Ronald E. Vogel

Participative management and correctional personnel: A study of the perceived atmosphere for participation in correctional decision making and its impact on employee stress and thoughts about quitting

Abstract Participatory management has been identified in the empirical literature as a technique to alleviate job related stress in criminal justice organizations. Although many advantages have been noted, few criminal justice agencies have developed programs to capitalize on the benefits of employee participation in decision making. This article focuses on the perceptions of correctional officers regarding their participation in decision making and the relationship between organizational stress, physical stress, and thoughts about quitting the job. Four hundred eighty-six employees were surveyed from seven correctional institutions in the Southeast United States. A structural model, which explained 31 percent of the variation, showed that as employee participation increased, physical and occupational stress decreased. Thoughts about quitting were associated with higher levels of physical stress, occupational stress, and the perception of a negative atmosphere for participation. The results lend support for the use and development of participatory management programs in the field of corrections.

The age of death: Appraising public opinion of juvenile capital punishment

Despite its original purpose to protect and rehabilitate wayward children, the juvenile system has grown more punitive and has embraced the use of harsher punishments, including execution, for juvenile offenders. Relatively little is known, however, about public attitudes toward the use of capital punishment for juveniles. This research explored the determinants of death penalty opinion, identified the minimum age at which respondents were willing to allow a juvenile to be put to death and examined the willingness of respondents to support an alternative sentence of life without the possibility of parole (LWOP). The results suggested that, while one-quarter of the sample was willing to execute juveniles who were fifteen and under at the time of the crime, there was less support for the execution of juveniles than of adults. In addition, of those who supported the use of the death penalty for juveniles, almost one-half would support LWOP as an alternative to the death penalty.

A comparison of factors associated with uninformed and informed death penalty opinions

The study shows that while there are some differences in the factors that are significantly related to uninformed versus informed death penalty opinions, there also are significant factors common to both, that is, certain “core” factors. Whether informed or not, the more subjects favored the death penalty, the more likely they were to be white and to agree with revenge, incapacitation, and general deterrence items (the converse was true for opponents). Death penalty knowledge only made a difference for crime victims (they were less likely to favor the death penalty) and for death penalty proponents (they were less likely to agree that there is a danger of executing an innocent person and that whether a person receives the death penalty depends on such things as the make-up of the jury; the converse was true for opponents). The results of the study suggest that death penalty information is not likely to change core factors, which appear to be assimilated biasedly to support initial positions.

Pre and post‐test differences between Vietnamese and Latino residents involved in a community policing experiment – Reducing fear of crime and improving attitudes towards the police

To address a persistent crime problem in a large, high crime apartment complex occupied by Latino and Vietnamese immigrants in Garden Grove, California, the local police department opened a storefront office. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact this community policing effort had on the residents of the complex in terms of reducing fear of crime and improving attitudes towards the police. A questionnaire was administered to the residents before opening the storefront office and at the conclusion of the project. Despite group differences, the results revealed that the intervention had a positive impact on both groups. Overall, Latinos reported less fear of crime after the intervention and improved perception of the police. The Vietnamese reported more fear of crime than Latinos (pre and post) but less fear of crime after the intervention. However, their attitudes towards the police, which were very positive on the pretest, did not improve on the post‐test.

Dating and sexual victimization: an analysis of risk factors among precollege women

This article explores several factors associated with sexual assault and date rape in a sample of 332 women before entering a medium-sized Southern university. Predictors reported in the literature to be associated with sexual assault and date rape were explored by utilizing a sexual experiences survey developed to determine the level of individual sexual victimization. Specifically, risk factors, attitudinal scales, and an assertiveness schedule were utilized for analysis with sexual victimization. The findings revealed that early childhood sexual assault, alcohol/drug use, adversarial sexual beliefs, and assertiveness were statistically related to increased levels of sexual victimization including date rape.

The correlates of school violence: an examination of factors linked to assaultive behavior in a rural middle school with a large migrant population

ABSTRACT This study examines various factors that contribute to assaultive behavior in school. We focused on the differences between youth whose behavior was not problematic and those who admitted to threatening, stealing from, or physically assaulting students, teachers, or staff. A questionnaire was developed and distributed to a random sample of students at a rural California middle school that serves the children of a large migrant worker population. Results suggest that the factors linked to school violence in this unique sample are very similar to those identified elsewhere. Compared with youth who did not exhibit behavior problems in school, youth who admitted to behavioral problems in school had lower self-esteem scores, less of an ability to control their anger, less commitment to school, weaker bonds with teachers, and less parental supervision after school.

A Critical Analysis of Telemarketing Fraud in a Gated Senior Community

ABSTRACT Fraudulent telemarketers have increasingly victimized older citizens (in this study, age 56 and older). This study tested key variables reported in the literature as being related to elderly telemarketing victimization. Data were collected from a large (n = 8,197), gated, middle-class community reported to be highly targeted by telemarketing scammers. Using a probability sample of 374 residents and rigorous follow-up techniques, the researchers found very few victims (n = 25) and were not able to ascertain a cohesive victim profile. Only one variable (believing what a salesperson tells you over the phone is true) affected victimization. Respondents who believed what telemarketers told them was true were significantly more likely to be victimized.

An evaluation of Operation Roundup

This article presents research findings on Operation Roundup, a project initiated by the Santa Ana Police Department in Santa Ana, California. The covert police operation was designed to curtail gang activity in a specific neighborhood by securing indictments and arresting 130 violent gang members belonging to the notorious Sixth Street gang. A purposive sample of community members, selected from the neighborhood where the gang members operated, were surveyed before and after the intervention about their fear of crime and perceptions regarding the effectiveness of local law enforcement. The results revealed a decrease in perceptions related to the fear of crime but little change in attitudes toward the police. However, the covert police operation successfully eliminated the Sixth Street gang and their criminal activities from the neighborhood.

Accreditation and the state of North Carolina: The revitalization of national standards

From the mid to late 70s, the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (ACJS) developed a process for accrediting post-secondary criminal justice education programs. The academy gave form to the program by developing guidelines and a complex organizational network. However, the program did not reach fruition for a variety of economic and political reasons and it is doubtful that the Academy will attempt to resurrect the program soon. Even though the accreditation movement was abandoned on the national level, the North Carolina Association of Criminal Justice Educators (NCACJE) decided to implement the program and stepped into a very lengthy and political process.

Effects of prostitution: An urban population responds

This article examines community perceptions about the legalization of prostitution in a large southern community. The authors utilized a random digit dialing technique to develop a representative sample consisting of 850 respondents.In addition, the authors interviewed prostitutes to determine their perceptions about how they helped individuals and society. Themes were developed from the personal accounts of the prostitutes and presented to the public to assess their feelings regarding whether or not prostitution is beneficial in certain instances.One of the major findings of the study was that 32% of the community members interviewed believed that prostitution should be legalized. This finding led the authors to discuss policy implications in the last section of the article.