Erika Gebo

A Family Affair: The Juvenile Court and Family Violence Cases

Little attention has been devoted to studies of adolescent family violence offending, yet research on adult populations show that victim relationship may make a difference in how offenders are treated in the criminal justice system. Given that the intergenerational transmission of violence may operate through adolescent family violence, a detailed examination of these youth is warranted. Through an analysis of detained youth in a small northeastern state, this study examines differences in court treatment between family and non-family offenders. Family violence offenders are significantly more likely to be minor offenders and to be female than are non-family offenders. Results of logistic regression show that, all else being equal, family violence youth are treated more leniently by the court than non-family offenders. Finally, while most youth are released to community dispositions, there are no differences in court-ordered family counseling between family and non-family offenders. These findings point to areas of needed research on adolescent family violence offenders and larger policy questions about how such youth should be treated relative to other youth.

Assessing student learning and departmental effectiveness through an undergraduate comprehensive exam

Student assessment helps guide understanding of learning experiences and departmental effectiveness. In this paper one department’s locally developed undergraduate comprehensive exam measuring knowledge in core criminal justice areas is discussed and preliminary results are evaluated. Exam data were collected from seniors and, as baseline, from freshmen. Regression results showed that seniors had significantly more knowledge across all core areas than freshmen. Overall, this lends support to the idea that the department was effective in imparting knowledge to students. There was, however, a gender effect present and possible reasons for this result are explored. Limitations of the assessment instrument and directions for future research are also discussed.

A Statewide Comparison of Gang and Non-Gang Youth in Public High Schools

Gang and non-gang youth are often considered distinct for the purposes of prevention and intervention; yet, research shows there are areas of overlap in their risk profiles. This study examines areas of overlap and differences using a statewide representative sample of high school youth from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey. Gang membership is treated as a predictor variable rather than as an outcome. Results from a latent class analysis show that gang members do not form their own group in the school setting. These findings are discussed in relation to prevention and intervention strategies in the school realm and beyond.

Comparing the Implementation of a Best Practice Crime Policy Across Cities

There is a substantial gap in knowledge of the practical application of comprehensive “best practice” public policies and how these policies are actually implemented. This research examines implementation of a comprehensive best practices gang reduction policy across three cities. Action research case study methodology shows that explanations for diverse implementation arose from each city’s ecological constitution, which is a necessary antecedent to categorization according to Matland’s policy implementation typology. This study affirms the use of an ecological perspective and supports the use of Matland’s typology in a collaborative and comparative public policy context.

An integrated public health and criminal justice approach to gangs: What can research tell us?

There has been a call to better link public health and criminal justice approaches to best address crime problems generally, and youth and gang violence in particular. Importantly, there has yet to be a systematic examination of how criminal justice approaches can be integrated within a public health framework. This paper examines the strengths and challenges with mapping gang research and evidence-informed practices onto a public health approach. Conceptual examination reveals benefits to utilizing an integrated framework, but it also exposes core problems with identification and prediction of gang joining and gang membership. The gang label as a master status is called into question. It is argued that a public health framework can inform public policy approaches as to when the focus should be youth violence versus gangs and gang violence.

Perceptions of Gangs and Crews by Justice-Involved Youth and Implications for Best Practice Work

ABSTRACT Gangs and crews are at center stage when discussing youth violence. According to client-centered best practices in the social service arena, distinguishing between gangs and crews is not important for developing a trusting relationship; yet these terms are a master status for those agencies aimed at enforcement and suppression. Social service providers must navigate these different landscapes, particularly in light of their increasing involvement in multistakeholder violence-reduction partnerships. However, the voices of youth themselves have been left out of the mix. Perceptions of youth identified as gang affiliated or at risk for gang membership are used to empirically investigate how these best practices tensions should be navigated by service providers. Semistructured interviews with 41 youth involved in an employment program show that crews are perceived as less violent and less dangerous than gangs, and youth actively resisted the gang label, even though there were no differences in criminal records between self-identified gang and crew members. Implications for the important role of service providers in providing client-centered services and bringing forward youth voices into collaborative partnerships are discussed, as are future research needs relating to linking youth voices to best practice work.

Comparing Determinants of Effective Collaboration in a Comprehensive Crime Reduction Initiative

ABSTRACT Increasingly there is a call from policy makers for communities to work collaboratively to ameliorate social problems; yet, collaborating is arguably one of the most difficult tasks of partnerships. Conceptual frameworks for effective collaboration have recently been developed and need empirical testing. Effective collaboration determinants are explored in this study of a comprehensive crime reduction initiative. Comparative case study methodology is used to examine the presence of these determinants in three arenas: context, structure, and function. Sites were most similar in structure; differences were most pronounced in function. Translating these results in this initiative and across other community partnerships is discussed.