Lee Ann Slocum

The Validity of Self-reported Prevalence, Frequency, and Timing of Arrest: An Evaluation of Data Collected Using a Life Event Calendar

Heightened scholarly interest in stability and change in criminal behavior has increased the demand for longitudinal data. One method that may enhance the quality of retrospective self-reported data, especially reports of timing, is the life event calendar (LEC). Using a sample of incarcerated women, we assess the validity of LEC measures of self-reported prevalence, frequency and timing of arrests over a three-year period.We also examine the validity of self—reported frequency and timing of arrest data by respondent and arrest characteristics. Results suggest that the LEC elicits valid data on prevalence and frequency of arrests, while self-reported timing of arrests is recalled with less accuracy. Saliency appears more relevant for the accuracy of self-reported frequency, as compared to timing, and substance use has no effect on validity. We discuss future research using the LEC, especially with regard to improving the recall of the timing and sequencing of criminal events.

THE UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES OF BEING STOPPED OR ARRESTED: AN EXPLORATION OF THE LABELING MECHANISMS THROUGH WHICH POLICE CONTACT LEADS TO SUBSEQUENT DELINQUENCY

Much debate has taken place regarding the merits of aggressive policing strategies such as “stop, question, and frisk.” Labeling theory suggests that police contact may actually increase delinquency because youth who are stopped or arrested are excluded from conventional opportunities, adopt a deviant identity, and spend time with delinquent peers. But, few studies have examined the mechanisms through which police contact potentially enhances offending. The current study uses four waves of longitudinal data collected from middle-school students (N = 2,127) in seven cities to examine the deviance amplification process. Outcomes are compared for youth with no police contact, those who were stopped by police, and those who were arrested. We use propensity score matching to control for preexisting differences among the three groups. Our findings indicate that compared with those with no contact, youth who are stopped or arrested report higher levels of future delinquency and that social bonds, deviant identity formation, and delinquent peers partially mediate the relationship between police contact and later offending. These findings suggest that programs targeted at reducing the negative consequences of police contact (i.e., poor academic achievement, deviant identity formation, and delinquent peer associations) might reduce the occurrence of secondary deviance.

THE ELUSIVE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS AND CRIME: AN ASSESSMENT ACROSS DISADVANTAGED AREAS OF THE SOUTH BRONX

Several theoretical perspectives posit a negative association between the extent of a neighborhoods organizational infrastructure and crime; yet, empirical support for this proposition has been limited in that researchers generally examine only a few types of organizations or combine them into one aggregate measure. Studies with few measures may omit organizations that are effective at reducing crime, whereas those using aggregate measures obscure differences across organizations in their ability to control crime. Using data from 74 block groups in the South Bronx, NY, this research seeks to specify more clearly the relationship between organizations and crime in a disadvantaged urban environment. We examine the relationship among nine different types of organizations and violent and property crime controlling for prior crime, land use, and area sociodemographic characteristics. Consistent with theories that highlight the importance of organizations for establishing ties outside the neighborhood, we find that block groups with more organizations that bridge to the larger community experience a decrease in crime. Property crime also is reduced in block groups with more organizations that promote the well-being of families and children. We find that schools are associated with an increase in property crime, whereas the effects of other organizations are context specific and vary based on neighborhood racial composition, commercial land use, and disadvantage. Language: en

The Importance of Being Satisfied A Longitudinal Exploration of Police Contact, Procedural Injustice, and Subsequent Delinquency

Researchers have documented the negative consequences of police-initiated contact for youth including increased delinquency. The procedural justice framework suggests this delinquency amplification is due, in part, to the negative consequences of police contact on evaluations of the police. Using four waves of data, we explore the multiple ways in which being stopped or arrested and procedural injustice act in concert to affect later delinquency. We also assess how these effects differ based on youth’s evaluations of their police encounters. Our findings indicate that the total effect of being stopped or arrested on delinquency depends on the youth’s level of satisfaction with the encounter. In addition, procedural injustice mediates some of the effect of contact on delinquency, but its relationship with delinquency is not direct. We conclude that the negative consequences of being stopped or arrested are mitigated, but not eliminated, when contact is perceived favorably.

