Lisa R. Muftić

Advancing Institutional Anomie Theory A Microlevel Examination Connecting Culture, Institutions, and Deviance

Institutional anomie theory (IAT) contends that crime can be explained by an examination of American society, particularly the exaggerated emphasis on economic success inherent in American culture, which has created a “cheating orientation” that permeates structural institutions, including academia. Consistent with its macrosocial perspective, previous tests of IAT have examined IAT variables at the structural level only. The current study tests the robustness of IAT by operationalizing IAT variables at the individual level and looking at a minor form of deviance, student cheating. The author also examines the role statistical modeling has in testing the theory at the microlevel. Undergraduates, 122 American born and 48 international, were surveyed about their cheating behaviors and adherence to economic goal orientations. Results related to the hypothesis that American students, relative to foreign-born students, will have an increased adherence to economic goal orientations that increase cheating behaviors are presented, as are suggestions for future studies.

Impact of Maternal Incarceration on the Criminal Justice Involvement of Adult Offspring A Research Note

Objectives: This note examines the relationship between maternal incarceration and adverse outcomes for offspring in early adulthood. Methods: Utilizing data derived from the National Longitudinal Survey of Adolescent Health, a series of multivariate models are conducted to examine the impact maternal incarceration has on criminal justice involvement among young adults. To control for selection effects that may be associated with maternal imprisonment, propensity score matching is utilized. Results: Respondents whose mothers had served time in prison were significantly more likely to have an adult arrest, conviction, and incarceration, even after controlling for important demographic factors and correlates of criminal behavior. This effect persisted following matching. Conclusions: Maternal incarceration had a substantial effect on the offspring’s adult involvement in the criminal justice system. These findings bolster contentions regarding the unintended consequences of maternal incarceration that include long-term collateral damage to their children.

The Impact of Life Domains on Juvenile Offending in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Direct, Indirect, and Moderating Effects in Agnew’s Integrated General Theory

Objectives: Agnew has proposed an integrative theoretical construct composed of the most influential predictors of crime concentrated within multiple life domains, including the self, family, school, peer, and work. Limited research has explored the impact of life domains on offending. This study presents a partial test of the theory using an international sample. Methods: Nationally representative self-reported data are derived from 1,756 juveniles residing in Bosnia and Herzegovina who participated in wave 2 of the International Self Report Delinquency Study. A series of multivariate models were run to examine the impact life domains have on crime directly and indirectly, as well as looking at interaction effects among the life domains. Results: Data showcased varying levels of support for the life domains. Across bivariate and multivariate models, the most significant positive relationships between offending and the life domains were evident in the self and peer domains, with the school and family domains exhibiting a negative impact on offending. Furthermore, significant interactive and indirect effects were discovered, primarily for the self and peer domains. Conclusions: This research discovered a moderate level of support for life domains contained within Agnew’s integrated theory for offending within an international context.

Sex, Parental Incarceration, and Violence Perpetration Among a Sample of Young Adults

Limited attention has been directed at adult children with a history of parental incarceration. The goal of the current study is to expand our understanding of the gendered effects of imprisonment on the adult offspring of incarcerated parents through the exploration of violence perpetration among a sample of young adults. Congruent with problem behavior theory, it is hypothesized that young adults who have been affected by parental incarceration will report greater aversive outcomes (i.e., more risk factors and violence perpetration) than their peers without a history of parental incarceration. Furthermore, it is hypothesized that parental incarceration predicts violent perpetration even after controlling for individual and familial risk factors and demographic characteristics. A series of bivariate and multivariate statistical models utilizing self-report data from 534 college students were generated to test said hypotheses. In addition, the moderating effects of students’ sex and exposure to parental incarceration on the relationship between violence perpetration and risk factors were explored through the utilization of split logistic regression models. Roughly 1 in 10 (13.3%) students surveyed had experienced parental incarceration. As expected, students affected by parental incarceration were significantly more likely to perpetrate violence than their peers not affected by parental incarceration, net individual and familial risk. Although only a small percentage of students had experienced the imprisonment of a parent, parental incarceration predicted violence perpetration in young adulthood. These findings highlight the need to explore the long-lasting effects of parental incarceration on prisoners’ offspring across the life course.

Exploring the Overlap between Victimization and Offending among Women in Sex Work

Abstract This study examines reported victimization and reported offending of women involved in sex work in the United States in order to identify demographic and behavioral overlap between women who presented to the justice system as victims and offenders, and between women identified as trafficked persons or as prostitutes. Results indicate significant offending and victimization experiences among women in the sex industry. Among women who presented both victimization and offending (victim-offenders)—compared to those who were exclusively victims or exclusively offenders and those without such experiences—substance abuse problems, injuries, and multiple arrests were proportionally higher. Distinctive behavioral differences between trafficked women and prostitutes were not evident. Policy implications for the justice system are discussed.

