K. Michael Reynolds

THE EFFECTS OF OCCUPATIONAL STRESSORS ON JAIL STAFF JOB SATISFACTION

ABSTRACT Jails, with their unique and ever-changing mix of inmates, play a critical role in the criminal justice system. Nevertheless, despite their uniqueness, jail staff are chronically understudied relative to police and prison staff. This study seeks to fill a gap in the literature related to jail studies by surveying staff at a large county jail system in Florida in order to determine the effects of work stressors and demographic characteristics on job satisfaction. Role ambiguity was the most significant antecedent of job satisfaction, followed by dangerousness, incentive programs, age, pay perceptions, and race. Similar results were found when a subsection of custody officers was analyzed; however, satisfaction with mandatory overtime requirements became significant, while incentive programs, age, and dangerousness failed to reach statistical significance.

Do juvenile curfew laws work? A time-series analysis of the New Orleans law

Juvenile curfew laws are one of the most recent weapons for combating delinquency, but little is known about their effectiveness. This study examines the impact of the juvenile curfew law in New Orleans, Louisiana on victimizations, juvenile victimizations, and juvenile arrests. Interrupted time-series analyses are used to compare victimizations and arrests before and after the curfew was implemented. The results show the ineffectiveness of the curfew. Victimizations, juvenile victimizations, and juvenile arrests during curfew hours did not decrease significantly after the law went into effect; some victimizations during non-curfew hours increased significantly after the law was implemented.

A Longitudinal Analysis of Public Satisfaction with the Police in the Volgograd Region of Russia 1998—2005

This study examines public satisfaction with police in a region of Russia and empirically confirms that dissatisfaction remains high and pervasive in the region. A brief historical summary is included that highlights the development of the Soviet police. The literature review includes a discussion of both Russian and English studies that have identified various factors related to public satisfaction with police. This study examines raw longitudinal citizen survey data ( N = 4,000) collected annually from 1998—2005 and focuses on citizen trust of criminal justice institutions and fear of crime as explanatory variables. An explanatory empirical model is developed to test whether low levels of public satisfaction with police in Russia can be attributed to the distrust of criminal justice institutions and fear of crime. The model is grounded in the motive-based theory of institutional trust. The findings of the study provide empirical evidence that criminal justice institutional trust is a major explanatory factor regarding public police satisfaction in Russia.

Individual and situational determinants of police force: An examination of threat presentation

This study is based on previous research denoting the primary factors that influence officer decisions regarding the use of differing levels of force in police-citizen encounters. Using a totality of the circumstance approach, primary emphasis is directed toward explaining those factors that contribute to officers’ estimation of the perceived level of threat inherent in police-citizen encounters. Officers’ perceived level of threat presented by a suspect or the situational context of an encounter is important because in 1989, the Supreme Court in theGraham v. Conner decision mandated that the appropriate amount of force that can be utilized depends on the following four primary factors: the threat, offense severity, actual resistance offered, and whether the suspect is trying to escape custody. These criteria were tested and placed into a predictive model along with other indicators the literature has found to be correlated with situations in which police force is used more often. The findings suggest that while the threat presented to officers is important and related to the level of force that is deemed appropriate by the police profession, many additional elements must be taken into consideration when interpreting if an officer used force correctly.

Tracking dirty proceeds: Exploring data mining technologies as tools to investigate money laundering

Money laundering enforcement operations in the USA and abroad have developed in the past decade from the simple use of informant information to the sophisticated analysis of voluminous, complex financial transaction arrays. Traditional investigative techniques aimed at uncovering patterns consume numerous man-hours. The volume of these records and the complexity of the relationships call for innovative techniques that can aid financial investigators in generating timely, accurate leads. Data mining techniques are well suited for identifying trends and patterns in large data sets often comprised of hundreds or even thousands of complex hidden relationships. This paper explores the use of innovative data mining methodologies that could enhance law enforcements ability to detect, reduce, and prevent money laundering activities. This paper provides an overview of the money laundering problem in the USA and overseas and describes the nature and scope of the money laundering problems. It reviews traditional approaches to financial crime investigation and discusses various innovative data mining and artificial-intelligence-based solutions that can assist financial investigators.

