Journal of Crime and Justice

Hibdon, Julie; Schafer, Joseph; Kyle, Michael

doi: 10.1080/0735648X.2023.2211561pmid: N/A

Daly, Sarah E.; Nichols, Annie Laurie

doi: 10.1080/0735648X.2023.2169330pmid: N/A

Research about involuntary celibates, or incels, has often relied on indirect texts such as internet forums and discussions as a source of data for qualitative analysis. Using direct qualitative data from interviews with incels (N = 14), this paper examines their beliefs about negative online behaviors such as shit-posting. From the data, we identified various themes, and participants stated that they may view this behavior as: 1.) one that is not specifically isolated to incels (or only a small fraction of the incel population); 2.) for attention; or 3.) a reflection of some truth or deeper emotion. Other explanations, however, suggested that shit-posting is: 4.) just a joke or not serious; 5.) annoying or a negative representation of all incels; or 6.) false flags by others outside of the community. Researchers in online behavior—and incel researchers in particular – should give special attention to the reasons why users may engage in reprehensible or vile speech and the rewards that such behaviors offer. Attention to the nuance and purpose of online behaviors can provide additional context for the interpretation and application of existing and future incel research, and it can inform policies and practices to make internet spaces less harmful.

Helm, Brenna; Scrivens, Ryan; Holt, Thomas J.; Chermak, Steve; Frank, Richard

doi: 10.1080/0735648X.2022.2074867pmid: N/A

The online presence of incels, or involuntary celibates, has been an increasing security concern for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers in recent years, given that self-identified incels – including Alek Minassian and Elliot Rodger – used the Internet to disseminate incel ideology and manifestos prior to committing acts of violence. However, little is empirically known about the incel movement in general or their online communities in particular. The present study draws from a set of comments from r/Incels, a now defunct but once popular subreddit dedicated to the incel community, and compares the most highly-upvoted comments (n = 500) to a random set of other comments (n = 500) in the subreddit. This qualitative analysis focuses on identifying subcultural discourse that is widely supported and engaged with by members of the online community and the extent to which incels utilize this online space to reaffirm deviant behavior. Our study underscores the importance, as well as the difficulties, of drawing from online sources like web-forums to generate new knowledge on deviant communities and behaviors. We conclude with a discussion of the implications of this analysis, its limitations, and avenues for future research.

Lee, Jin R.; Holt, Thomas J.; Smirnova, Olga

doi: 10.1080/0735648X.2022.2058062pmid: N/A

Western law enforcement agencies have made multiple arrests targeting individuals purchasing firearms on Dark Web platforms in recent years, as these transactions may violate national laws and facilitate offline violence. Despite its market presence and growth, research exploring these online illicit markets has been scant, especially as it relates to how firearms are priced on the Dark Web, and the factors that influence their price point. Given this gap in the literature, the current study utilized a sample of 287 firearm products across 20 Dark Web vendors operating in both crypto markets and shops to identify the range and pricing model of illicit weapons. Analyses revealed that long guns offered on the Dark Web had lower average listed prices than their manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP), while handguns had higher advertised prices than their recommended retail value. Further, products’ MSRP was a significant predictor of firearms’ price point for both handguns and long guns, whereas offering a customer service line was only significant for handguns’ price point. The implications of this analysis for our understanding of illicit online market operations are discussed in detail.

Canada, Kelli E.; Huebner, Beth M.; Garcia-Hallett, Janet; Givens, Ashely; Inzana, Victoria; Taylor, Elizabeth; Peters, Clark M.

doi: 10.1080/0735648X.2022.2072364pmid: N/A

The challenges presented by COVID-19 in prison settings highlight the need for research that captures the lived experiences and needs of incarcerated individuals. Primary data collection among people living in prison during the global pandemic, however, presents unfamiliar obstacles that require innovation and invite opportunities to adopt methods not traditional in criminal-legal research. This manuscript details the application of summative content analysis to consider incarcerated persons’ perceptions of institutional culture and climate. This research was conducted as part of the Prison Research and Innovation Initiative (PRII). A written open-ended questionnaire yielded data from 84 individuals incarcerated in a medium-security institution in the Midwest region of the United States. The results highlight several prominent themes in prison culture and climate and endorse the use of open-ended questionnaires analyzed with summative content analysis as a viable approach to collecting and examining high-quality data from people living in prison. The results from this work also underscore the efficacy of this method as a part of community-engaged research in prison settings.

