John J. Gibbs

Parental Management and Self-Control: An Empirical Test of Gottfredson and Hirschi's General Theory:

A self-report instrument that included a parental management scale, a self-control scale, and measures of deviance was administered to 289 university students. Models based on Gottfredson and Hirschis general theory were tested by using path analysis. The analysis generally supported Gottfredson and Hirschis theory, and suggested the usefulness of a measure of self-control that includes cognitive, affective, and behavioral aspects.

Self-control and its manifestations among university students: An empirical test of Gottfredson and Hirschi's general theory

This article presents an empirical test of Gottfredson and Hirschis general theory of crime. Measures of crime equivalents were regressed on a measure of self-control and other relevant independent variables to determine their independent effects. Self-control was found to have the strongest effect.

A test of Gottfredson and Hirschi's general theory using structural equation modeling

This article presents a test of Gottfredson and Hirschis (1990) general theory using structural equation modeling (SEM). The results of the study, which are based on self-reports from a sample of 422 university students, generally support the theory. The support is qualified by methodological and analytical limitations. Despite its limitations, the study represents an addition to the growing body of empirical support for Gottfredson and Hirschis theory.

Environmental congruence and symptoms of psychopathology: a further exploration of the effects of exposure to the jail environment

This article examines the link between environmental congruence and symptoms of psychopathology among jail prisoners. Samples of New Jersey jail prisoners were administered instruments that measured environmental needs, perceived environmental resources, and symptoms of psychopathology. The needs and resources instruments were combined into a measure of environmental congruence and analyzed in conjunction with symptom scores. The results indicate that prisoners who have low environmental congruence, that is, expressed needs are not well matched by perceived resources, suffer from more extreme symptoms of psychological distress than do their counterparts, who enjoy relatively high congruence. This finding has several implications for environment-centered programs and research in jails.

Criminology and the Eye of the Spirit An Introduction and Application of the Thoughts of Ken Wilber

The purpose of this article is to introduce the thoughts of Ken Wilber to the disciplines of criminology and criminal justice. There are two central messages from the work of Wilber that are emphasized in this article. The first message is that the current view of most phenomena, including crime and justice, is imbalanced or skewed toward focusing on exterior aspects. Interior components like awareness, intention, and meaning get the short shrift in contemporary descriptive and explanatory models. The second message is that there are levels of understanding beyond those reflected in our contemporary models and that there are methods that make these advanced levels accessible.

Safety demand and supply: An alternative to fear of crime

This article presents an argument for measuring need for safety and perceived safety resources in the context of other environmental concerns as an alternative to measuring fear of crime. The Environmental Preference Inventory (EPI) and the Environmental Quality Scale (EQS) are presented, and are shown to have adequate internal consistency and construct validity when tested on a sample of university students. The relationships of the EPI and the EQS to traditional measures of fear of crime are examined, and the benefits and limitations of the alternative measures are explored.

The Influence of Personal Safety and Other Environmental Concerns on Sense of Control and Emotional Well-Being:

An instrument containing measures of personal safety and other environmental concerns, sense of control, and emotional well-being was administered to 334 undergraduates. The path analysis conducted on these data supported a model showing environmental concerns influencing emotional well-being directly and indirectly through sense of control. One of the implications of the model is that programs designed to reduce disjunctures between environmental needs and resources can indirectly affect emotional well-being by enhancing sense of control.

Framing and measuring fear of crime for decision making

This article presents different ways of framing fear of crime that provide more information than do traditional approaches and should result in more effective decisions. Measures based on this way of framing the problem are used to collect information from university students. Although the specific results of the particular study are limited to the population of a specific university, the implications of the approach are far broader.

Making peace with books

Many have argued that peacemaking or peace work should be more than an intellectual experience—it should be a way of life, reflected in our daily activities, in order to truly have meaning. Because school work is (or should be) a major part of every students life, it is a natural place to introduce students to this approach. If they can see the benefits of adopting, on a small scale, more peaceful approaches to the way they complete their school work, students may be more receptive, on a large scale, to peacemaking as an alternative to the war metaphors that shape our response to many of our current social problems, such as our wars on crime and wars on drugs. Students who resist peacemaking in some areas, such as in operating our criminal justice system, might give peace a chance in their school work. Once experienced there, they may be encouraged to generalize it to other areas.

Peace from moment to moment

We must change our consciousness at the individual level if we want to spawn and sustain peace at any level. To promote peace in criminal‐justice or other systems, peacemakers must adopt an individual approach, that is spiritually based and ideologically free. We can see these truths best from a Buddhist perspective, which confirms much of what has been written about fields such as peacemaking criminology. Buddhism has also been gaining popularity generally, even in Western nations, as a peaceful philosophy of life and spiritual practice. It offers valuable insights into some of our current social problems, and suggests practical approaches to individual and social change.