disorder crime counts controlling for sociodemographic context. The geographic extent of the relationship is also explored. Method: Facility exposure is operationalized as total inverse distance from each street segment in Philadelphia, PA, to surrounding facilities within three threshold distances of 400, 800, and 1,200 feet. All distances are measured using shortest path street distance. Census block group data representing ethnic heterogeneity, concentrated disadvantage, and stability are proportionally allocated to each street block. Negative binomial regression is used to model the relationships. Results: Exposure to bars and subway stations was positively associated with violent, property, and disorder crime at all distance thresholds from street segments. Schools were associated with disorder offenses at all distance thresholds. The effects of exposure to halfway houses and drug treatment centers varied by distance and by crime type. Conclusions: Facilities have a significant effect on crime at nearby places even controlling for sociodemographic variables. The geographic extent of a facility’s criminogenic influence varies by type of facility and type of crime. Future research should examine additional types of facilities and include information about place management.

Kicked Out or Dropped Out? Disaggregating the Effects of Community-based Treatment Attrition on Juvenile Recidivism

Little is known about the effects of treatment attrition on juvenile recidivism, particularly with regard to community-based treatment. Compounding this gap in the literature is a lack of studies that have disaggregated recidivism offense type or type of treatment attrition. These distinctions are believed to have both theoretical implications for understanding recidivism and practical implications for engaging youths in community-based programs. The current study analyzes a sample of 5,517 male juvenile offenders adjudicated within Philadelphia between 1996 and 2002 to determine the effects of treatment attrition, either due to dropping out or expulsion, on juvenile recidivism, distinguished in terms of property, violent, or drug offenses. Results indicate that voluntarily dropping out of treatment significantly increases the likelihood of recidivism through drug and property offending, while expulsion from treatment significantly increases the likelihood of a violent recidivism offense, suggesting that the causes of treatment attrition and reoffending may be related.

The Influence of Travel Distance on Treatment Noncompletion for Juvenile Offenders

Objectives: This study seeks to identify the effects of travel distance on treatment noncompletion for juveniles attending community-based offender programs. Methods: A population of more than 6,000 juvenile offenders adjudicated in Philadelphia’s Family Court is analyzed using hierarchical linear models. Distance to treatment is operationalized with Euclidean distance. Treatment noncompletion is disaggregated by type to distinguish between noncompletion due to dropout and expulsion. Results: Results indicate that distance to treatment influences noncompletion due to dropout, but not due to expulsion. In the cross-classified models, an increase of approximately 3 miles to treatment is shown to increase the odds of treatment noncompletion due to dropout by nearly 100 percent. Conclusions: Implications of this research suggest that Euclidean distance is an appropriate measure with which to estimate the travel of young offenders in urban space and that juvenile justice policymakers should consider distance to treatment when matching young offenders to treatment facilities.

Armed, but too dangerous? Factors associated with citizen support for the militarization of the police

Abstract Images of police officers riding in armored vehicles and carrying military-grade weapons have become part of the public consciousness following the events in Ferguson, Missouri and several other high-profile police–citizen encounters. Although a great deal of research has investigated how and why US citizens perceive the police in various ways, almost no empirical work has asked how citizens perceive the militarization of the police. The current study analyzes data from a survey of 1005 US citizens to identify characteristics that are related to support for the use of military weapons and vehicles by local police departments. The results indicate that several demographic factors and perceptions of crime and the police are significantly related with citizen support for the militarization of the police. The implications of this research are discussed.

Love and Other Grades: A Study of the Effects of Romantic Relationship Status on the Academic Performance of University Students

Of the few studies that have examined the effects of romantic relationships on academic performance, most have been concerned with adolescent students. This study analyzes a data set of more than 300 students at a midsized, private University in the northeast United States to determine if participating in a romantic relationship predicts grade point average or course attendance. The results of multivariate analyses indicate that being in a romantic relationship while in college is significantly associated with class absences, but not with grade point average. Specifically, logistic regression models show that participation in a romantic relationship more than doubles the odds of failing to attend three or more class meetings per course in a semester. Practical implications of these findings include the consideration of romantic relationships among the undergraduate student body by university administrators and faculty when attempting to address course attendance concerns. Additionally, this study suggests that future researchers examine the characteristics of romantic relationships and romantic partners in order to more fully understand how such relationships might affect the academic performance of university students.

