Nathan W. Pino

Gender Differences in Rape Reporting

This paper compares male and female rapereporting behavior. Participants from National Crime andVictimization Survey data (90% female, 10% male) aremuch like victims of other violent crimes (25%non-white, higher than average unemployment, young, andunmarried). The data indicate that the situationalcharacteristics of rape, and factors that influence arape reporting decision, differ by sex. Whereas men fail to report rape when it jeopardizes theirmasculine self-identity, women fail to report rape whenthe rape does not fit the classic stereotypical rapesituation. Women reported victimization more frequently than did men. It is asserted that furthercomparative research on rape reporting behaviorutilizing qualitative methods is needed in order tofully understand rape victimization for bothsexes.

Community policing and socialcapital

This paper argues for the utilization of the social capital concept in studying, evaluating, or implementing community oriented policing (COP) strategies. Social capital is helpful in measuring COP implementation effectiveness because it is central to COP issues such as trust and genuine dialogue between different groups, the ability to collectively tap into various resources, and the ability of individuals to work together to solve various problems. Findings from a study conducted in Iowa utilizing focus group and interview methodology demonstrate that COP cannot be successful without the existence of social capital building among and between the citizenry, the police, and other public and private organizations.

Serial Offending and the Criminal Events Perspective

This article argues that the utilization of the criminal events perspective (CEP) can help advance the relatively young literature on serial offending. Much of the literature on serial offending understandably concentrates on the motivations of offenders, but the CEP views crime as an event that involves precursors to the act, the act itself, and the aftermath of the event, all of which occur in a social context. The CEP and the life course history method are used in this qualitative case study of a serial offender currently incarcerated in the southeastern United States. Data for this study come from a variety of sources, including semi-standardized interview data and data from police reports and interrogations. Theoretical and methodological implications of this study for future research on serial offending are discussed.

African American Students, the Academic Ethic, and GPA

This article aims to contribute to the debate about Black-White educational achievement and engagement by investigating how the academic ethic is configured for White and Black students and which variables are significantly related to GPA. Students at a medium-size state university in the Southeast were surveyed concerning their attitudes and behaviors about learning. A variety of factors were assessed for their influence on GPA, and students who possessed an “academic ethic” were more likely to have higher GPAs. A higher percentage of Blacks had an academic ethic than Whites, but Blacks also had lower GPAs than Whites. Regression models with GPA as the dependent variable were different for Blacks and Whites. Implications for future research will be discussed.

College women and the occurrence of unwanted sexual advances in public drinking settings

Abstract Using existing data from the 1999 Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Study, this study analyzes the social predictors of unwanted sexual advances experienced by college women and where this type of victimization occurs. Routine activities theory informed the analysis. While attendance and increased alcohol consumption at bars have a significant effect on experiences of unwanted sexual advances, attendance at parties, attendance at drink promotions, and participation in drinking games does not. Furthermore, while less satisfaction with education, having more sexual partners and friends that binge drink, and having more alcohol-related problems increase the likelihood of experiencing unwanted sexual advances, so does drinking less in general, having higher educated parents, and having a higher grade point average. These findings show that the predictors of unwanted sexual advances may differ somewhat from those that predict more serious forms of sexual victimization. Implications for future research and policy are discussed.

Assessing the Determinants of Public Confidence in the Police: A Case Study of a Post-Conflict Community in Northern Ireland

Drawing upon original survey research this article seeks to identify the generative processes that influence perceptions of the police in the context of an inner-city neighbourhood in Northern Ireland that has been affected by increases in crime and disorder in the aftermath of the peace process. Conceptually we draw upon recent research from England and Wales that outlines confidence in the police in terms of instrumental and expressive dimensions. We apply this framework and consider whether it provides a useful template for understanding the post-conflict dynamics of police–community relations in our study area. Contrary to much received wisdom our analysis suggests that instrumental concerns about crime and illegal activity are a more influential predictor of attitudes to the police than expressive concerns with disorder and anti-social behaviour. Consequently our discussion points to the variance in local and national survey data and questions the degree to which the latter can usefully inform our understanding of trends and developments in discrete micro-spaces. Our conclusion outlines the potential policy implications for state policing practice in deprived urban spaces.

Nonmedical Prescription Drug Use by College Students for Recreational and Instrumental Purposes: Assessing the Differences

Nonmedical prescription drug use (NMPDU) is a serious issue on college campuses. We examine the factors affecting instrumental and recreational NMPDU within the same sample, and test the efficacy of learning and strain theories in predicting NMPDU for both instrumental and recreational use. This cross-sectional study utilizes survey data gathered from a convenient but representative sample (n = 2,466) of students attending a large public university in the Southwestern United States. There is support for learning theory, but not for strain theory, in predicting both recreational and instrumental use. Logistic regression analyses also show that while marijuana smokers, illicit street drug users, and those possessing less of an academic ethic are more likely to partake in NMPDU for both recreational and instrumental purposes, the predictors for recreational and instrumental NMPDU differ in interesting ways with regard to race, gender, binge drinking, living arrangement, and Greek organization membership.

The interface between exercise of state power and personal powerlessness: a study of police perceptions of factors impacting professional practices

Abstract Police legitimacy is crucial to the maintenance of law and order in any society. In communities marred by high instances of societal manifestations of dysfunction, tenuous legislative frameworks, poradic implementation, and dismantling of crime fighting strategies, there is greater emphasis placed on quick-fix crime fighting solutions and policing initiatives. The focus is placed primarily on what police officers are mandated to do as opposed to practical applications underscored by systematic hindrances to professional practice. Examining interview data from a pilot study on police fear of crime in Trinidad and Tobago, this study is intended to explore connections between police perceptions about personal powerlessness and the exercise of state power. Here we examine the discourses of N = 12 senior police officers with an average of 22.83 years of service to attain a preliminary understanding of instances presenting a conflict between professional practice and perceptions of self-preservation. The findings suggest a need for officers’ constant consideration of the repercussions of professional competence and the need for continued navigation of blurred constructions of police legitimacy and subjective determinants of criminality against a backdrop of acknowledged personal powerlessness.

The Effect of College Students’ Religious Involvement on Their Academic Ethic

ABSTRACT This article examines the impact of college students’ religious commitments on 4 important outcomes: (1) academic ethic; (2) academic performance; (3) academic honesty; and (4) personal stress. An original data set drawn from a survey of college students attending a large university in the Southwest United States offers suggestive insights that address these issues. The authors find that religious involvement is associated with a strong academic ethic but does not appear to predict students’ academic performance, honesty, or personal stress.

Crime and Development in the Global South

This chapter revisits the literature on the relationship between crime and development in the global South. It begins by examining the Modernization Thesis which posits that crime is a consequence of economic development. The chapter then proceeds to examine critical arguments concerning the relationship between development and crime. It is argued that both perspectives are helpful for illuminating the criminogenic consequences of economic development but are also theoretically problematic due to their universalizing tendencies. Accordingly, the chapter concludes by highlighting the need for more localized studies of the relationship between crime and development and research that accounts for how criminological issues influence the work of the international development community in the global South today.