Joongyeup Lee

Police response to domestic violence: multilevel factors of arrest decision

Purpose – Police factor in extra‐legal as well as legal context in their decision to arrest a suspect. The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of extra‐legal factors at both situational and neighborhood levels.Design/methodology/approach – Using hierarchical generalized linear modeling, over 9,000 domestic violence cases across 421 census tracts in Houston, Texas were examined. Situational information was derived from police reports, and neighborhood factors were measured by population characteristics drawn from the US Census Bureau. The model also controls for spatial autocorrelation of arrest rates between census tracts in the estimation of officers arrest decision.Findings – At the neighborhood level, concentrated disadvantage and immigration concentration had positive effect on the odds of arrest. At the situational level, the time of day, day of the week, premise type, and gender and racial relations between suspect and complainant, along with offense type and weapons use, had significant...

Race and attitudes toward police: the mediating effect of social distance

Purpose – Given the consistent finding in the literature that members of minority groups hold less favorable views of the police than white citizens, social distance may be an important, yet untested, mediator. The purpose of this paper is to examine the mediating effect of social distance net of other established correlates. Design/methodology/approach – A sample of students attending a university in the northeastern USA completed an online survey in 2013. The survey was about their contact with the police, attitudes toward the police, and lifestyles, among others. Findings – Race, along with other predictors, significantly influenced confidence in police. However, race is the only factor that turns nonsignificant when social distance is included in the model. Mediation tests confirmed that social distance mediates the relationship between race and confidence in the police. Research limitations/implications – To maximize confidence in the police, administrators should focus on closing the social distance...

Extending Interactional Theory: The Labeling Dimension

Interactional theory argues that theoretical variables and delinquency have reciprocal causal relationships. While empirical support for the reciprocal relationships has been found, the impact of delinquency on later changes in the variables, including attenuated attachment to family, needs more elaboration. Labeling theory may offer a constructive extension to interactional theory, given their common emphases on theoretical integration, age-varying effects, and reciprocal relationships. The present study suggests an extended interactional model with the labeling dimension. Using structural equation modeling, both the original and extended models were tested with longitudinal data from a nationally representative sample. The present study tested statistical and substantive significance of the paths hypothesized by each model. Findings lend support for the extended interactional model; providing as much as a 48.2% increase in its explanatory power when compared to the original interactional model. The extended interactional model incorporating labeling theory may contribute to both interactional theory and labeling theory for juvenile delinquency.

Profiling Weapon Use in Domestic Violence: Multilevel Analysis of Situational and Neighborhood Factors

Abstract The dangerousness of domestic violence escalates when suspects use weapons against victims or responding officers. Nevertheless, only a few studies have examined the dynamics of weapon use in domestic violence. While supporting the situational approach, the limited literature and relevant theories suggest the need for weapons classification and multilevel research. Using over 9,400 domestic violence cases across 423 census tracts that were responded to by the Houston Police Department in 2005, hierarchical linear models examine the correlates of weapon use by suspects. Results indicate that situational and neighborhood factors are distinctively associated with each type of weapon. Implications for future research and policy are discussed.

Police use of nonlethal force in New York City: situational and community factors

The current study examined the situational and community factors that affect police use of nonlethal force in New York City. Although a number of studies explored either situational factors at the incident-level or community factors at the neighbourhood level, only a few tested for interaction between the two levels. Using multiple data sources, the current study features hierarchical generalised linear modelling for both independent and cross-level interaction effects of situational and community factors. The findings suggest that the police use of nonlethal force was associated with suspects race and other situational factors. Notably, the effects of race and seriousness of the offence appear to hinge upon the community characteristics. Findings are further discussed for policy implications.

Terrorism and other Determinants of Fear of Crime in the Philippines

Many studies in Western society have examined the determinants of fear of crime. However, research on fear of crime has rarely been conducted for Asian countries, particularly South East Asia. We examine the relationship between the concern of terrorism and fear of crime in the Philippines. Other determinants of fear of crime are also considered. Data were derived from the 1995 Social Weather Stations Survey in the Philippines. Statistical analysis reveals that concern of terrorism and four other factors, residential location, gender, marital status and victimisation due to home break-ins, were significant determinants of fear of crime in the Philippines. Policy implications and limitations are discussed.

Differential social distance and confidence in the police

Despite the emphasis on community relations in recent developments in policing, the importance of social distance between citizens and the police has not been explored. In the current study, we examine the effect of social distance on public attitudes toward the police using data from a sample of college students in a mid-sized State university. The findings from path analysis suggest that students’ familiarity with and interest in the police promote confidence in the police, even when controlling for variables such as negative contacts and exposure to media coverage of police misconduct. The findings are discussed in reference to recent policing initiatives that are designed to facilitate amicable citizen–police relationships.

Maternal Employment and Juvenile Delinquency: A Longitudinal Study of Korean Adolescents

Historically, many have suggested that women’s participation in the labor force has contributed to higher juvenile delinquency rates due to the extensive amount of time and attention that working mothers must spend outside the home and away from their children. Although some researchers have examined this hypothesis, findings are mixed and inconclusive. Using longitudinal data provided by the Korean Youth Panel Survey project, the effects of maternal employment on a child’s propensity to commit general delinquency are examined. Results from hierarchical linear modeling analysis indicated that children of working mothers display a higher likelihood of becoming involved in delinquency. In addition, working mothers with higher educational backgrounds were more apt to have a child who commits delinquency.