Schafer, Joseph; Hibdon, Julie; Kyle, Michael

doi: 10.1080/0735648X.2022.2062036pmid: N/A

Many intriguing and socially significant policing research questions center on relatively rare events. Scholars may find few viable options to studying those rare events, limiting the development of research to support scientific knowledge and policy responses. The proliferation of body-worn cameras (BWCs) has produced a unique research opportunity through the creation of video archives documenting how officers interact with citizens and police communities. Researchers have access to aspects of police work and behavior previously available only through resource- and time-intensive methodologies, such as field observation. The allure of using video footage is understandably strong, but the limitations of this research methodology need to be understood and ameliorated. This article examines the use of video to support research, focusing on the methodological implications of this emerging research approach. We offer a case study examining police use of force in an east coast department to illustrate the potential and limitations of analyzing video content.

Uchida, Craig; McCluskey, John; Kringen, Jonathan; Kringen, Anne; Kato, Sean; Melendez, Heleana; Schmitz, Jennifer

doi: 10.1080/0735648X.2022.2080100pmid: N/A

Data from body-worn cameras (BWCs) have emerged as a new approach to measuring police activity. These data, in the form of video footage, represent a new method to systematically examine how critical incidents involving police unfold. Recently, law enforcement agencies have begun documenting and releasing elements of video and other data to offer the public their accounts of critical incidents involving police-citizen encounters. These include officer-involved shootings, use of force, and police activity involving protests and demonstrations. The current research analyzes these critical incidents in three interrelated ways: First, we describe the extent to which BWC footage is used in the critical incident accounts. Second, we assess the quality of the audio and video within the BWC footage that is released. Third, we closely code and analyze the data for patterns of police use of force and citizen resistance within the context of extant theories of use of force. The implications for policy and research, and the utility and limitations of this method for future research are considered.

Snaphaan, Thom; Hardyns, Wim; Pauwels, Lieven J. R.

doi: 10.1080/0735648X.2022.2114099pmid: N/A

The availability and use of new and emerging data sources has increased exponentially. The variety of these data sources offers opportunities to complement, replace, improve or add to conventional data sources. Survey data is one kind of these conventional data sources. In survey research, a framework to assess the accuracy of survey data already has been around for quite some time, and goes by the name of the Total Survey Error (TSE) framework. The philosophy behind this framework has only recently been universalized to (big) data in general in the form of the Total Error Framework (TEF). The current study introduces the TEF to the methodological toolkit of scholars and practitioners in criminology and criminal justice by outlining this generic framework and applying it to an empirical case study (on calculating spatially-referenced crime rates) utilizing two types of administrative data and mobile phone data. The present study discusses the added value and limitations of adapting the TEF, providing guidance to apply the TEF in research and practice. Finally, we propose promising avenues for future inquiries.

Taylor, Ralph B.; Lockwood, Brian; Wyant, Brian R.

doi: 10.1080/0735648X.2022.2157862pmid: N/A

Statement of the problem. 311 call data are replacing on-site assessments as a popular alternative metric to gauge urban streetblock conditions, including physical incivilities like litter, trash and rubbish. Work to date, however, has not yet established the ecological construct validity, and thus the meaning, of streetblock 311 call counts for specific physical incivilities. The current work gauges this validity over time. Procedures. Philadelphia open source geolocated 311 data (35,055 streetblocks within all of Philadelphia’s 45 neighborhoods) were combined with streetblock litter scores from two open source on-site assessments made by trained city raters. Following the Hawley/Bursik change framework, this work examined connections between ecological discontinuities in 311 streetblock litter call counts and later ecological discontinuities in on-site litter assessments. Results/implications. Earlier 311 litter call count shifts connected positively albeit modestly to later assessed litter shifts. Nevertheless, so too did earlier call count shifts in a theoretically unrelated category. For this physical incivility, and perhaps others, category-specific streetblock call count shifts have demonstrated some modest convergent predictive validity, but not discriminant predictive validity. This is the first theoretically aligned, streetblock-level ecological change analysis linking 311 calls about a specific physical incivility to a specific corresponding on-site condition. Neighborhood spatiotemporal inequalities surfaced.