Curt T. Griffiths

Attitudes Toward the Police: A Comparison of Canadian and American Adolescents

The present inquiry is an attempt to determine the attitudes which adolescents in Canada and the United States have toward the police and the determinants of these attitudes. In addition to providing a diverse sample of youths from two countries, each with unique policing structures and policies, the study represents the first attempt to assess the attitudes twoard the police held by a sample of Canadian adolescents. The sample for the inquiry consists of 869 youths from a rural Rocky Mountain State and three West Coast cities in the United States and 1200 youths from a major metropolitan area on the West Coast of Canada. To assess the attitudes which adolescents hold toward the police in their respective countries and areas, a 16–item Likert scale was employed along with a series of questions eliciting a variety of social-biographical, experiential (type and extent of contacts with police) information as well as the prestige rating of the police. Analysis of the data indicates that the majority of adoles...

Social learning theory, drug use, and American Indian youths: A cross-cultural test

Contemporary delinquency theories have been challenged as being biased by inherent cultural myopia, even though there have been few tests of these theories involving samples that share all theoretically important characteristics except cultural heritage. In particular, recent studies of delinquency among American Indians suggest that the central constructs of these explanatory models may operate differently among Indians or may translate poorly into the “Indian experience.” Using a census of rural American Indian and Caucasian youths who lived close to one another, we examined the empirical link between key social learning theory constructs and self-reported deviant behavior. Although there were some intergroup differences, the selected theoretical constructs yielded considerable insights into the level of self-reported youthful misbehavior, in this instance alcohol and marijuana use, of both subgroups.

Police reform, restorative justice and restorative policing

When it has not been focused on addressing corruption and allegations of bias, harassment, and brutality, much police reform since the 1960s can be characterized as a slow movement away from the professional model of policing (Kelling and Moore, 1988). Specifically, much of this reform can be seen as an attempt to escape the rigidity associated with the paramilitary organizational structures, and to overcome the limits these bureaucratic structures have imposed on flexible, effective, long-term solutions to crime. A significant focus has also been an effort to promote greater citizen participation and community partnerships in crime resolution and prevention. In essence, a new relationship between police departments and the communities they serve (Skolnick and Bayley, 1986; Bayley, 1994). Such reform has moved along two separate but related problem-oriented and community-oriented policing tracks.

Sanctioning and healing: Restorative justice in Canadian aboriginal communities

Canadas Aboriginal peoples have experienced extensive conflict with the law and the criminal justice system historically and in contemporary times. Government‐sponsored initiatives designed to reduce the disproportionate involvement of Aboriginal peoples at all stages of the criminal justice system from arrest to incarceration have been largely ineffective. This paper focuses on the emergence of alternative justice programs and forums in Aboriginal communities which incorporate elements of traditional cultural practice. These developments are occurring against a larger political backdrop of the constitutional recognition of an inherent right to Aboriginal self‐government, the assertion of control by Aboriginal bands and communities over all aspects of community life, and the revitalization of Aboriginal communities and cultures. These initiatives, premised on a restorative model of justice, address the needs of victims, offenders and the community in a holistic framework. Such a framework which is design...

Legal Attitudes, Permissive Norm Qualities, and Substance Use: A Comparison of American Indian and Non-Indian Youth

Youthful drug use violates both formal law and informal norms for conventional behavior. Analyses of influences on permissive drug attitudes and behaviors among adolescents should, therefore, focus on both attitude toward the law and the informal normative climate of these youths. Legal attitude and norm qualities, however, can vary depending on the cultural and situational context. We examine the effect of legal attitude and norm qualities on drug permissiveness attitudes, as well as actual alcohol and marijuana use of 196 adolescents comprising three cultural groups: American Indian residents of a rural community, non-Indian residents of the same community, and transient Indians attending a job-training program in the community. In general, for all three groups, legal attitude primarily affects permissiveness toward drug use, while norm qualities of peers and personal permissiveness influence actual substance use. However, the three cultural groups vary in the relative salience of these variables.

