William R. Blount

The effects of job-related stress and job satisfaction on probation officers’ inclinations to quit

Current research indicates that job-related stress and job dissatisfaction are serious employment concerns among probation officers. In other employment domains, job stress and job satisfaction are commonly associated with employee turnover. Moreover, job turnover among probation officers is a serious but understudied problem. Survey data from a random sample of Florida correctional probation officers indicate moderately elevated levels of job-related stress and job dissatisfaction. Job satisfaction was significantly and inversely related to probation officers’ inclinations to quit, while job-related stress was indirectly related to such inclinations. The policy implications of these findings are discussed.

The Influence of Substance Use among Adult Female Inmates

Using a 90% sample (1,076) of the women incarcerated in August 1985 in Florida prisons, and a “non-use, casual/recreational use, problem use” typology, the extent of substance abuse was found to be inversely related to age at first arrest as an adult, age at incarceration, and employment at time of arrest. Extent of substance use was directly related to number and percent of prior offenses and incarcerations, broken parental home, and criminality in the family of origin. Even though non-users were more likely to be convicted of homicide, casual/recreational users were the most violent. No evidence was found for an increase in substance use/abuse between 1975 and 1985.

Important Links between Child Abuse, Neglect, and Delinquency

Many studies over the last 40 years have suggested links between child maltreatment and later delinquency. However, these studies have frequently been methodologically weak. The present study investigated the linkage between child abuse and delinquency using a randomly selected sample of children from a cohort who attended schools in West Central Florida. This study found a significant relationship between abuse and delinquency.

Alcohol and Drug Use among Abused Women Who Kill, Abused Women Who Don't, and Their Abusers:

Interviews were conducted with forty-two women with extensive abuse histories who had killed their intimates and fifty-nine women with similar abuse histories who were in shelters for battered women. Controlling for demographic and other differences, analyses indicated that alcohol and other drug use ably distinguished between the two groups of women (correctly classifying 89% of the cases), and that alcohol use was more salient than other drug use. The partners alcohol use and the respondents alcohol use were significantly higher among the intimate homicide group, suggesting an association between intimate homicide and alcohol use. Alcohol counseling should, therefore, be a significant part of programs for both battered women and for men who batter.

Alcohol and Crime Issues and Directions for Future Research

Recent research examining the relationship between alcohol use and the commission of crime is reviewed. It is clear that alcohol use, though pervasive among offender groups, does not cause crime. Therefore, attempts must be made to identify how alcohol interacts with other moderating factors that result in criminal activity. Relevant research in this area is reviewed, with a special emphasis on methods of data analysis, choice of subject population, use of self-report data, interaction of type of crime and alcohol consumption patterns, victim intoxication, multiple substance abuse, and demographic factors. More sophisticated methodologies and more precise definitions of both type of crime and type of alcohol abuse appear warranted. Examples of innovative approaches to identifying and studying nonincarcerated criminal populations are suggested as ways to further our understanding of the alcohol-crime link. In addition, the use of mechanical/chemical tests for determining blood-alcohol levels are advocated as a way of increasing the validity of self-report data.

Incarcerated Female Felons and Substance Abuse

A proportional random sample by offense and race was selected from a womans prison in the South (n-176; 38% of the total inmate population). Seven substance use pattern categories were created solely on the basis of intensity and duration of self reported drug intake, ranging from little or no use to polysubstance intake on a daily basis. These were applied to data generated from a 19 page structured interview. Results indicated that the heaviest substance users were younger, nonviolent career criminals who acted alone. While they were more likely to have committed the instant offense for drug related reasons, such motivation occurred only 40% of the time. Heavy users were also more likely to have planned some aspect of the offense, others being more spontaneous.

Predicting Probation Success for the First-Time Offender

The presentence investigation completed by an agent of the court provides considerable information concerning the felony offender. The present work analyzes the relationship between factors identified in the presentence investigation and success or failure of first-time offenders while under probation supervision. An attempt was made to isolate the factors with the strongest relationship to success or failure. After the factors were isolated, those showing the strongest relationship to supervision were organized into a rating scale to be used by probation officers when making sentencing recommendations related to first-time felony offenders.

Personal drug use and attitudes toward prevention among youth living in a high risk environment.

Non-users, users of alcohol, and users of both alcohol and marijuana were identified coexisting in the same neighborhoods. (Sample selection also included a procedure which guaranteed that at least part of each group saw themselves “at risk.”) Separate subcultures for each of the three populations were strongly indicated. Differences were found in terms of behavior, attitudes, peer groups (including a distinct rejection of hard drug users), and significant adults in the environment; especially those felt to possess accurate information about drugs and to whom they would go for help with a drug problem. Almost any activity was seen as appropriate for a drug abuse prevention program, although there were strong differences in terms of desirability. How users can be differentiated from non-users in the same population is discussed along with additional implications for prevention programming.

Concept usage research with the mentally retarded.

ion which would relate the three

Beer Joints and Badasses: An Aggregate-Level Assessment of Alcohol Availability and Violent Crime

This study examines the effects of alcohol availability on the level of violent crime across census tracts within the unincorporated areas of Hillsborough County, Florida. We use Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression techniques to test for the influence of the total number and the number of specific forms of liquor licenses on the level of criminal homicides, sexual assaults, aggravated assaults, and robberies per census tract while controlling for the effects of socio-demographic and economic compositional variables. We find positive relationships between the number of liquor licenses which permit the retail sale of beer (either package stores or for on-premises consumption) and the level of violent crimes. These effects were strongest for the crimes of aggravated and sexual assaults to the extent that each additional liquor establishment per census tract adds 2–3 sexual assaults per year and 8–10 aggravated assaults. Among the compositional and contextual variables, percent of households in poverty was found to have the strongest effect across all violent crime categories. Policy implications are discussed regarding high-risk areas and high-risk establishments.