Rhonda R. Dobbs

The Influence of Criminal Justice Major on Punitive Attitudes

Students majoring in criminology and criminal justice are assumed to have more detailed and accurate knowledge about crime, criminal justice, and punishment practices than peers majoring in other disciplines. The purpose of this study was to examine if criminology/criminal justice majors were more or less punitive than students pursuing other majors at three universities using standard predictors of punitiveness that have not been consistently examined in previous research. The results indicate that criminology and criminal justice students are more punitive in the combined three‐campus sample and in two of the three‐campus samples considered separately.

Attitudes of College Students Toward Women in Policing

Attitudes toward women in policing among undergraduate college students were examined. The findings revealed that feminist orientation was the most consistent predictor of support for women in policing, with academic major also having a significant influence. Gender, race/ethnicity, classification in school (i.e., academic year), and support for the police were generally not significant predictors. Separate analyses completed for men and women indicated that there was some difference in the factors that predicted support for women in policing. Implications of the research are discussed.

Muslim American perspectives of the global war on terror: an exploratory analysis

This study examines the perceptions of Muslim Americans with regards to anti‐terrorist policies including special emphasis on the US‐led Global War on Terrorism (GWOT) in the post‐9/11 era. Data was collected in October/November of 2006 from Muslim Americans in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Muslim Americans’ perceptions of the effectiveness of the GWOT, the rationale for the GWOT, and the impact of that war on Muslims in general are considered. Differences in these perceptions by level of perceived fairness of US policies in general are examined.

Book Review: Treating the Abusive Partner: An Individualized Cognitive-Behavioral Approach

The idea and practice of counseling for abusive partners is nothing new. As Murphy and Eckhardt note, there are more than 1,000 treatment programs operating in the United States, mainly serving men who are court ordered to treatment for abuse of a female partner. Although there are core or foundational differences among these various treatment programs, they overwhelmingly use a group-based treatment approach. Research, however, fails to demonstrate the general effectiveness of treatment in terms of the reduction of intimate partner violence. It appears that participants in treatment experience a reduction in recidivism of about 5%: