Scott R. Senjo

Testing and Developing Theory in Drug Court: A Four-Part Logit Model to Predict Program Completion

The expansion of drug courts into numerous additional jurisdictions continues at a rapid pace. Despite this, and the commensurate growth of drug court literature, there remains a surprising paucity of empirical studies that test and develop an underlying theory for drug court. This research is an empirical study that analyzes and tests therapeutic jurisprudence as the theory behind the drug court mission and its day-to-day operations. A logit model is used to assess the strength of specific theoretical components on an offenders ability to complete the drug court program. The findings indicate, among other things, that the manner of interactions between the judge and offenders can increase the likelihood of an offenders ability to remain abstinent and stay engaged in treatment for the duration of the drug court program.

Dangerous fatigue conditions: a study of police work and law enforcement administration

Sleep deprivation data from various nations have shown a lack of sleep contributing to a number of severe and destructive workplace accidents. Here, a triangulated research strategy focusing on pre‐existing data, survey administration, and personal interviews from multiple law enforcement agencies (police, sheriff, and highway patrol) was implemented to study conditions which induce dangerous levels of fatigue in law enforcement personnel. Initial findings reveal extraordinarily high numbers of hours worked weekly per officer. Graveyard shifts, overtime, college education reimbursement, secondary employment, and other factors have all proven to invite excessive work while the PSQ metric data indicate that officers receive remarkably insufficient or otherwise poor rest. This combination of excess work and reduced sleep perilously heightens the risk of officer injury, compromised public safety, and the possibility of significant civil liability damage awards for avoidable accidents.

Perceptions of effectiveness and the actual use of technology-based methods of instruction: A study of California criminal justice and crime-related faculty

The field of criminal justice/criminology has few studies that examine faculty opinions regarding the use of technology as a replacement and supplement to traditional classroom instruction. Using a sample of criminal justice and crime-related higher education faculty members in the state of California, this study examines perceptions of effectiveness and the actual use of various classroom-based technologies. The results reveal that while most faculty members hold positive views toward the use of technology, far fewer are actually integrating technology-based methods of instruction into their courses. Meanwhile, most faculty members do not perceive the presence of adequate administrative supports or incentives at their institutions for the development of distance learning courses. Overall, support for the integration of technology into criminal justice education appears to be greatest when it is used as a supplement rather than a replacement for face-to-face classroom instruction.

Trafficking in meth: an analysis of the differences between male and female dealers

Male and female meth dealers exhibit numerous common characteristics and patterns. For example, both can be relatively heavy users and both have similar (long) criminal records. However, both groups show important distinctions in their drug dealing patterns. This exploratory study compares 34 male and 26 female meth dealers (N = 60) who were involved in the same criminal justice system of a single western state during the same time period. Among other things, the findings indicate that male dealers treat their trafficking activities more like a business, have more customers, make more money, and are more likely prepared for violence while dealing than females. In contrast, female dealers have more education, including graduate school, have been arrested less often and are more willing to try drug treatment than male dealers.

The Varied Dimensions of Law, Policy, and Treatment of Convicted Sex Offenders A Review and Synthesis of Three Titles

A seemingly endless struggle continues to exist over policy prescriptions for convicted sex offenders. The oversimplified answer is to enact more punitive measures, however futile they may be, to appease a misinformed populace. This review essay looks at three titles that examine the policy justifications for sex offenders and explain the expensive and irrational measures taken in both American and British society to try to gain some control over this class of criminal and mental health cases.

A Review of: “Sex Offending and Fear:”

Answers to questions about sex depend on information. Sexual acts such as triolism are perplexing and their occurrence often asks for an explanation. Sexual acts by violent criminal offenders are even more baffling, and cause untold, irreparable harm. Why would Earl Shriner cut off the penis of a 7year-old boy? (p. 183). Stranger-to-stranger rapes and child molestations cry for logical explanations as do mala prohibita sex acts such as polygamy, voyeurism, and prostitution. Each act understandably raises questions but it seems we have few answers, and instead mostly large doses of retributive justice. If the answers to some of these things lies in having more information, one source for them is Sexual Offenses and Offenders: Theory, Practice, and Policy by Karen Terry. We can begin with a useful query: What is normal sex? Normal sex is amorphous, and Terry states as much, including on page 20: “. . . the concept of ’normal’ sexual behavior is a socially constructed reality that is continually adapting.” Two thousand years ago, Romans encouraged sex acts (such as sodomy) that are outlawed and often loudly abhorred in the United States today (p. 21). Terry also states, “There is no objective standard for the types of sexual behavior that should be prohibited, and sexual mores have changed drastically even throughout the previous century” (p. 23). These opening statements reflect the book’s authentic, nonjudgmental perspective which is essential to counter the stereotypes and fear surrounding this topic. With no objective standard, arguably, sex offenders do exactly what most of the rest of us do. They express themselves sexually. The difference is that sex offenders do so in a manner that is unacceptable and/or intolerable and often harmful to the rest of us. The idea that “. . . sexual urges are not the driving force of the [sex] offender” (p. 31) is perplexing, as is: “As one researcher stated, it is surprising to find out how little sex offenders know about sex.” (p. 158). The milieu of sex crimes and their etiology (root

Book Review: The Myth of a Psychiatric Crime Wave: Public Perception, Juror Research, and Mental Illness

No shortage of myths pervade the American system of criminal justice. Some of the more blatant include that white-collar crimes are few in number, that the death penalty is a deterrent, or that all computer hackers are high school students. With these and other myths, fortunately, a miscarriage of justice is not automatically implied. It’s more a case of misplaced resources. With the myths surrounding mental illness, however, accused parties can face a stacked deck, or worse, as outlined in The Myth of a Psychiatric Crime Wave. Anyone who has taken the time to study the criminal justice system is familiar with some of the disturbing trends already mentioned, be they related to white-collar crime, incarceration rates, wrongful convictions or other issues. Professor Corey J. Vitello tries and succeeds in raising another deeply troubling reality within criminal justice – the media-driven portrayal of mentally ill persons as irrevocably dangerous and prone to crime. A heading on page 37 reads ‘The Truth About Mental Illness, Crime, and Violence’, suggesting we need to read this book to know the truth, having been fed only non-truths to this point. Possibly quite correct.