David Patrick Connor

Disciplinary Infractions Behind Bars: An Exploration of Importation and Deprivation Theories

Using data from one Midwestern state, this article investigates whether or not characteristics of importation and deprivation serve as predictors of receipt of institutional disciplinary infractions. The results of the logistic regression analyses indicate that both importation and deprivation factors were significant indicators of having received disciplinary infractions. Specifically, among 585 adult male inmates, data reveal that two importation measures and two deprivation measures were significant predictors of receipt of any disciplinary infractions. An inmate’s gang membership status and conviction for a sex offense are also found to have been significant indicators of having or not having received at least one serious disciplinary infraction. Policy implications, limitations, and directions for future research are discussed.

Criminal Justice Officials' Views of Sex Offenders, Sex Offender Registration, Community Notification, and Residency Restrictions

Despite widespread media attention, research efforts, and political support, there is relatively little known about how individuals who are employed in the criminal justice system perceive the fairness, efficacy, and scope of policies aimed at sex offenders. The present study considers the attitudes and beliefs toward sex offenders and sex offender laws, including registration, community notification, and residency restrictions, held by a diverse sample of criminal justice officials who represent all three major components of the criminal justice system. Findings reveal that variation exists among types of criminal justice officials with respect to their perspectives on sex offenders, and most criminal justice officials endorse the implementation and enforcement of current sex offender laws, despite having doubts about their efficacy.

Female sex offenders’ anticipations for re-entry: Do they really know what they’re in for?

Recent research points to the fact that sex offender registration has collateral consequences for those who are placed on the registry. Little is known about female sex offenders, particularly their thoughts about what will happen to them once they are released from prison. This study adds to what is known about sex offender perceptions of the registry. Forty-one incarcerated female sex offenders were interviewed to assess their perceptions of what they would face once released and returned to the community including their potential placement on the sex offender registry. Results indicate that female sex offenders believed they would face challenges in housing and employment and were fearful of being stigmatized as ‘sexual predators’ regardless of their actual conviction. In contrast, the women were hopeful that they could have positive family relationships. Study implications and limitations are also discussed.

Who is Having Sex Inside Prison

Using data from one Midwestern state, the present study focuses on the demographics and incarceration experience of 620 adult males confined inside prisons in order to identify the types of inmates who participate in consensual sex during their incarceration. Overall, findings reveal that there were few differences between inmates who were sexually active behind bars and inmates who were not sexually active behind bars. Limitations, directions for future research, and implications for policy and practice are discussed.

Book Review: Explaining U.S. ImprisonmentBosworthM.Explaining U.S. Imprisonment, Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE2010 xi, 288 pp.

pose is to provide the reader with the skills necessary to make complex decisions in the performance of law enforcement duties that result in favorable outcomes for law enforcement and the community. To that end, Vardalis does a good job of selecting cases studies that expose the reader to a plethora of timely and salient situations and issues encountered in law enforcement. For example, among other relevant law enforcement issues, he exposes the reader to illegal immigration, medical marijuana, race relations, the mentally ill, street justice and police corruption, missing children, police cover-up, and the code of protection. Vardalis’s book is well written in structure and organized in a manner that allows the reader to easily follow and understand; a form most complementary for practitioner training and to provoke group analysis and discussion in a classroom setting. The book is comprised of 26 chapters, each representing an individual case study, titled Alpha through Zulu, indicative of police jargon, with a subtitle indicating the issue or topic. Each case study begins with an introduction to the topic, followed by the specifics of the issue under study in the words of the actual informants, and concludes with an assignment and discussion section that presents the reader with multiple questions for discussion and critical analysis. The reader should analyze the cases within the theoretical framework of police ethics, including responsibility; performance; discretion; use of force; confidentiality; integrity; cooperation with other officers and agencies; personal/professional capabilities; private life; and so on. Vardalis, who possesses a combined 30 years of experience in criminal justice as a law enforcement practitioner and academic scholar, collected the data for the case studies from his own empirical evidence as well as from the documented evidence of others within the field of criminal justice. A critique of the strengths and weaknesses of this book is in appropriate. A major strength of this book is the depth and breadth of the case studies. As a result, the reader is drawn into complex reallife scenarios that would be difficult, if not impossible, to replicate in the academy training environment or the classroom. Alternatively, a weakness of this book is that the case studies—although thought provoking and engaging—are not supplemented with the authors’ own analysis and commentary. The reader would benefit from an explication of the authors’ vast experience and learned views, which would inform perspectives and provoke lively discussion and dialog between and among students and instructor. This reviewer assumes that the book is meant to serve as a practical workbook and guide to facilitate classroom discussion and analysis on the topics. Therefore, Vardalis’s citation and reference style is appropriate for its intended audience, however not for scholarly publication in peer-reviewed journals because of the absence of a citation and reference style delineated by the appropriate governing bodies. In conclusion, in addition to the educational benefits to students aspiring careers in law enforcement, this work contributes to the development of a more professional policing vocation by providing the prospective or current police officer with the analytical tools required to make good decisions involving common law enforcement situations and issues. As a result, readers of this book will gain valuable insights into the complex situations law enforcement practitioners often find themselves in and learn many of the tools necessary to foster favorable outcomes. Hence, the use of Issues and Cases in Law Enforcement, by Dr. James J. Vardalis will benefit the student and/or police recruit preparing for a career in law enforcement, as well as existing law enforcement professionals.

33.95. 978-1-4129-2487-0

Utilizing a developmental trajectory approach, this study examines whether or not the perceived presence of social disorganization within communities contributes to the experience of having multiple sexual partners. The sample consists of African-American self-reports (n = 402) originating from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY79). Analysis centers on responses from individuals who were ages 15 to 17 in 1998, 17 to 19 in 2000, 19 to 21 in 2002, 21 to 23 in 2004, 23 to 25 in 2006, and 25 to 27 in 2008. Following trajectory analysis of their reported number of sexual partners and perceptions of social disorganization, three groups are identified, showing variations in perceptions and number of sexual partners. Overall, results from these groups indicate that perceived social disorganization among African Americans has some impact on their number of sexual partners. Implications and directions for future research concerning social disorganization and public health are discussed.