A Promising Approach to Narrowing the School-to-Prison Pipeline The WISE Arrest Diversion Program

Recent dramatic increases in the number of youth arrested for nonserious behavior in schools have led some jurisdictions to search for solutions to the “school-to-prison pipeline.” In this article, we evaluate the WISE arrest diversion program in Utica, New York. We use a mixed-methods evaluation design including: (1) a pre–post program comparison of school conduct by participants, (2) a pre–post program comparison of school-based arrests at Upstate High School, (3) a multivariate analysis that estimates the influence of the WISE program on school-based arrests while controlling for citywide juvenile arrests and the passage of time, and (4) interviews conducted with students, program staff, and stakeholders. Although the program appeared more successful in reducing Upstate High School’s reliance on arrest than in improving school conduct among participants, results suggest that the WISE arrest diversion program contains promising elements and lessons for narrowing the school-to-prison pipeline.

What clears burglary offenses? Estimating the influences of multiple perspectives of burglary clearance in Philadelphia

Purpose – Although many studies have examined the correlates of homicide clearance rates, few analyses have examined the factors related to the clearance of burglary offenses. The purpose of this paper is to address several gaps in the literature to determine if burglary clearance rates are due to discretionary, non-discretionary, and/or neighborhood contextual factors. Design/methodology/approach – Data are analyzed from more than 10,000 burglary incidents in Philadelphia from 2010 using multilevel models to simultaneously test for the influence of multiple perspectives of the factors of crime clearance. Findings – The results indicate that variables representing broken windows enforcement, discretionary factors, and non-discretionary factors are related to the increased likelihood that burglaries are cleared, but processes associated with social disorganization within communities is not. Research limitations/implications – The findings contribute to the literature by showing that future examinations of ...

The relationships between community context and entry into a homeless shelter system

ABSTRACT This study seeks to understand the likelihood of entering the homeless shelter system as reflected in differential levels of community capital, human service support features, and levels of criminal activity. This study used a sample of adults entering the City of Philadelphia-funded Emergency Housing System between February 2008 and January 2010. We linked former addresses to census block groups and constructed a rate of homeless system entrants per 1,000 residents in each block group. After regressing this measure on a series of demographic, socioeconomic, and other salient community characteristics, our preliminary results indicate that basic demographic characteristics of communities and the capacity of drug treatment centers provide predictive value regarding variations in rates of homelessness. We also conclude that both property and violent crime rates at the block group level are shown to be significantly associated with entrance into the homeless shelter system.

Superstorm Sandy and the academic achievement of university students

Much of the literature on the consequences of natural disasters has focused on their physical and psychological ramifications. Few researchers have considered how the impacts of a natural disaster can influence academic achievement. This study analyses data collected from nearly 300 students at a mid-sized, private university in the northeast United States to determine if the effects of Cyclone Sandy in 2012 are associated with measures of academic achievement. The findings reveal that experiencing headaches after the event resulted in a higher likelihood of students suffering a loss of academic motivation. In addition, experiencing headaches and a loss of academic motivation were correlated with a lower grade point average (GPA) during the semester in which Sandy made landfall. However, the more direct effects of the superstorm, including displacement and a loss of power, did not have a significant bearing on academic achievement. Lastly, the paper examines the implications for higher education policy and future research.

The Use of Research Resources from a University Library by Criminal Justice Students

ABSTRACT This study asks whether criminal justice students are more or less likely to utilize library resources to complete research assignments compared to their peers, and subsequently, whether they perceive the effectiveness of those resources differently. To do so, survey data from nearly 300 students from a mid-sized university in the northeastern United States are analyzed. The results indicate that criminal justice students are not more or less likely to utilize resources from the university library compared to their peers but that criminal justice students feel that services from librarians are less effective than do non-criminal justice students.