Bruce L. Berg

The police response to the criminalization of elder abuse: An exploratory study

When elder abuse first surfaced as a social problem, the response to the problem was grounded in the belief that the victims would be best served with as little criminal justice involvement as possible. This changed in the late 1980s and early 1990s when elder abuse was criminalized by politicians, and police were expected to treat the problem as a crime problem despite the fact that very little research had considered the best law enforcement response to elder abuse. In this research, we surveyed 119 police chiefs to see how their departments handled allegations of abuse. We also address the problems they confront in elder abuse cases and the special programs and policies they have implemented to deal with the victimization of elderly persons. Results show that traditional criminal justice techniques are followed for the most part, and only about a third of the departments implemented special elder abuse programs. Also, they confront numerous problems that are common when police are expected to enforce new laws.

Rehabilitation in the New Machine? Exploring Drug and Alcohol Use and Variables Related to Success among DUI Offenders Under Electronic Monitoring—Some Preliminary Outcome Results

When the “Western County” (Penn.) Probation Department implemented a house arrest with electronic monitoring (EM) program in the fall of 1992, offenders convicted under the commonwealth’s mandatory driving under the influence (DUI) act were divided into two groups: One group went to jail and the other group served their sentence under house arrest with EM. Using descriptive and inferential statistics, this article examines differences in drug and alcohol consumption between the two groups and variables related to success for those in the EM program. With regard to drug and alcohol consumption, although differences did exist, they were not significant. However, using cross-tabulation tables and chi-squares, it was determined that two variables—successful attendance at treatment and employment—were significantly related to success while on EM. Such findings indicate the importance of both variables in the selection and supervision process.

Attitudes about Sanctioning Elder Abuse Offenders among Police Chiefs, Nursing Home Employees, and Students

Since the early 1970s, demographers and other social scientists have predicted an increase in the number of elderly people living in America. What has not increased to the same magnitude, however, is our understanding of the criminal victimization of elderly persons or our understanding how to respond to offenders who abuse elderly persons. Of concern in this research was the way that four groups perceive the sanctioning of offenses committed against elderly persons: police chiefs, nursing home administrators, nursing home staff, and students enrolled in sociology and criminal justice courses. By conceptualizing the perceptions of abuse among these four groups, steps can be taken toward either preventing or responding to crimes against elderly persons.

Motivations for citizen involvement in a community crime prevention initiative: Pennsylvania's TIP (Turn in a Poacher) program.

Every fall, nearly 500,000 Steelhead Trout enter northwest Pennsylvania tributary streams attracting both the ethical angler and the poacher. Although there are certainly more ethical anglers on the streams than poachers, the latter cause a great deal of concern not only for conservation officers, but also for landowners, ethical anglers, and the general public. This article examines a specific, grassroots, crime prevention initiative called “Turn in a Poacher” (TIP) designed to identify and deter poachers, and assist conservation officer efforts to control this problem. Drawing on data generated through in-depth interviews, and secondary data sources, this article reports on poaching of trout in northwest Pennsylvania. The major findings suggest that fish poachers in northwest Pennsylvania are viewed as environmental thieves who pose a real danger to ethical anglers, property owners, conservation officers, and stream access. Given these findings, this article argues that poaching of fish can no longer remain simply a “folk crime.”

Perceptions of nursing home workers, police chiefs, and college students regarding crime against the elderly: An exploratory study

The growing elderly population means that crime will play a larger role in future quality of life issues. Even so, few criminal justice endeavors have examined how different actors perceive various aspects of elderly victimization. This paper examines the way four distinct groups—nursing home directors, nursing home employees, police chiefs, and university students—perceive crime against the elderly. Results show nursing home professionals perceive aspects of elderly victimization differently than do police chiefs and college students. Implications are provided.

Arbitrary Arbitration: Diverting Juveniles Into the Justice System-A Reexamination After 22 Years

This article reports on a study of a juvenile diversion program based in California. It replicates a similar 1986 study of a Florida-based juvenile diversion program. Both studies examine the appropriateness of the actual juvenile population serviced in comparison with the declared and described programs’ target populations. Findings in the current research support earlier findings that the diversion program services self-serving, low-risk populations, rather than their intended “first-time nonviolent,” more seriously at risk of continued delinquent behavior, target population. This finding is examined in terms of its relationship to issues of labeling and net widening, and suggests how the current study diversion program manages to create a façade that more seriously at-risk youth are being properly targeted by the program.

Looking for Fraud in All the Wrong Places: Investigative Structures Used in Health Care Fraud

Introduction A perusal of the literature on white-collar crime reveals there are few studies focusing on the way the criminal justice system investigates and processes health care provider fraud. Of the few studies that have been conducted, most have focused on the characteristics of the offender or event (see, eg, Geis et al, 1985; Pontell et al, 1985; Pontell et al, 1982; Towery and Sharfstein, 1978). This research moves in the same general direction as previous studies on health care provider fraud. However, in the current case, we investigate several structures that sound as if they are common in all criminal investigation cases. As we will show, the way these structures have evolved in Medicaid fraud cases makes them unique. Furthermore, our research suggests that one of the possible explanations for why many cases of Medicaid fraud go undetected or unprosecuted rests on the special nature of these investigative structures. Much of what we will discuss revolves around clarification of certain terms and their particular meanings when used in the context of Medicaid fraud cases. For example, even a cursory glance at the literature on health provider fraud suggests that the meanings are associated with physicians committing some medical malfeasance. Yet, definitions are vague and sometimes confusing in themselves. Essentially, all of the meanings are aimed at identifying some sort of law violation or criminal behaviour by a physician (Pontell et al, 1985; Keenan et al, 1985; Jesilow et al, 1986).