Stephen M. Cox

Patterns of Community Policing in Nonurban America

To date, most community policing research has taken place in large urban areas. Only a handful of studies, most using case study or small-N cross-sectional methodologies, have explored patterns of community policing in the small police agencies and nonurban areas that exist throughout much of the United States. Using data from the Justice Departments Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, this study examines levels and patterns of community policing implementation in a sample of nearly 6,000 American law enforcement agencies serving populations less than 50,000. The authors find significant variations in levels of community policing activity by geographic region and department size, with larger agencies and those from the Western region of the United States practicing a wider range of community-policing-related activities. The implications of these findings are discussed for three areas: future research on the police, current federal community policing programs and policies, and the broader community policing reform movement.

Public-Safety Concerns Among Law Enforcement Agencies in Suburban and Rural America

Contingency theory argues that the performance of an organization is contingent on how well it fits the context within which it is embedded. This study explores the public-safety concerns of nearly 6,000 law enforcement agencies serving populations less than 50,000. Property offenses, domestic violence, and drugs were the most frequently reported concerns, whereas gangs and violent crimes were often ranked lower. Rankings of public-safety concerns varied across agencies and were affected by population density, violent and property crime, type of agency, department size, and region. Findings suggest that the context in which police organizations are located plays a role in shaping public-safety concerns, which is an important step in broadening our knowledge about the priorities, goals, and behaviors of police organizations.

An exploration of readiness to change processes in a clinical sample of military service members

Abstract The purpose of this project was to examine readiness to change (RTC) processes in a sample of substance dependent military service members who completed an intensive substance abuse treatment program. The patients completed the Stages of Change Readiness and Treatment Eagerness Scale (SOCRATES), which is an RTC assessment instrument, at intake and completion of the treatment program. It was predicted that patients would show positive changes in their RTC from intake to treatment completion. Scores on two of the three SOCRATES subscales were significantly improved. The findings suggest that RTC processes measurably change during treatment and further suggest that the SOCRATES is an appropriate tool for assessing short term changes in RTC.

The Effects of Connecticut's Probation Transition Program on Reducing Technical Violations

A dramatic increase in Connecticuts prison population and concern over the number of probation technical violators being sentenced to prison led to the piloting of a specialized probation program targeting high risk offenders. The present study used a quasi-experimental design with a one-year study period to evaluate the Probation Transition Programs (PTP) effect on probation technical violations and new arrests. Findings indicate the program significantly decreased technical violations in the participation group while the rate of new arrests remained stable. An analysis of PTP participants who received a technical violation or were arrested found that male probationers with high LSI-R risk scores were most likely to receive technical violations and younger male probationers who were African-American, unmarried, with a high number of convictions and high LSI-R risk scores were most likely to be arrested during the one-year follow-up period.

The Exploration of Risk and Protective Score Differences Across Juvenile Offending Career Types and Their Effects on Recidivism

Despite an abundance of research on serious and violent juvenile offenders, few studies have linked juvenile offending career categories to juvenile court risk assessments and future offending. This study uses juvenile court referrals and assessment data to replicate earlier categorizations of serious, violent, and chronic offenders; to examine risk and protective score differences across these categories; and to assess whether risk and protective score constructs differentially predict adult criminality across these offender categories. Based on a sample of 9,859 juvenile offenders who aged out of Connecticut’s juvenile justice system between 2005 and 2009, we found that (1) our categorization of juvenile career types mirrored earlier work, (2) comparing risk and protective factors across and within juvenile career types identified distinct patterns, and (3) the juvenile risk and protective assessment subscales were not predictive of adult arrests for chronic offenders but were predictive for nonchronic juvenile career types.