Gary F. Jensen

WOMEN IN THE LAW: Partners or Tokens?

Research on the entry of women into occupational settings confirms the importance of the structural composition of the workplace insofar as women are treated as tokens. This study examines women lawyers in terms of three consequences of tokenism: visibility, polarization, and stereotyping. The results from a survey of lawyers in southern Arizona (N = 112) indicate support for the theory of tokenism. Women are more likely than men to report hearing sexist jokes and remarks, to be referred to by their first names, to be asked whether they are lawyers, and to receive compliments about their appearance rather than their achievements. These results highlight important gender differences in legal careers; it remains to be seen whether changes in womens numerical representation alone will be sufficient for changing the relations between dominants and tokens in legal workplaces.

Typologizing violence: a Blackian perspective

Although typologies of violence have become more common, relatively little attention has been given to Donald Black’s (1983) distinction between moralistic and predatory violence. Moralistic violence is rooted in conflict; predatory violence is rooted in exploitation. We elaborate Black’s typology and show how it is similar to, but distinct from, other typologies of violence. We also address the criteria by which typologies of any kind might be judged. Borrowing from the literatures on typologies and on standards of scientific theory, we argue that explanatory typologies should be evaluated according to four criteria: the degree to which they are powerful, theoretical, general, and parsimonious. Applying the criteria to Black’s typology, we argue that the distinction between moralistic and predatory violence is an important contribution to the arsenal of the student of violence.

Institutional anomie and societal variations in crime: a critical appraisal

Messner and Rosenfeld have proposed an institutional anomie theory of crime, incorporating the proposition that societal investments in programs to buffer citizens from capricious market forces (decommodification) are inversely related to rates of lethal violence among societies. They support this argument through an analysis of variations in homicide rates among nations. However, the research relevant to their theory is quite limited with numerous claims and arguments yet to be examined. This paper outlines several limitations of the theory and brings data from the World Values Surveys and other sources to bear on their characterization of American culture in comparison to other nations, their arguments about the impact of economic dominance on other institutions, and alternative explanations of the link between decommodification and homicide. Finally, the relevance of the theory to serious property crime is considered and shown to generate serious problems for institutional anomie theory when evaluated as a general theory of crime.

Decommodification and Homicide Rates in the 20th-Century United States

This study uses time-series regression techniques to examine the impact of decommodification on homicide rates in the United States from the institutional anomie perspective. Although recent studies have examined the impact of decommodification on cross-national variations in homicide rates, little attention has been paid to historical trends in this relationship. Our findings support institutional anomie theory when decommodification is conceptualized as a historically variant and contextual variable. No support was found for more intricate specifications measuring annual variation in the level of decommodification, and no support was found for alternative modes of periodization. Finally, the results also point to a temporal shift in the correlates of homicide rates between the two distinct historical periods, and the results have methodological implications for conducting time-series analyses.

Prohibition, Alcohol, and Murder Untangling Countervailing Mechanisms

A common belief expressed in criminology and social problems textbooks is that Prohibition failed to lower alcohol consumption, compounded drinking-related problems, and escalated secondary problems such as murder. However, little or no research is cited in support of these claims. This article reports the results of a multivariate time series analysis of the links among Prohibition, alcohol, and murder. Eckbergs adjusted vital statistics on homicide for the early 20th century are used to test the following three hypotheses: (a) net of any effects of other variables, Prohibition is a significant negative correlate of alcohol consumption; (b) net of the effects of other variables in the analysis, Prohibition is a significant positive correlate of homicide rates; and (c) net of the effects of other variables in the analysis, alcohol consumption is a significant positive correlate of homicide rates. Findings are consistent with all three hypotheses.

The Invention of Television as a Cause of Homicide The Reification of a Spurious Relationship

Among the studies cited by several medical associations as a guide for warning parents about the pernicious effects of television is Brandon Centerwalls (1992) analysis of the effect of the invention and distribution of television on homicide rates. Centerwall claims that the introduction of television substantially increased homicide rates in the United States and Canada and that they remained relatively stable in South Africa until the ban on television was lifted. This article reports the results of a multivariate time-series analysis testing the alternative hypothesis that relationships involving primary groups are more important for understanding variations in homicide over time than the spread of television in a society. This hypothesis is supported in all three societies, with the significant positive effect of television reduced to insignificance after incorporating marriage-divorce ratios, divorce rates, and other variables. These findings constitute a serious challenge to Centerwalls thesis but continue to support traditional sociological perspectives.

The Gang Problem: Fabricated Panics or Real Temporal Patterns?

A common perspective on variations in the gang problem over time emphasizes fabricated or exaggerated “panics” that serve the interests of law enforcement and the media. The evidence for these constructionist arguments has been largely anecdotal and discursive and based on specific locals. This article examines FBI Supplemental Homicide data on youth gang killings and National Youth Gang Survey data on estimated gang members in relation to LexisNexis and Vanderbilt Television News Archive data on media coverage of gangs. Overall, the results support a realist view that surges or trends in the gang problem were actual patterns based on real events rather than media or law enforcement fabrications.

Delinquency, Sociology of

This article examines the basic features of the sociology of delinquency, including its foundation, evolution, and contemporary forms. Early perspectives are outlined and the contributions of scholars identified. A major methodological innovation, the self-report study, set the stage for scientific tests of theories, and attention shifted from the study of gangs to the study of delinquent behavior. Social control and social learning theories grew in popularity using the method. Recent research has returned to the study of gangs using the method. New sociological theories have been proposed and can be categorized in terms of their links to early perspectives. The article ends with a brief outline of recommendations for the future study of the sociology of delinquency.

Sin No More: From Abortion to Stem Cells, Understanding Crime, Law, and Morality in AmericaSin No More: From Abortion to Stem Cells, Understanding Crime, Law, and Morality in America, by DombrinkJohn and HillyardDaniel. New York, NY: New York University Press, 2007. 330 pp.

in communities with few good employment options? The team builds a comprehensive picture of multiple aspects of unmarried couples’ lives, but they spend less time and space integrating the pieces of the puzzle. By separating out phenonema, we risk losing contextual understanding and rich meaning. For example, examining child support in relation to concurrent issues of multiple partner fertility, father involvement, and even couple conflict would provide a fuller picture of family dynamics. Moreover, the use of grounded theory techniques might lead to development of new concepts that would pull these different aspects of unmarried parenting and partnering together. Although ultimately the analyses of TLC3 data cannot prove or disprove theories through causality or prediction of outcomes (such as marriage), it does suggest prevalence of complex patterns of relationships. The authors also provide rich descriptive details of daily challenges to interaction. Perhaps most significantly, the collection clearly discerns and then interrelates both parenting and partnering as domains of couple relationships. In this, the book lays the groundwork for future studies of unmarried couples in low-income families. With a wide range of analyses from a shared dataset collected in one volume, Unmarried Couples with Children extends research from the Fragile Families study and offers a valuable resource for both undergraduate and graduate courses on poverty, social policy, and family sociology. DEVIANCE AND CONTROL