Crime & Delinquency

Lilly, J. Robert; Deflem, Mathieu

doi: 10.1177/0011128796042001001pmid: N/A

The economics of imprisonment has been examined in a plethora of theoretical and empirical studies. As intriguing, stimulating, and policy-changing as these have been, they generally have not been connected to social contexts broader than prison overcrowding, legal issues, and conservative ideology. This article attempts to respond to this lack of attention by offering a descriptive analysis of one neglected topic of penality. It examines some of the business-related aspects of the American penal system and concludes that because that system operates largely by purchasing goods and services, the connections among crime, punishment, and business must be considered.

Longshore, Douglas

doi: 10.1177/0011128796042001002pmid: N/A

This study estimates the prevalence of drug injection at shooting galleries in Los Angeles and describes their characteristics. Data indicate that 23% of local drug injectors went to a gallery during the year before their interview and that drug use at shooting galleries may have been underestimated in other studies. “Dirty works” are commonly shared in Los Angeles galleries, and gallery access is not limited to people who know each other. However, galleries in the eastern and western United States appear to differ in their scale of operation, that is, the number of users who visit them on a given day.

Jones, Mark

doi: 10.1177/0011128796042001003pmid: N/A

Of the 15,044 North Carolina probationers removed from supervision between July 1 and October 31, 1993, 1147 (8%) chose to serve the remaining portion of their sentence in incarceration rather than under probation supervision. Those 1147 probationers were compared to a sample obtained from the remainder of the population. Variables which correlated with choosing elect-to-serve were identified. The strongest predictors were being under intensive supervision and financial difficulty, whereas the strongest predictors for not choosing to serve were being under the lowest level of supervision and being over age 24 at the time of first conviction.

Vaughn, Michael S.

doi: 10.1177/0011128796042001004pmid: N/A

This article explores Section 1983 civil liability against police officers who retaliate against citizens exercising their First Amendment rights. The retaliation cases are categorized into three groups, using the standard developed by the United States Supreme Court in Mt. Healthy City School District Board of Education v. Doyle (1977). The article then identifies three defenses successfully used by police officers, and concludes that officers must develop skills in anger management and interpersonal communication, so when confronted with verbal challenges, they can de-escalate the situation without risking First Amendment liability.

Welsh, Wayne N.; Harris, Philip W.; Jenkins, Patricia H.

doi: 10.1177/0011128796042001005pmid: N/A

Although minority overrepresentation in juvenile justice settings has been identified as a persistent problem, interventions are scarce. To address minority overrepresentation in its juvenile justice system, Pennsylvania funded nine community-based intervention programs. This article describes a systematic model that provides an active role for program staff in program assessment and development prior to the design of outcome evaluations. Using archival, interview, and observational methods, we conducted evaluability assessments and process evaluations of each program. These formative evaluations provided essential information to strengthen community-based program planning, implementation, and impact assessment.

Sanborn, Joseph B.

doi: 10.1177/0011128796042001006pmid: N/A

The dispositional stage is the most critical decision-making level delinquent youths encounter in juvenile court. Previous research has produced inconsistent results concerning what motivates court officials in making sentencing decisions. One hundred workers (judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys, and probation officers) from three juvenile courts (urban, suburban, and rural) were interviewed to ascertain their perspectives as to factors which should and do influence dispositions in juvenile court. The data demonstrate that the factors perceived to affect these decisions vary among juvenile courts and that research may never be able to determine precisely the impact any of the factors has on the dispositional outcomes.

Johnson, W. Wesley

doi: 10.1177/0011128796042001007pmid: N/A

During the 1980s, punishment and control became increasingly complex. As a result, the relevance of various forms of noncriminal justice system control—welfare assistance, psychiatric intervention, and education—has been increasingly recognized. The interaction between the various forms of control is characterized as transcarceration. The analysis in this article incorporates data from 50 states to assess interaction between various forms of control, holding constant the influence of social and economic conditions. Multivariate analyses indicate transcarceral effects do exist. Policy implications are discussed in light of demands by the public for more effective social control and fiscal constraint.

Griset, Pamala L.

doi: 10.1177/0011128796042001008pmid: N/A

The national movement for determinate sentencing, which began in the late 1960s, is rooted in two related principles: that the sentence imposed in court should bear a reasonable resemblance to the sentence served and that postconviction administrators should have little or no discretion over the duration of incarceration. This case study examines the forces that drove policymakers in Florida, where determinate sentencing was enacted in 1983, to violate both principles. In 1993, the state's determinate sentencing structure was revamped to rectify these fundamental deficiencies, but recent amendments suggest that the demise of administrative early release may be short-lived.

Walker, Jeffery T.

doi: 10.1177/0011128796042001009pmid: N/A

In the 1980s, the police use of deadly force against nonviolent felons began to be questioned. This critical examination culminated in the decision in Tennessee v. Garner, which ruled that the police could use deadly force only in certain life-threatening situations. However, a decade after Garner, there are few limitations on the use of deadly force by correctional officers in situations where prisoners are attempting to escape. This article compares correctional deadly force policies and practices with current standards governing police use of deadly force. Court actions that might limit such practices and the potential consequences of not adopting more restrictive policies prior to court intervention are discussed.