Crime & Delinquency

DeCamp, Elise; DeCamp, Whitney

doi: 10.1177/00111287211007749pmid: N/A

The use of peremptory challenges in American criminal trials has been found to be racially discriminatory despite race-based motivation being unconstitutional in jury selection. One argument made in defense of peremptory challenges is that the prosecution and the defense counteract each other, and “cancel out” each other’s impact. Using data from 208 criminal trials in Mississippi, this study examines whether the prosecution and defense counteract each other and what impact this has on juries. Findings suggest that the prosecution has a significant effect on the defense’s use of peremptory challenges. Although the average proportion of Black jurors is not significantly different as a result of peremptory challenges, the greater dispersion in proportions increases the volatility in jury composition.

McCuddy, Timothy; Esbensen, Finn-Aage

doi: 10.1177/00111287211005398pmid: N/A

As criminologists explore the link between bullying victimization and delinquency, they must grapple with measurement issues related to the operationalization of in-school bullying and cyberbullying. Accurately identifying victims has implications for school safety and implementation of policies to reduce the consequences of bullying. Using a longitudinal sample of over 2,000 students, we find youth who do not self-identify as victims of bullying but report peer victimization are likely to experience a number of criminogenic risk factors, and these “mismatched” victims are more likely than non-victims to engage in delinquency. While the observed consequences of victimization are similar across bullied and mismatched youth, we find that certain criminogenic risk factors are associated with failure to self-identify one’s victimization as bullying.

Abel, Meagan N.; Chermak, Steven; Freilich, Joshua D.

doi: 10.1177/0011128721999338pmid: N/A

This study examines the pre-attack warning behaviors of adolescent school shooters in the US. We conducted 20 case studies of adolescent school shooters in the United States that committed non-fatal or fatal shootings on K-12 school grounds between 1999 and 2016. We investigate whether the school shooters displayed warning behaviors before the attack, who in the perpetrator’s life was aware of these warning behaviors, and what if any actions were taken in response. Given the emergence of online forms of communication, we also investigate how adolescent school shooters may variably communicate warning behaviors in online and offline contexts.

Yun, Jinhee; Fukushima-Tedor, Miyuki; Mallett, Christopher A.; Quinn, Matthias I.; Quinn, Linda M.

doi: 10.1177/0011128721999342pmid: N/A

LGBTQ youth, and in particular those of color, are significantly more at risk for experiencing trauma at home and in their community, having school difficulties including bullying and suspensions, and subsequently being involved with the juvenile and criminal justice systems. Research is limited in understanding the pathways these young people take toward youthful and young adult offending and incarceration. The national longitudinal Add Health study data were used to explain how trauma, sexual orientation (gay, bisexual), school experiences, gender, and race impacted juvenile and adult criminal activity and incarceration—looking at a trauma-delinquency-crime link. It was found that females were more likely to experience childhood trauma if they were a person of color, poor, or bisexual; and these traumatic childhood experiences were all direct predictors of adult criminal activity, as was being bisexual or gay. While males were more likely to experience childhood trauma if they were a person of color or poor, but not if they were bisexual or gay, and these traumatic experiences and being bisexual (though not gay) also predicted juvenile delinquency, adult criminal activity, and adult incarceration. Implications and discussion of these and other researcher’s findings are set forth, as well as recommendations.

Anderson, Stavroola A. S.; Hawes, David J.; Snow, Pamela C.

doi: 10.1177/00111287211007730pmid: N/A

Research has implicated oral language deficits as risk factors for antisocial behavior. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between higher order language skills and youth offending through a risk, promotive and risk-based protective factor paradigm. In a sample of adolescent males (n = 130; 13 to 20 years; 62% youth offenders) skills in understanding ambiguity, making inferences, and understanding figurative language were demonstrated to have risk and promotive effects in association with youth offending. Figurative language also met criteria for having risk-based protective effects for youth at high offending risk due to poor nonverbal skills. Conceptualization of higher order language skills through this paradigm promotes a broader frame of reference for considering theoretical models and practical interventions.

Kabiri, Saeed; Shadmanfaat, Seyyedeh Masoomeh (Shamila); Howell, C. Jordan; Donner, Christopher; Cochran, John K.

doi: 10.1177/0011128719901111pmid: N/A

This article tests Akers’s social learning theory with self-reported panel data on performance-enhancing drug (PED) use among a sample of professional athletes (n = 510). Using latent growth curve modeling we find that intraindividual differences exist in the developmental growth trajectories of PED use and the social learning process. Specifically, both PED use and the social learning process increase over time, while those who begin with high and low levels of PED consumption and social learning replicate these patterns throughout the sports life cycle. In addition, using structural equation modeling, we find modest to moderate contemporaneous and lagged, direct, indirect, and reciprocal effects between the social learning process and PED use in a manner consistent with the theory.

Gaub, Janne E.; Holtfreter, Kristy

doi: 10.1177/0011128721999332pmid: N/A

Female representation in policing has stagnated over the past three decades, even with repeated calls for diversification. One explanation for this is that agency attempts to diversify the workforce are merely perfunctory—departments recruit and hire women to placate reformers, but then remove them at opportune times. Guided by the gendered organizations framework, this study uses secondary data from the New York Police Department (NYPD) to examine the extent to which the NYPD used the discretionary nature of probation to remove women from the ranks. We find that a substantially higher percentage of women (compared to men) were terminated from the NYPD during probation, and for relatively minor offenses. We discuss the theoretical and policy implications of these findings.