David F. Greenberg

Age, Crime, and Social Explanation

Hirschi and Gottfredson have recently argued that proposed sociological explanations of the observed relationship between age and crime are in error. This present article contends that their arguments rest on faulty logic and on misstatements of the empirical evidence currently available.

The Dynamics of Oscillatory Punishment Processes

In a recent paper, Blumstein, Cohen and Nagin present two homeostatic models of the imprisonment process inspired by Durkheims conception of society as a normatively integrated self-regulating mechanism.1 Comparing the imprisonment rates predicted by their models with Canadian data for the period 19251960, the researchers found a good agreement for one of their models. It is the purpose of this paper to propose an alternative explanation of the observed imprisonment rates. In both the models discussed by Blumstein et al., the number of criminals at large in society is regulated by the imprisonment of criminal law violators. When the number of violators in

Time Series Analysis of Crime Rates

A methodological critique of Cantor and Lands (1985) approach to the time series analysis of the crime–unemployment relationship is developed. Error correction models for U.S. homicide and robbery rates for the years 1946–1997 are presented to illustrate procedures for analyzing nonstationary time series data. The critique is followed by a discussion of methodological problems in work by Devine et al. (1988), Smith et al. (1992), and Britt (1994, 1997) that builds on Cantor and Lands approach.

Analyzing Change: Measurement and Explanation Using Longitudinal Data.

Preface The Concept of Change Ways of Measuring Change Models for the Description and Explanation of Relative Change Causal Models for Change The Effects of Measurement Error on Models for Change Models for Change when the Data are Categorical (1) Models for Change when the Data are Categorical (2) Models for Data Collected on Three or More Occasions Models for Transition and Duration Miscellaneous Topics and Conclusions References Author and Subject Index.

Social Inequality and Crime Control

Almost all quantitative research on the determinants of variation in the allocation of public resources to crime control is done within the framework of either rational public choice theory or conflict theory. The rational public choice theory is rooted in notions of economic efficiency, social consensus, and relatively conflict-free democratic political processes. The conflict theory views conflicting interests, exploitation, and differences in power as the essence of politics. Rarely, however, has research tested the relative ability of the two theories to explain political outcomes. This study is an attempt to carry out such a test by considering the sources of variation in the size of urban police departments over time.

A Panel Model of Crime Rates and Arrest Rates.

In this paper, panel models for crime rates and arrest rates are utilized to separate the effect of law enforcement from several other processes that have been advanced as possible determinants of an enforcement-crime relationship. When models of this type are estimated for official index crime rates in a sample of U.S. cities for the years 1964-1970, no meaningful relationship between arrest rates and crime rates is found. This finding permits us to exclude the existence of any appreciable deterrence effect.

Christian Intolerance of Homosexuality.

From late antiquity to the Middle Ages there was historical variability in Christian responses to homosexuality. This paper traces Christian intolerance of homosexuality to the ascetic movements that arose from the social crises of the ancient Mediterranean world and to the Gregorian reforms of the medieval Church.

The Weak Strength of Social Control Theory

A reanalysis of self-reported delinquency data from the Richmond Youth Survey indicates that social control theory has only limited explanatory power. The analysis confirms a prediction of strain theory, although strain theory, too, has limited explanatory power. The impact of Hirschis Causes of Delinquency may have been due as much to its ideological appeal as to the strength of the evidence that it presented in support of social control theory.

The Cooptation of Fixed Sentencing Reform

Criticism of indeterminate sentencing was initially advanced as part of a larger radical program to transform American society. Yet recent sentencing reform legislation legitimated by this criticism has taken on a con servative character. This development is documented here, and explained in terms of political and social change over the past decade.

Aggregation Bias in Deterrence Research: an Empirical Analysis

A theoretical treatment is given of the sources of bias that might be expected in deterrence research when estimation is carried out with spatially aggregated data. In addition, aggregation is studied empirically by comparing estimates obtained from city data for the reciprocal effects of arrest clearance rates and index crime rates on one another with those obtained from state data. Some evidence for bias in the state estimates is found.