Exploring the Relationship Between Race and Ecstasy Involvement Among a Sample of Arrestees

Abstract Previous research has indicated that whites are disproportionately involved in the use of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA or “ecstasy”). To date, however, no studies have explored the relationship between race and ecstasy possession and sale among adult criminal populations. To address this limitation, official arrest data were utilized from a sample of 1,216 arrestees charged with drug offenses between 1995 and 1999 in Orange County, Florida. Arrestees were divided into those whose primary charge was related to ecstasy possession (n = 331), those whose primary offense was related to ecstasy sale (n = 180), and those whose primary charge was unrelated to ecstasy (n = 705). Chi-square statistics and logistic regression were utilized to examine the relationships between race and the possession and sale of ecstasy. Arrestees charged with ecstasy possession and sale were significantly more likely to be white than their non-ecstasy-charged counterparts (95% and 93% vs. 46%, p < 0.001). Moreover, white arrestees were more than 20 times as likely to be arrested for an MDMA-related offense than non-white arrestees, holding all other variables constant. Policy implications are assessed in light of the current findings.

Perceptions of neighborhood problems and their solutions: implications for community policing

This exploratory study tests one of the key assumptions of community policing: that there is a relatively high level of consensus both within and between community groups, or stakeholders, about community problems and potential solutions. Results show that in the target community there is some consensus about social problems and their solutions. However, the study also reveals that the consensus may not be community‐wide, but may exist only among a relatively small group of “active” stakeholders who differ significantly about the seriousness of most of the problems and the utility of some solutions. Implications for community policing are discussed.

Law enforcement information sharing: A Florida case study

Many attempts have been made over the last several decades to improve communication among law enforcement agencies. This article is a case study of a “low-level” data sharing project in Florida that could serve as a national model. The Florida Law Enforcement Data Sharing Consortium is a partnership between the University of Central Florida and more than one hundred law enforcement agencies. It offers an inexpensive, yet technically advanced alternative to the proprietary data sharing model. Its distributed architecture was endorsed by the Markle Foundation, the 9/11 Commission, and the 2004 National Security Act. Civil liberties concerns raised by this and other types of data sharing projects are discussed.

CONTRADICTIONS AND CONSENSUS: YOUTHS SPEAK OUT ABOUT JUVENILE CURFEWS

ABSTRACT Juvenile curfew laws are supposed to reduce juvenile crime and victimization. Yet, current empirical evidence demonstrates that these laws are ineffective, but cannot explain why. This study examines the New Orleans juvenile curfew law through focus group discussions with youths. The focus groups were designed to determine their experiences and reactions to this law. The major dimensions explored are their knowledge of the law, compliance with the law, reactions to enforcement of the curfew, and evaluation of the law. The results show that the adolescents’ knowledge of the curfew is incomplete, disobedience is widespread, they are concerned about unfair enforcement of the law, and yet they overwhelmingly support the curfew. Further examination of the youths’ statements show that they feel unsafe and they want parents to be responsible for them and to protect them.

Serving Mentally Ill Offenders through Community Corrections: Joining Two Disciplines.

Abstract Historically, the policy of deinstitutionalization has resulted in the closing of many federal and state mental health facilities. This has caused many criminal justice professionals and social workers to question where the mentally ill are placed when they are no longer in a treatment facility. With the abundance of offenders with mental health disorders in our criminal justice system, this issue can no longer be ignored. Therefore, the purpose of this article is twofold: (1) to provide insight and awareness into the magnitude of this problem, through a review of the empirical literature related to the mentally ill offender, as well as (2) to propose the union of an interdisciplinary perspective for this population that encourages the joining of social workers and criminal justice professionals. Issues and needs relative to this group will be identified and ways of improving the handling of mentally ill individuals within the criminal justice system will be suggested.