Abstainers in Adolescence and Adulthood: Exploring the Correlates of Abstention Using Moffitt’s Developmental Taxonomy

Moffitt’s developmental taxonomy describes a small group of adolescents who abstain from all forms of delinquency because they are isolated from peer groups or because, unlike most adolescents, they lack the desire to engage in “adult-like” behaviors, such as drinking and smoking. Based on Moffitt’s work, this study examines the correlates of abstention for males and females, focusing on negative personal characteristics that may isolate youth from their peers. Using a sample followed from birth through adulthood, the authors found that although many prosocial characteristics are associated with abstention, individuals who refrain from delinquency are also more likely than offenders to possess undesirable personal characteristics. Still, abstainers are more likely than other youth to become successful, well-adjusted adults.

“Police Wouldn’t Give You No Help” Female Offenders on Reporting Sexual Assault to Police

Sexual assault remains one of the most underreported violent crimes. When victims report, they often are dissatisfied with the police response. The factors influencing one’s decision to invoke the law have been widely examined. However, less research examines (a) how the victim’s criminality affects this decision and (b) women offenders’ characterization of their reporting decisions. We use mixed methods to explore the factors related to an offender’s decision to report sexual victimization to police and consider their descriptions of police response when they do report the crime. Our findings provide insight into the gendered relations between offenders and police.

School Climate and Violence Does Immigrant Status Matter

A growing literature shows that school context is an important predictor of student behavior, above and beyond individual and family characteristics. Limited attention, however, has been given to potential contingencies in this relationship. The aim of this research is to extend previous school-based studies by examining whether and to what extent school context is differentially predictive of violent delinquency for immigrant and nonimmigrant youth. Using two waves of data from two multicity program evaluations, Teens, Crime, and the Community/Community Works (T.C.C./C.W.) and the Gang Resistance Education and Training (G.R.E.A.T.) program, we assess the impact of four measures of school climate on violent delinquency. Results highlight important contingencies in the relationship between immigrant status and violence.

Specifying the Strain-Violence Link: The Role of Emotions in Women's Descriptions of Violent Incidents

Abstract Research on General Strain Theory has not considered fully the range of emotions that might be linked to violent behavior. Moreover, quantitative analyses of strain and emotions have assessed emotional traits rather than emotional states that directly precede violence. We use narrative data from incarcerated women to examine how they describe the strains and resulting emotions that emerged during incidents in which they used violence. Our findings confirm the importance of anger, but also suggest the presence of other related emotions during violent interactions. We argue that the study of General Strain Theory can be advanced by considering situational factors.

Community Responses to “Stop-and-Frisk” in New York City Conceptualizing Local Conditions and Correlates

This study seeks to conceptualize individual and neighborhood conditions that affect the ability of residents to enact collective responses to intense policing practices such as “stop-and-frisk.” Drawing on prior research, we formulate four hypotheses that could jointly or independently shape mobilization around issues of policing: (a) neighborhood organizational infrastructure, (b) resident activism, (c) attitudes toward neighborhood change, and (d) perceptions of police performance. We provide a preliminary exploration of these arguments by combining administrative reports with surveys and observations in the South Bronx. Our descriptive work suggests that despite the lack of a robust local community response to high levels of police stops, this section of the city has many community organizations, significant levels of resident involvement, and general optimism regarding neighborhood change. There is some indication that residents may be willing to put up with frequent “hassles” from the police in exchange for less crime.

Young Girls’ and Caretakers’ Reports of Problem Behavior: Comprehension and Concordance Across Age, Race, and Behavior

The article discusses a research instrument developed and utilized by the Pittsburgh Girls Study that asked young girls (ages 7 and 8) and their caretakers to report on the girls’ involvement in a variety of problem behaviors. In this article, the authors evaluate whether comprehension, prevalence, and caretaker–child concordance of problem behaviors varied by child age and race. Results indicate that the girls understood most questions (except for some related to drug use) and that comprehension and reported involvement increased with age. Findings show that nonwhites showed greater comprehension and reported more involvement in problem behavior than Whites. Overall, the authors find modest concordance between reports from the girls and their caretakers, with greater agreement for nonwhites and older children. The authors conclude that a more comprehensive understanding of youth problem behavior is gained when both caretakers and children provide reports.