Jon'a Meyer

THE EFFECT OF POLICE MISCONDUCT ON PUBLIC ATTITUDES: A QUASI-EXPERIMENT

ABSTRACT This article uses data derived from more than 1,000 interviews in an effort to disentangle the effects of the Rodney King beating and its aftermath on public attitudes towards the police. Although the conclusions we draw from our analyses of the data are speculative, we suggest that those who lived in neighborhoods, characterized by some crime and disorder, had their attitudes little affected by the incidents, while the college educated were most affected.

Drunk drivers in the courts: Legal and extra-legal factors affecting pleas and sentences

Abstract To what extent are pleas and sentences of drunk drivers influenced by legal factors such as offense severity and priors versus extralegal factors such as race and gender? It was found that guilty pleas and sentences were based most heavily on offense severity. Pleas also were based on ethnicity, with Caucasians more than twice as likely to plead not guilty. Although judges often fail to impose mandatory sentences, the judges in this sample always imposed mandatory sentences on drunk drivers.

Evaluating problem‐oriented policing: a quasi‐experiment

Problem‐oriented policing has been widely implemented during recent years, but researchers have conducted few controlled evaluations to assess its effectiveness. This paper presents a quasi‐experiment designed to test the effects of one such programme. Interviews with Santa Ana residents before and after the introduction of problem‐oriented policing in the city’s developmental district suggest that the archetype can lessen citizens’ complaints about their neighbourhoods.

STRANGE SCIENCE: SUBJECTIVE CRITERIA IN PAROLE DECISIONS

ABSTRACT The factors used by a local level parole panel in achieving its decisions are explored. Essentially, acceptance by the panel was a two-stage process in which applicants were first judged “deserving” of parole, and then conditions were fashioned in order to curb recidivism. Decisions were based on a number of mitigating and aggravating factors, including an applicants perceived level of culpability and county of residence. In addition, three general processes emerged: sponsorship of particular offenders by individuals who advocated parole, reliance on ‘magic’ variables to explain and influence votes, and attempts to formulate appropriate responses to unknown future actions by others in the justice system.

Peacekeepers turned peacemakers: police as mediators

We discuss the potential of law enforcement officers to function as mediators in everyday disputes encountered in the field. Examples are drawn from mediation and peacemaking occurring in a variety of contexts, focusing on a description of the Navajo peacemaking program currently in operation, using interviews with Navajo law enforcement professionals who discuss the benefits of officers serving as mediators/peacemakers in the field. Peacemaking is a community‐oriented policing tool with the potential to reduce crime and simultaneously improve public perceptions of the police. By enabling citizens and victims to solve their own problems, the police can earn the respect of the communities they serve. Programs such as those discussed here represent a way for police to transform themselves from officials primarily concerned with keeping the peace to those making it.

History Repeats itself Restorative Justice in Native American Communities

Although restorative justice principles served as the foundation for many Native American legal systems, contemporary tribal courts rely heavily on the laws and standards they received from European settlers. This trend is now being reversed as tribal courts have begun to rediscover their restorative roots and share them with non-Indians. In this article, a framework is developed for understanding the transformation of Native American legal systems from primarily restoration based to those that are more retribution oriented. A case study of the Navajo restorative justice system is presented to illustrate the framework, followed by a discussion of the future of restorative justice in Native American communities.

Dependency, Cultural Identification, and Elder Abuse Among Americans of Mexican Heritage

ABSTRACT We interviewed professional caregivers who work with elderly Americans of Mexican ancestry. These caregivers were employed at nursing homes or in home health care agencies. They were interviewed about the impact of dependency and cultural identification on elder abuse and its reporting. They described abusers who were often dependent in terms of living arrangements and finances on the elders they abused. The caregivers who identified as “Hispanic” rather than “Mexican-American” said that people in their culture would be more likely to report abuse. Among the caregivers who were themselves Americans of Mexican heritage, this was the case: Those who identified as “Hispanic” rather than “Mexican-American” were twice as likely to report abuse, even though far fewer had direct knowledge of the abuse.

Unintended Consequences for the Youngest Victims: The Role of Law in Encouraging Neonaticide from the Seventeenth to Nineteenth Centuries

An important though sometimes ignored facet of victimology is the study of the effects of law on increasing (rather than decreasing) victimization. This article discusses the deleterious effects on neonaticide (i.e., infanticides of newborns) of legal realities that served to subtly encourage women to conceal their pregnancies and kill their newborns. Laws that authorized the negative treatment of illegitimate children and their mothers, severe sanctions for fornication, and poor treatment of indentured apprentices and servants created a situation conducive to the commission of neonaticide.