Perceptions of the Sex Trade in Bosnia and Herzegovina A Comparative Analysis of Practitioners and Future Practitioners

Bosnia and Herzegovina has taken a prohibitionist stance when it comes to the commercial sex trade. In the last decade, legislation has been passed outlawing the solicitation, procurement, and enticement of prostitution. Yet, the country continues to be criticized by the international community for failing to adequately address the sex trade within the country, which is cited as a contributing factor in the country’s delayed accession into the European Union. Furthermore, little is known regarding how criminal justice (CJ) practitioners (current and future) view the sex trade, including their support for current legislation prohibiting prostitution. This is an important line of inquiry as prior research indicates practitioner behavior may be influenced by attitudinal beliefs. As such, this study set out to evaluate practitioners’ support for various CJ responses to the sex trade (e.g., legalization of prostitution, the arrest, imprisonment, and/or deportation of various actors within the sex trade) as well as uncover what factors are related to this support, including professional experience and/or participant sex. Bivariate and logistic regression results primarily indicate differences between the groups with regard to their attitudes toward prostitution and misperceptions of human trafficking. Implications from these findings as well as limitations and suggestions for further research are discussed.

A Nationwide Evaluation of Services Provided to Domestic Violence Survivors at Shelters in Bosnia-Herzegovina

The shelter movement in Bosnia-Herzegovina was born out of a tradition of assisting survivors of gender-based violence in the early 1990s during the Bosnian conflict. To date, nine shelters are in existence providing emergency shelter and services to survivors. Little is known about these shelters, or the clients these shelters serve. The purpose of this study is to examine what services are provided to domestic violence survivors by shelters in Bosnia-Herzegovina and who these survivors are. A total of 43 service providers from all existing shelters within the country were surveyed about shelter characteristics, client demographics, and services provided. Findings revealed that the typical Bosnian shelter had been in operation for 11 years and had assisted 64 survivors in the previous year; the majority of whom were married females with minor children who had sought shelter services before. Core services were provided by the majority of shelters, including crisis services, legal and medical advocacy, counseling, and community education. While services were provided to a diverse group of survivors (e.g., children, elderly women, victims of human trafficking), shelters were less likely to be available for male and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender survivors. Implications from these findings, as well as limitations and suggestions for further research, are discussed.

Bosnian and American Students’ Attitudes Toward Electronic Monitoring: Is It About What We Know or Where We Come From?

The use of community corrections continues to grow across the globe as alternatives to incarceration are sought. Little research attention, however, has been directed at correctional alternatives from a global orientation. The purpose of this research study is to compare the way that a sample of criminal justice students from the United States (n = 118) and Bosnia and Herzegovina (n = 133) perceive electronic monitoring. Because electronic monitoring is a newer sentencing alternative and it is used differently in Bosnia and Herzegovina than it is in the United States, it is predicted that Bosnian students will view electronic monitoring differently than will students from the United States. This study finds that while students are largely supportive of electronic monitoring sentences, support is affected by offender type and student nationality. For example, Bosnian students are more supportive of electronic monitoring sentences for drug offenders while American students are more supportive of electronic monitoring sentences for juvenile offenders. Differences were also found across student groups when attitudes toward electronic monitoring and the costs and pains associated with electronic monitoring were assessed. Specifically, American students were less likely to view electronic monitoring as meeting the goals of rehabilitation and more likely to view the conditions and restrictions associated with electronic monitoring as being punitive than Bosnian students were. Implications from these findings, as well as limitations and suggestions for further research are discussed.

Factors that influence death penalty support among university students in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) became an independent nation state in 1992 and abolished the death penalty six years later. Little is known about how Bosnians view the death penalty. This study addresses this gap in the literature. Utilizing self-reported survey data collected from 440 university students enrolled at the University of Sarajevo in 2009, we assess the degree of support for the death penalty and what factors predict this support among university students in BiH. Drawing from the broader punitivity literature, the following correlates are considered: individual characteristics (e.g. age and sex), individual experiences (e.g. fear of crime and prior victimization) and philosophical attitudes pertaining to punishment (e.g. deterrence, retribution, modernity and indifference). Among the students surveyed, roughly half (52.7%) were in support of the death penalty. Results from a series of multivariate statistical analyses reveals that only philosophical attitudes predict death penalty support after controlling for important individual characteristics and experiences. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

Criminal Justice System Outcomes for Buyers, Sellers, and Facilitators of Commercial Sex in Houston, Texas:

This study draws upon the economic model of prostitution to explore the relationship between gender, prostitution role, and criminal justice system outcomes. Official court data for 1,027 prostitution arrestees from Harris County (Houston), Texas, were used to differentiate participants by their role in the commercial sex trade (buyer, facilitator, or seller). Logistic regression results indicate that gender differences persist for case dismissal and plea deal acceptance among prostitution arrestees even after controlling for their criminality and role in the prostitution offense. Although gender does not influence the likelihood of conviction, buyers are significantly less likely to be convicted than sellers. Implications from these findings, as well as limitations and suggestions for further research, are discussed.