Bryan Byers

Bias Crime Motivation A Study of Hate Crime and Offender Neutralization Techniques Used Against the Amish

This research examines hate crimes against the Amish with a particular focus on offender neutralization techniques that are used after the offenses have been committed to justify and/or rationalize behavior. This social psychological examination of offender neutralizations uses data from in-depth, qualitative interviews conducted with offenders who shed light on how such accounts are used to separate the acts from the responsibility for the behavior. The findings provide insight into examples of and motivations for anti-Amish hate crime, and how offenders attempt to neutralize their behavior.

Attitudes toward hate crime laws

The research reported here was a survey study exploring attitudes toward hate crime laws and possible causes of such attitudes. In a path model, which was supported by the data, it was found that the major factor determining acceptance or rejection of a hate crime law was whether or not homosexuals would be included as a protected group: those wanting inclusion supporting such a law, and those not wanting inclusion opposing such a law. Consistent with identity politics theory, the data-supported model further found that both social and economic liberals, and people who thought hate crimes created fear in other members of the victims group, wanted homosexuals included in hate crime laws. Other findings, however, were inconsistent with the identity politics theory position that this movement was a united front. Other results from the data-supported model are also discussed and explanations are provided.

Ethical orientations and criminal justice: The effects of academic major and gender

We identified and compared the self-reported ethical ideological orientations of criminal justice majors and other students from a course selected to represent the general student population at a midwestern public university. We also explored potential differences in ethical orientation as a function of gender. Criminal justice majors report ethical orientations compatible with those of the general student population. Males report significantly higher ethical idealism scores than females, but we found no significant difference on ethical relativism. Further, male criminal justice majors demonstrate significantly lower variance within scores on both ethical idealism and ethical relativism than do female criminal justice majors and both males and females from the general student population. We discuss the practical and pedagogical implications of ethical ideology for criminal justice education and practice.

Murder followed by suicide: a newspaper surveillance study using the New York Times Index.

Abstract:  Murder–suicide is a relatively uncommon event but as reported by the New York Times, it has occurred and continues to occur yearly. Previous research has indicated that those who commit murder–suicides tend to be men, are in or have been in an intimate relationship with the victim, victims tend to be women, and a firearm is most likely to be used. This study uses a newspaper surveillance methodology to examine such cases. Articles from the New York Times as found in the New York Times Index were coded, analyzed, and examined. The cases, 166 in total, support the findings from prior research. The trend data was examined by cross tabulations and chi‐square analysis. The findings suggest that murder–suicides are rare events and when they occur they usually involve a male perpetrator and an intimate partner victim who is either a wife or girlfriend with the event occurring in a private home. A firearm is the most commonly used method for both murders and suicides, particularly if there was more than one murder victim. The authors conclude by suggesting that future research should focus on using the forthcoming data resource in the CDC’s National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS) to examine the occurrence of murder–suicide.

The Impact of the Terrorist Attacks of 9/11 on Anti-Islamic Hate Crime

Abstract Using existing data from the FBIs Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program, time series analyses were conducted on hate crime data from 2001 around the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. A statistically significant increase in anti-Islamic hate crime occurred after 9/11, and anti-Islamic hate crime leveled off within 8 weeks of the occurrence. News stories reporting anti-Islamic hate crimes, stories reporting fear of such bias crime, and public calls for calm, tolerance, and/or reaction to anti-Islamic bias crime followed a similar pattern found within the official data. A city-by-city analysis found that UCR reported anti-Islamic hate crime was essentially non-existent in New York City and Washington, DC. It is suggested that public calls for calm and tolerance and in-group/out-group dynamics may have impacted anti-Islamic hate crime frequency, thus accounting for rises and reductions in this form of bias crime over time.

