Preeti Chauhan

Do the Long-Term Consequences of Neglect Differ for Children of Different Races and Ethnic Backgrounds?

Scant research has examined how children of different races or ethnic backgrounds manifest consequences of neglect. We examined multiple domains of functioning (academic/intellectual, social/behavioral, and psychiatric), three theories (racial invariance, double jeopardy, and resilience), and potential confounding variables. Children with documented cases of neglect (ages 0–11) and matched controls without such histories were followed up and interviewed in adulthood (N = 1,039). The sample was 47.3% female, 62.4% White, 34.3% Black, and 3.4% Hispanic. Black and White neglected children showed negative consequences for IQ, reading ability, and occupational status compared to controls. Compared to same race and ethnic group controls, neglected White children showed extensive mental health consequences, Black children showed more anxiety and dysthymia, and Hispanic children showed increased risk for alcohol problems. Black and White neglected children differed in risk for violence compared to same race controls: Neglected Black children were arrested for violence two times more often than Black controls, whereas neglected White children were more likely than White controls to report engaging in violence. Findings provide some support for each theory (racial invariance, double jeopardy, and resilience). Understanding the factors that account for similarities and differences in consequences requires further investigation. Implications for research and policy are discussed.

Race/Ethnic-Specific Homicide Rates in New York City: Evaluating the Impact of Broken Windows Policing and Crack Cocaine Markets.

The current study evaluated a range of social influences including misdemeanor arrests, drug arrests, cocaine consumption, alcohol consumption, firearm availability, and incarceration that may be associated with changes in gun-related homicides by racial/ethnic group in New York City (NYC) from 1990 to 1999. Using police precincts as the unit of analysis, we used cross-sectional, time series data to examine changes in Black, White, and Hispanic homicides, separately. Bayesian hierarchical models with a spatial error term indicated that an increase in cocaine consumption was associated with an increase in Black homicides. An increase in firearm availability was associated with an increase in Hispanic homicides. Last, there were no significant predictors for White homicides. Support was found for the crack cocaine hypotheses but not for the broken windows hypothesis. Examining racially/ethnically disaggregated data can shed light on group-sensitive mechanisms that may explain changes in homicide over time.

Childhood maltreatment and illicit drug use in middle adulthood: The role of neighborhood characteristics

This paper examined whether childhood maltreatment increases the risk of living in neighborhoods with less desirable characteristics (i.e., more disorder and disadvantage, less social cohesion, social control and advantage, and fewer resources) in middle adulthood and whether these neighborhood characteristics influence subsequent illicit drug use. Using a prospective cohort design study, court documented cases of childhood abuse and neglect and matched controls (n = 833) were first interviewed as young adults (mean age = 29 years) from 1989 to 1995 and again in middle adulthood from 2000 to 2002 (mean age = 40 years) and 2003 to 2005 (mean age = 41 years). In middle adulthood, individuals with histories of childhood abuse and neglect were more likely to live in neighborhoods with more disorder and disadvantage and less social cohesion and advantage compared to controls and to engage in illicit drug use during the past year. Path analyses showed an indirect effect on illicit drug use via neighborhood disorder among maltreated children, even after accounting for drug abuse symptoms in young adulthood, although this was sex specific and race specific, affecting women and Whites. Overall, child abuse and neglect places children on a negative trajectory that dynamically influences negative outcomes at multiple levels into middle adulthood.

New York’s Crime Drop Puzzle: Introduction to the Special Issue

The best research, it has been said, seeks to solve puzzles. New York City’s dramatic crime decline over the last two decades is a real brainteaser. No one predicted it and, as yet, no one has explained it, at least to the satisfaction of most social scientists who study crime trends. We might think that a puzzle of this magnitude and consequence—a 75% decline in street crime in one of the world’s leading cities in just 20 years—would attract the attention of legions of researchers, eager to take on this Rubik’s Cube of applied social science. But surprisingly few have risen to the challenge and the best existing research has made New York’s crime drop even more puzzling. That is the backdrop to this special issue. Researchers at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and elsewhere secured support from the Open Society Foundations (OSF) to identify key research issues related to the New York crime drop. A steering committee was established to guide the project and commission research papers. The papers were presented at a two-day

Comparing the Youth Psychopathic Traits Inventory (YPI) and the Psychopathy Checklist–Youth Version (PCL-YV) Among Offending Girls

Using a multimeasure longitudinal research design, we measured psychopathy with the Youth Psychopathic Traits Inventory (YPI) and the Psychopathy Checklist–Youth Version (PCL-YV) among 122 offending girls. We examined the psychometric properties of the YPI, investigated the association between the YPI and the PCL-YV, and assessed their concurrent and longitudinal association with externalizing problems on the Youth/Adult Self-Report and violent and delinquent behaviors on the Self-Report of Offending. Alphas for the YPI were adequate and there were small to moderate correlations between the YPI and PCL-YV, suggesting that each assesses distinctive personality features. The YPI and the PCL-YV were approximately equivalent in their association with concurrent and longitudinal outcomes with two exceptions, where the YPI demonstrated a stronger association with antisocial behavior. Concurrently, there was a divergent relationship between the psychopathy factor scores and antisocial outcomes. Within 2 years, the psychopathy affective factor, which constrained the YPI and PCL-YV to be equivalent, was associated with externalizing behaviors and the YPI affective factor was associated with violent offending. Approximately 4½ years later, neither measure was significantly related to antisocial behavior after accounting for past behavior. Reasons for continuity and discontinuity in risk identification are discussed.

