Roberto Hugh Potter

Improving the Health of Minority Communities through Probation-Public Health Collaborations: An Application of the Epidemiological Criminology Framework

This article explores the notion that common dynamic risks may underlie both criminal justice system involvement and poor health outcomes among members of minority groups in the U.S. We introduce the epidemiological criminology framework as a way of conceptualizing, researching, and intervening to reduce both health and criminal behaviors simultaneously among those on community supervision, or probation and parole. We use the lack of attention to community-supervised populations in previous research on sexually transmitted diseases as an illustration of lost opportunities. Suggestions for addressing these and other disease states and criminality simultaneously through the epidemiological criminology framework are provided.

The Health of Jail Inmates The Role of Jail Population “Flow” in Community Health

Jails are often referred to as “reservoirs of disease” and presented as the origin of infectious diseases or for the development of chronic diseases. The present article argues that the data behind this metaphor are generally taken from nonrepresentative studies by analyzing non-TB-focused studies of jail inmate health issues published in both health and criminal-justice-related journals. Issues such as the use of extremely large jail systems, geographic location, diseases studied, and the lack of attention to jail processes are examined. The article explores the “length of stay” variable from booking to release known as “flow” and how the flow of detainees through jails over time affects who is left for data collection. Data on releases from a large Florida urban jail system for a 1-year period are analyzed to determine the impact of factors associated with release decisions. These, in turn, are related to the representativeness and generalizability of the observed data in previous research and analyzed in terms of potential bias for our understanding of the relationship between jail populations and community health. Issues of health-focused practice standards and recommendations issued without reference to “flow” factors are discussed. Finally, suggestions how criminologists and criminal justice researchers can inform the research on health among jail inmates are canvassed.

Jails, Public Health, and Generalizability

This article outlines and discusses five categories of information about individual jails that should be considered before making general statements about jails. These are (a) the process by which individuals come to and are processed through the jail, (b) the size of the jail, (c) the region of the country where the jail is situated, (d) classification/assessment techniques, and (e) architecture and supervision styles. It is hoped that this discussion will generate a better understanding of the complexity of jail systems across the nation and help public health professionals better target their research, programs, and policies directed at the jail/community health nexus.

Exploring the Structure of Adolescent Problem Behaviors and the Associated Adult Outcomes

ABSTRACT This study expands on previous research on adolescent problem behaviors by examining whether different constellations of problem behavior in adolescence differentially impact outcomes during emerging adulthood. Data from the in-home interviews of waves 2 and 3 of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) were used to examine these relationships. Latent class analysis, using nineteen problem behaviors measured at wave 2, identified three classes of adolescents representing “low risk, abstainers,” “sexually-active, experimenters,” and a “high risk, diverse behavior” group. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were then used to identify class differences (measured at wave 3) in social stability, general health and service utilization, and criminal justice system involvement during emerging adulthood. Important class differences in the likelihood of negative outcomes during early adulthood were identified. The implications of these findings and suggestions for future research are discussed.

Potential Criminals?: Australian Consumers of X-rated Videos

This study presents results of a nation-wide survey of 348 mail-order and adult shop purchasers of X-rated videos in Australia. The sample was drawn from those who purchased X-rated videos from a nation-wide distributor in late 1992. The sociodemographic profile, consumption history, viewing habits, and uses of the X-rated videos by the consumers are discussed. The findings are presented as an initial attempt to study the regular consumers of pornographic videos in a country with a standardized censorship system which regulates the content of X-rated videos. The results are also examined in the light of previous theoretical and empirical examinations of the purchasers and consumers of X-rated videos in relation to issues of criminalization.

Developing and sustaining collaborative research partnerships with universities and criminal justice agencies