Criminal justice and ethical ideology: an exploration of a loyalty-truthfulness dilemma

Abstract The notion of loyalty is well established in the criminological literature pertaining to ethics, ethical decision making, and ethical and ideological orientations. The present research addresses the topic of ethics and loyalty in an attempt to address three research questions germane to these areas within criminal justice and criminology. Using two samples equivalent in characteristics other than academic major, this research examines: (1) what impact gender, college major, and the ethical perspective of the observer and the nature of the actor’s action have upon the observer’s attitude toward the action (specific act of deception/truth); (2) what impact gender, college major, and the ethical perspective of the observer and the nature of the actor’s action have upon the observer’s perception of the social attractiveness of the deceiver; and (3) what impact gender, college major, the ethical perspective of the observer, and the nature of the actor’s action have upon the observer’s perception of the task attractiveness of the deceiver. Using a vignette design in this exploratory research, attempts are made to shed light on the impact of gender, major (criminal justice v. others), and ethical orientation on perceptions of an actor confronted with an ethical dilemma of loyalty versus disloyalty involving deception.

AN EXAMINATION OF OFFICIAL HATE CRIME OFFENSE AND BIAS MOTIVATION STATISTICS FOR 1991-1994

ABSTRACT Since the Hate Crimes Statistics Act of 1990, there has been considerable interest in bias crime measurement. In addition to official sources of bias crime data collected by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, several unofficial sources have contributed to the available literature. The present study uses secondary data addressing types of offenses and bias motivations supplied by the Uniform Crime Reporting Division of the FBI. The analysis reveals that the available data covering 1991 to 1994 show remarkable stability when examining both bias motivation and type of offense. Additionally, the official data tend to support findings from previous research that bias crimes categorized as harassment and/or intimidation are the most frequently reported and that racial bias is one of the most commonly occurring reasons for hate crime. Discussion centers on these findings, conclusions and recommendations for future researchers.

Predictors of Hate Crime Prosecutions: An Analysis of Data From the National Prosecutors Survey and State-Level Bias Crime Laws

Research on hate crime has focused primarily on law making, law enforcement, and victimization aspects. Few researchers have studied hate crime prosecutions even though this is an important element in such cases. This study uses data from the National Prosecutors Survey of 2001 to predict the likelihood of hate crime prosecutions. Given the data set is a census of prosecutors, it was necessary to add 10 new variables to the data based on the presence and absence of state hate crime laws and their characteristics. The data were subjected to logistic regression, and it was determined that the three strongest predictors of whether prosecutors pursue hate crime are the presence of (a) race, ethnicity, and religion as protected groups in state hate crime law, (b) sexual orientation as a protected status within state law, (c) the presence of an institutional vandalism provision in state-level hate crime law, and (d) if the prosecutor’s office assigned staff to handle community-related activities. The findings are discussed along with suggestions for future research.

OFFICIAL HATE CRIME STATISTICS: AN EXAMINATION OF THE “EPIDEMIC HYPOTHESIS”

ABSTRACT The popular press and many of those who write and speak on the topic of hate crime suggest that hate crime has become an “epidemic.” Such claims are often based on anecdotal information and images of hate crime instilled in the publics collective conscience through media accounts. This research attempts to shed light on this issue through an examination of official bias crime statistics. While it is true that bias crime statistics on a national level tabulated by the Uniform Crime Reports consist of only “reported” offenses, the data is the most comprehensive effort undertaken to measure the number of hate crimes within the United States. With eight full years of data from 1991 through 1998, this study investigates the “epidemic hypothesis”. This hypothesis suggests that hate crimes in recent years have increased dramatically. The findings do not support the hypothesis that hate crimes have increased during the data analysis period. Thus, the findings debunk the popular social construction of the hate crime problem as promulgated by the media, politicians, and some academics.

Perceptual interference and hemispheric specialization

Two experiments evaluated the effect of stimuli presented at fixation on the recognition of faces or random shapes presented to the left or right visual half-field (VF). Increasing the processing demands of the center stimulus produced a large, linear decrease in recognition from both VFs for both faces and shapes. Recognition of random shapes was decreased more in the right visual field by center digits and in the left VF by center faces and shapes. In addition, interference was found between the VF faces and the center digits to the left of fixation. It was concluded that differences in the processing capacity of the two hemispheres are a function of the verbal-nonverbal nature of the stimuli at a later stage in processing but that the two hemispheres may also differ along other perceptual dimensions at an earlier stage of visual recognition.