Criminal Justice Programs Research Articles

Transforming how we communicate with victims :moving beyond information provision to a system of communication

This article is based on Victim Support Europe’s policy paper “Transforming how we communicate with victims: moving beyond information provision to a system of communication”, drafted and published in 2022 under the Project INFOVICTIMS 3. The three INFOVICTIMS projects, co-financed by the Criminal Justice Programme of the European Union, were developed and led by the Portuguese Association for Victim Support (Associação Portuguesa de Apoio à Vítima, APAV). As a result of multiple contacts and exchange of knowledge and experiences, a partnership between APAV and the Instituto Brasileiro de Atenção e Apoio Integral às Vítimas (PRÓVÍTIMA) was established. The connection between APAV and ProVítima is characterized by collaborative efforts and synergies to create a more robust and integrated response to the complex challenges associated with victimisation. APAV's expertise in victim support and ProVítima's specialized focus contribute to a collective and coordinated approach to prevention, intervention, and assistance for those affected by crime. This collaboration exemplifies a concerted endeavour to provide holistic support and advocate for the rights and well-being of victims within the Portuguese and Brazilian context. Under this partnership,Infovictims reached Brazil, and ProVítima Institute created the website Infovictims Brazil.

A life on hold: women, drugs, and electronically monitored parole in Thailand

ABSTRACT The United Nations Rules for the Treatment of Women Prisoners and Non-Custodial Measures for Women Offenders (the Bangkok Rules) advocate for the increased use of non-custodial measures alongside women-wise criminal justice programs, policies, and practices. In Thailand, since the Bangkok Rules were adopted, there has been increased attention paid to implementing affirmative action to counterbalance the gender discrimination women face behind prison walls. However, there is a sparsity of knowledge and consideration of women’s non-custodial involvement, in Thailand and worldwide. In this paper, we present findings from research exploring women’s pathways to and experiences of electronically monitored (EM) parole in Thailand. We found that women’s criminalisation trajectories were facilitated by a configuration of multifaceted, commonly interconnected, vulnerabilities and harms. While EM parole should, according to governmental rhetoric, be rehabilitative and supportive of reintegration through ‘the treatment of offenders in accordance with international norms and standards’ in practice, women’s needs were barely recognised, let alone met. Instead, rather than supporting women, EM parole was, in many ways, setting them up to fail.

Effectiveness of substance use disorder treatment as an alternative to imprisonment

IntroductionDrug courts are criminal justice programs to divert people with substance use disorders from incarceration into treatment. Drug courts have become increasingly popular in the US and other countries. However, their effectiveness in reducing important public health outcomes such as recidivism and substance-related health harms remains ambiguous and contested. We used nationwide register data from Sweden to evaluate the effectiveness of contract treatment sanction, the Swedish version of drug court, in reducing substance misuse, adverse somatic and mental health outcomes, and recidivism.MethodsIn this prospective cohort study, two quasi-experimental designs were used: difference-in-differences and the within-individual design. In the latter, we compared the risk of outcomes during time on contract treatment to, 1) parole after imprisonment and, 2) probation.ResultsThe cohort included 11,893 individuals (13% women) who underwent contract treatment. Contract treatment was associated with a reduction of 7 percentage points (95% CI: -.088, -.055) in substance misuse, 5 percentage points (-.064, -.034) in adverse mental health events, 9 percentage points (-.113, -.076) in adverse somatic health events, and 3 fewer charges (-3.16, -2.85) for crime in difference-in-differences analyses. Within-individual associations suggested that the same individual had longer times-to-event for all outcomes during contract treatment than on parole or on probation.ConclusionsContract treatment is an effective intervention from both public health and criminal justice perspective. Our findings suggest that it is a superior alternative to incarceration in its target group. Further, we find that an implementation approach that is less punitive and more inclusive than what is typical in the US can be successful.

Problems of countering the legalization of proceeds from criminal activity (on the example of the Kingdom of Bahrain)

This article examines the challenges of combating money laundering and terrorist financing in offshore territories of the Kingdom of Bahrain. Additionally, it reveals the methods and mechanisms of money laundering within this jurisdiction. It also provides examples from notable cases. The article analyzes the Basel AML Index indicators, part of a study by the Basel Institute under the United Nations Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Program Network. These indicators cover a broad spectrum of risk factors, each with its own focus and scope. The rating's calculation is based on indicators organized into five main categories, each weighted differently.

Neurotechnology in criminal justice: key points for neuroscientists and engineers.