Mental Disorder Symptoms among Public Safety Personnel in Canada

Background: Canadian public safety personnel (PSP; e.g., correctional workers, dispatchers, firefighters, paramedics, police officers) are exposed to potentially traumatic events as a function of their work. Such exposures contribute to the risk of developing clinically significant symptoms related to mental disorders. The current study was designed to provide estimates of mental disorder symptom frequencies and severities for Canadian PSP. Methods: An online survey was made available in English or French from September 2016 to January 2017. The survey assessed current symptoms, and participation was solicited from national PSP agencies and advocacy groups. Estimates were derived using well-validated screening measures. Results: There were 5813 participants (32.5% women) who were grouped into 6 categories (i.e., call center operators/dispatchers, correctional workers, firefighters, municipal/provincial police, paramedics, Royal Canadian Mounted Police). Substantial proportions of participants reported current symptoms consistent with 1 (i.e., 15.1%) or more (i.e., 26.7%) mental disorders based on the screening measures. There were significant differences across PSP categories with respect to proportions screening positive based on each measure. Interpretation: The estimated proportion of PSP reporting current symptom clusters consistent with 1 or more mental disorders appears higher than previously published estimates for the general population; however, direct comparisons are impossible because of methodological differences. The available data suggest that Canadian PSP experience substantial and heterogeneous difficulties with mental health and underscore the need for a rigorous epidemiologic study and category-specific solutions.

The Victims of Crime and Restorative Justice: The Canadian Experience

Among the industrialized countries of the world, Canada has assumed a leading role in the development of restorative and community based justice initiatives. These initiatives include those premised on traditional Aboriginal practices which are often developed in remote and isolated communities, as well as programs for non-Aboriginals designed and delivered in urban centres across the country. This paper considers the restorative justice experience in Canada with particular reference to the role of crime victims in the restorative justice process. To illustrate the issues surrounding victim involvement in restorative/community justice, several programs are presented. Finally, a number of critical issues surrounding restorative justice and the victims of crime are identified and discussed. The paper concludes by noting that, while restorative/community justice has the potential to address more adequately the needs and interests of crime victims, there are a number of issues that must be considered to ensur...Among the industrialized countries of the world, Canada has assumed a leading role in the development of restorative and community based justice initiatives. These initiatives include those premised on traditional Aboriginal practices which are often developed in remote and isolated communities, as well as programs for non-Aboriginals designed and delivered in urban centres across the country. This paper considers the restorative justice experience in Canada with particular reference to the role of crime victims in the restorative justice process. To illustrate the issues surrounding victim involvement in restorative/community justice, several programs are presented. Finally, a number of critical issues surrounding restorative justice and the victims of crime are identified and discussed. The paper concludes by noting that, while restorative/community justice has the potential to address more adequately the needs and interests of crime victims, there are a number of issues that must be considered to ensure that crime victims are not revictimized.

Canadian Corrections: Policy and Practice North of 49°

*The author is associate professor, School of Criminology. Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada. The absence of a substantive body of literature on Canadian corrections systems and the close proximity of Canada to the United States have led observers on both sides of the border to assume that Canadian correctional policy and practice are a mirror image of their southern counterparts. A cursory examination of corrections in Canada would reveal a system of custodial institutions as well as the familiar community-based strategies of diversion, probation, and parole. The initial impression would be that there

Community-Based Corrections for Young Offenders: Proposal for a “Localized” Corrections

Recent years have witnessed the exponential growth of community-based corrections programs for young offenders worldwide. Proponents of these programs contend that such initiatives are effective and humane alternatives to incarceration and operate to reduce youthful misbehavior. These assertions, however, have been called into question by empirical research and there is a danger that the ‘panacea’ of community corrections will be replaced by more punitive and less enlightened policies and programs. It is argued that the potential effectiveness of community-based corrections has been hindered by the manner in which such programs are designed and delivered, and that insufficient attention has been given to the notions of community and community involvement. Several principles of ‘localized’ corrections which would address many of the current deficiencies are outlined. Localized corrections involves communities, rather than government agencies and ministries, assuming primary responsibility for identifying a...

Assessing the effectiveness and efficiency of a police service: the analytics of operational reviews

Concerns over rising costs have forced police services to balance increasing fiscal and operational pressures. Discussions of the resources and requirements of police, however, are generally only informed by political expediency and traditional practice. Operational reviews (ORs) can be used to document the demands on police, their capacity to respond, and ways in which they can become more efficient and effective. Drawing on an OR of a major urban Canadian police service, this article provides a broad outline of the components of an OR and the analytics that can be used to answer these key questions.