Ryan Patten

Betwixt and between: the perceived legitimacy of campus police

Purpose – The literature on campus police (CP) is not as developed as mainstream or municipal police (MP). While there are several studies discussing the perception of CP, there are, however, no empirical studies investigating the perception of CP based on their legitimacy. Through the theoretical framework of liminality, this paper aims to address the literature gap by examining the perceived legitimacy of CP compared to MP.Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected through the use of survey instruments distributed among 593 college undergraduates at a doctoral extensive land grant institution in the Pacific Northwest. Since the purpose of the study was to determine student perceptions of legitimacy between MP and CP, two surveys were utilized to capture those perceptions, one for each police group respectively. The two sets of surveys were equally administered in each selected class.Findings – Through the framework of liminality, this research demonstrates the marginalization of CP as sworn law e...

Examining the Roles of the Police and Private Security Officers in Urban Social Control

This cross-sectional research examined the deployment of police and security officers in the 300 most densely populated US counties. Controlling for indicators of population structure, race, income and the underclass, there is a clear and consistent relationship, albeit weak, between crime and the deployment of both the police and private security officers. Inconsistent with expectations, however, private security forces were more likely to be deployed in high crime counties than their public counterparts. This study also provides empirical support for the minority threat group hypothesis that posits that formal social control is used to regulate Black populations. Last, the presence of higher populations of the underclass was positively associated with both police and security officer strength. This study reveals that American private security officers have a significant role in augmenting the activities of the police by shaping urban social control. These results have implications for the study of private–public law enforcement, urban social control and the regulation of minority populations and the underclass.

Drunk and angry is no way to enjoy the outdoors: An examination of game wardens and the use of force

This research seeks to understand what suspect characteristics may increase the likelihood of game wardens using physical force. The data come from 241 self-reports from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Division of Law Enforcement from 2002 to 2009. The incidents were analyzed based on suspect age, race, level of verbal and physical resistance, and the involvement of drugs/alcohol during the encounter. The results indicated that verbal force only was used in 37% of the events and physical force was used in 63% of the incidents. A logistic regression found physical force was most often used against men offering some type of verbal and/or physical resistance or when there was some involvement with drugs/alcohol; however, the effects of age and race were not generalizable beyond the sample. With almost no empirical research in this area, additional studies are needed in this underexplored area before more definitive conclusions can be reached.

“I Don’t See Myself as Prison Material” Motivations for Entering a Rural Drug Court

Since the inception of drug court in the late 1980s, it has become a widely used alternative to incarcerating drug offenders. Previous research has detailed the effectiveness of programming on recidivism, participants’ perceptions of the service delivery model, and cost-effectiveness. The scholarship related to drug offender motivations to participate in drug court has largely discussed family obligations and the sense of loss stemming from drug abuse, and only two studies have discussed the fear of prison as a primary motivator. This research utilized semi-structured interviews with former drug court participants from a rural county in California to ascertain their motivation for engaging in drug court (N = 29). The results show 79% of participants were trying to avoid prison or jail, while 62% were motivated to end the cycle of drug abuse in their lives. The conclusion has policy implications for future drug court design; however, additional research is needed.

Drug Courts and the Facilitation of Turning Points: An Expansion of Life Course Theory

Life course theory has been used to explain why people stop committing crime and/or deviant behavior. Life course theory scholars have demonstrated important life events, such as marriage, gaining employment, or joining the military, have led to reduced recidivism; however, drug courts might also legitimately be considered a turning point for an offender. This study utilized semi-structured interviews with former drug court participants (n = 29) in an attempt to expand life course theory and demonstrate how drug courts should be considered a facilitator of “turning points” for previous criminal offenders. During the interviews, participants discussed how drug court helped them attain many important skills/ideas: self-esteem, improved relationships with family and children, a general educational development certificate, a driver’s license, and/or gainful employment. A gendered analysis demonstrates women found drug court to be more useful at facilitating turning points than their male peers. Additionally, recidivism rates for the participants were lower than similarly situated offenders at the state level. While further research is needed, this study begins to advance the expansion of life course theory.

Come and Knock on Our Door Offenders’ Perspectives on Home Visits Through Ecological Theory

The use of home visits has a long and storied history in the United States from different disciplines, such as nursing, prenatal mothers, young families, health promotion, and community corrections. Ecological theory explains how formal actors play a role in the promotion in the health field through home visits, but does not address community corrections home visits. Through the use of 30 semi-structured interviews, this research seeks to expand the understanding of ecological theory by capturing the perceptions of offenders sentenced to home visits conducted by a sheriff’s office. The findings suggest the participants supported the home visits by formal agents and, in general, the home visits created an atmosphere of respect between the participants and sheriff’s office personnel. This study creates the context for future research to understand the role of formal agents in recidivism and evaluate the efficacy of home visits by community corrections agencies.

The continued marginalization of campus police

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine a campus community’s knowledge and acceptance of their campus police as “real” police. Design/methodology/approach Using the liminality theoretical framework, this study surveyed students, faculty, staff, and administrators (n=1,484). Students were surveyed in-person, while staff, faculty, and administrators participated through an e-mail link to an online survey. Findings Results indicate that campus police are stuck in a liminal state. While 80 percent of the sample thought campus police should be armed, almost two-thirds (64 percent) did not know or were unsure of campus police officer tasks and three-quarters (75 percent) did not know or were unsure of campus police training requirements. Research limitations/implications The participants come from one university campus, so the generalizability of the sample is limited. Originality/value This study provides more evidence of the marginalization of campus police. Specifically, this study highlights that a majority of participants could not or were unable to identify campus police officers’ training and duties. Instead of using small qualitative samples, this study utilized over 1,400 participants on one campus, which provides more explanatory power about the perception problems of the campus police. This study also continues to advance and expand liminal theory.