The systematic understanding of partnerships between academic-based researchers and criminal justice agencies has received relatively little attention in scholarly journals. This is an area in need of scholarly attention because research collaborations among universities and justice agencies have increased in recent years and there is a lack of resources specific to our discipline regarding best practices for developing and sustaining these relationships. Indeed, research focusing on researcher-practitioner partnerships exists in other disciplines including the public health, business, and medical fields, and to a lesser degree the social sciences. However, the criminal justice sector is unique in a number of ways including the population served, the sensitivity of the data, the amount of funding available, and the large number of agencies that are involved in a single project. Thus, this is the gap in our literature we hope to begin filling with this special edition of Criminal Justice Studies. The relatively recent increase in university-agency research partnerships can be attributed to a number of different factors. These include the growing recognition by university leaders that academic research should be relevant and useful to the community and the increased attention to evidence-based practices. Among criminal justice agencies, there is also an emerging appreciation of data-driven decisionmaking and the use of rigorous research methodology. Agencies are beginning to recognize that using data to help inform policies and practices can greatly enhance operations, cut down costs, ensure equitable practices, and maintain public safety. In addition, for many years there were suggestions that applicants for nonresearcher-initiated (R01s, etc.) grants should partner with a researcher. However, it was not until recently that this was a requirement. Nowadays, it is not unusual for grant solicitations from government and private funders to carry a requirement for the involvement of an evaluator/researcher from the beginning of the project, with an adequate funding level built into the proposal budget. Furthermore, as we move through the ‘what works’ and ‘what matters’ in the production and dissemination of evidence-based practices, the role of researchers comes into even greater importance. Whether we call it ‘translational research,’ ‘implementation science,’ or some variant of ‘diffusion of innovation,’ the collaborative efforts of the developer/implementer of the new approach and the researchers evaluating the implementation and effectiveness of the approach are crucial aspects of the successfulness of the innovation as a whole. As the importance of university researcher-criminal justice agency partnerships becomes more apparent, the experiences of scholars who have been engaged in this type of research will also become incredibly valuable. The development of a body of work surrounding collaborative partnerships in criminal justice will allow veteran scholars to reflect on their experiences and compare across different partnerships to

Service utilization in a cohort of criminal justice-involved men: implications for case management and justice systems

In the era of re-entry, a great deal of attention has been paid to the ‘risk-need-responsivity’ model. Most attention to the utilization of services designed to meet need has focused on post-release behaviors. However, little attention has been paid to the pre-incarceration utilization of services that might influence receptivity to post-release utilization. Using constructs borrowed from health services utilization, the current paper examines the associations among CJ-involvement, social and health services utilization, and health status in a cohort of CJ-involved men living in the community. Results from the current cohort, combined with those of previous research, suggest that follow-through on services by released individuals’ remains problematic. Suggestions for future research and questions about the role of criminal justice agencies in improving follow-through are raised.

Replicating MISTERS An Epidemiological Criminology Framework Analysis of a Program for Criminal Justice-Involved Minority Males in the Community

The Men in STD Training and Empowerment Research Study (MISTERS) program and epidemiological criminology began their development in Atlanta at about the same time. MISTERS focuses on men recently released from jail to reduce both HIV/STD and crime-related risk factors through a brief educational intervention. This article examines ways in which MISTERS and epidemiological criminology have been used to inform one another in the replication of the MISTERS program in Orange County, Florida. Data from 110 MISTERS participants during the first 10 months of operation are analyzed to examine the overlapping occurrence of health and criminal risk behaviors in the men’s lives. This provides a test of core hypotheses from the epidemiological criminology framework. This article also examines application of the epidemiological criminology framework to develop interventions to address health and crime risk factors simultaneously in Criminal Justice-Involved populations in the community.

Crime on Australian university campuses: Is there an emerging social issue?

Abstract This paper addresses the area of crimes on Australian university campuses. An historical summary of crimes on university campuses is presented. Available studies of crime and fear of crime on Australian university campuses precedes an analysis of the 1992 and 1993 Campus Crime Surveys. Finally, some considerations of the process by which crime on campus has come to public attention and the practical considerations of this emerging issue are canvassed.

Crime and Criminal Justice: Applied Research from Routine Monitoring to Evidence-Based Practices

Applied research has been at, and remains at, the heart of the fields of criminology and criminal justice since the days of the ‘moral statisticians.’ This article examines some of the history of applied research in these fields, and the roles of government, university-based, and nonuniversity-based researchers. The impact of different sources of funding and the challenges that funding produce to the integrity of applied research are canvassed. Particular attention is paid to applied research in the areas of prevention, intervention, and evaluation studies. The development of evidence-based practices, implementation research, and translational research is also covered as part of the evolution of applied research in criminal justice and criminology. Exemplars in the areas of corrections and policing are offered to highlight the continuing development of this important aspect of the application of social science research to applied problems.