Neighborhood Context and Binge Drinking by Race and Ethnicity in New York City

BACKGROUND Neighborhood context is associated with binge drinking and has significant health, societal, and economic costs. Both binge drinking and neighborhood context vary by race and ethnicity. We examined the relations between neighborhood characteristics--neighborhood norms that are accepting of drunkenness, collective efficacy, and physical disorder--and binge drinking, with a focus on examining race and ethnic-specific relationships. METHODS Respondent data were collected through 2005 random digit-dial-telephone survey for a representative sample of New York City residents; neighborhood data were based on the 2005 New York City Housing and Vacancy Survey. Participants were 1,415 past-year drinkers; Whites (n = 877), Blacks (n = 292), and Hispanics (n = 246). Generalized estimating equations were used to estimate population average models. RESULTS For the overall sample, neighborhood norms that were more accepting of drunkenness were associated with greater binge drinking (odds ratio [OR] = 1.22; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.09, 1.37); collective efficacy and physical disorder were not significant. However, when examining this by race/ethnicity, greater collective efficacy (OR = 0.75; 95% CI = 0.62, 0.91) and greater physical disorder (OR = 0.76; 95% CI = 0.62, 0.93) were associated with less binge drinking for Whites only. Neighborhood norms that were more accepting of drunkenness were associated with binge drinking among Whites (OR = 1.20; 95% CI = 1.05, 1.38) and, while not significant (perhaps due to power), the associations were similar for Hispanics (OR = 1.18; 95% CI = 0.83, 1.68) and slightly lower for Blacks (OR = 1.11; 95% CI = 0.67, 1.84). CONCLUSIONS Overall, results suggest that neighborhood characteristics and binge drinking are shaped, in part, by factors that vary across race/ethnicity. Thus, disaggregating data by race/ethnicity is important in understanding binge drinking behaviors.

Unpacking Pretrial Detention: An Examination of Patterns and Predictors of Readmissions

Pretrial detention makes up the majority of jail admissions, but little is known about this high-volume population. The current study fills this gap by examining the pretrial detention population in New York City and assesses their pretrial readmissions over a 10-year follow-up period. While the number of individuals detained pretrial has consistently decreased since 1995, the prevalence and the frequency of pretrial readmissions remain high: About 60% of the sample was readmitted at least once within 10 years and they were readmitted on average 3 times. A negative binomial model predicting readmission counts for felony and misdemeanor admissions found that males, non-Hispanic Blacks, and younger individuals were more frequently readmitted pretrial. Self-reported drug use and prior criminal records were associated with higher readmission counts. We also found that charge and discharge types predicted readmission counts. Findings suggest the importance of earlier intervention and developing targeted strategies to reduce further readmissions.

A Year Without a Conviction: An Integrated Examination of Potential Mechanisms for Successful Reentry in High-Risk Violent Prisoners:

Some high-risk prisoners on parole “beat the odds”: remaining in the community through their first year without incurring even minor reconvictions. What makes the difference? We investigated three potential mechanisms for postrelease survival—lower dynamic risk, greater readiness for parole, and earlier and longer parole oversight—in two samples: 120 men who had completed 8 to 12 months in an intensive treatment unit for high-risk prisoners, and 151 comparison prisoners who had received less or no treatment. Based on structural equation modeling, results indicated that treatment status (completer or comparison), and readiness for release each directly predicted when and for how long a prisoner would be on parole, which in turn predicted reconviction. Significant indirect pathways indicated that lower dynamic risk, better release readiness, and longer/earlier parole oversight all contributed to the lower rates of reconviction in high-risk prisoners, whether treated or not.

Introduction to Special Issue: Misdemeanor Justice Project—A Focus on Criminal Justice System Responses to Lower Level Offenses:

To date, the enforcement of lower level offenses and the criminal justice system’s response to these enforcement actions has received little scholarly attention. To address this gap in scientific research, the Misdemeanor Justice Project (MJP) commissioned nine scholarly papers focused on criminal justice responses to lower level offenses. Each of the papers in this volume is guided by one of four overarching themes, including officer discretion; the impact of lower level enforcement on individuals, communities, and institutions; pretrial detention and diversion; and court processing and legal representation. As a collection, these papers serve as a launching pad for the development of a body of research in a critical and opaque area of our criminal justice system as well as highlight areas for future research.