Abstract Neurotechnology encompasses any device (including hardware, testing/stimulation paradigms and data analysis/ interpretation algorithms) that interfaces with the central nervous system to modulate or monitor neural activity. Driven by continuous scientific advances, neurotechnology is increasingly applied in research, clinical and consumer settings. The recent considerable investments in neurotechnology from private sector parties such as Blackrock, Neuralink and Kernel, and the growing interest of policy makers, are likely to further accelerate this trend. 
One area of application for neurotechnology is the criminal justice system. Neurotechnology may provide legally relevant information about people’s past, present and future behavior. In addition, treatment programs in criminal justice may apply neurotechnological risk assessment and interventions. Currently, the use of neurotechnologies in criminal justice is mostly limited to the diagnosis of neurological conditions such as epilepsy, brain trauma, and dementia, incidentally aiding the assessment of fitness to stand trial and legal insanity1. Neurotechnologies have also sporadically been used for other applications in criminal justice2. 
Here, we identify concerns and priorities for responsible implementation of neurotechnology in the criminal justice system beyond its current use (BOX1). For that, we first consider areas where neurotechnology has potential value. Then, we identify key requirements that have to be met for the techniques to be usable in criminal justice settings. These requirements often deviate from standards typically applied in neuroscientific research. Using some of the most prominent developments of neurotechnology as examples, we briefly describe to what extent emerging neurotechnologies currently match these requirements. Finally, we assess human rights issues related to the implementation of neurotechnology in criminal justice. We conclude that responsible real-world implementation requires neurotechnologies to be effective, reliable and compliant with human rights, and argue that research and development of neurotechnologies for use in criminal justice should focus on the user-context and prioritize validation for intended use.




Enhancing Criminology Education with Crime News Analysis

Crime news analysis is an effective teaching tool in teaching Criminology. This study illustrates the use of crime news analysis in Criminology, and examines its effectiveness using a quasi-experimental survey. The results show that crime news analysis significantly enhances students’ interest in the subject matter, improves their learning experiences, and fosters stronger attachment to the Criminal Justice program. Incorporating crime news analysis into the curriculum facilitates understanding the causes of crime, connecting theory to practice, improving analytical and critical thinking skills, and promoting active engagement with real-world issues. The study also reveals that crime news analysis’s impact is more pronounced among criminal justice majors, freshmen, sophomores, and female students. Additionally, its effectiveness is slightly higher in face-to-face classes compared to online ones. These findings provide valuable insights into optimizing the educational merits of crime news analysis in various contexts and demographics.

Criminology and Criminal Justice Education and the Search for Quality: Then and Now

This essay examines criminology and criminal justice educational programs seeking to establish quality programming though academic standards. Since the inception of criminal justice as a standalone academic degree program, questions about the quality of such programs has plagued the discipline. Examining the history of the discipline including the challenges brought from such a fast development of a great number of academic programs in criminal justice/criminology, and the resultant issues stemming from this explosion of growth, leads to questions about the quality of these programs. We examine the quality issues when the programs first started to develop and then blossom to the quality issues that still exist today. We address the development of "standards" as a measure of quality and ACJS’ role in establishing standards through certification and accreditation. We conclude with a suggestion about how to get back on track with ensuring quality programming in criminal justice programs utilizing an accreditation process.

Book Review Symposium: Women Abuse in Rural Places

In this review symposium, four readers present their views on Walter DeKeseredy’s book, Woman Abuse in Rural Places. These reviews emerged from an author meets critics session at the 2022 annual meeting of the American Society of Criminology (Atlanta, Georgia). The four reviewers were: (1) Venessa Garcia, Criminal Justice Program, New Jersey City University; (2) Deena A. Isom, Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of South Carolina; (3) Jessica Peterson, Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Southern Oregon University; and (4) Ralph Weisheit, Department of Criminal Justice Sciences, Illinois State University. Walter DeKeseredy then addresses the various comments of the reviewers with a response titled “If I had to do it again”.

What Happens after Tenure? Exploring Stimuli of Promotion to Full Professor in Top-Ranking Criminology and Criminal Justice Programs in the United States

This research addressed how research productivity and scholarly influence may contribute to associate professors’ promotion to the full professor rank. In 2017, we collected vitae of tenure-track faculty employed at top Ph.D.-granting criminology and criminal justice programs in the U.S.A. In this paper, we used the data for 213 associate and full professors and employed survival analysis to examine their time to promotion and factors that stimulated the process. Results showed that the number of sole-authored articles and citation counts positively predicted faculty’s likelihood of being promoted to full professors. We also found faculty members who graduated after 1996 were promoted approximately twice as fast as those who graduated before the year; however, neither race nor gender influenced faculty promotion trajectories. Finally, limitations and implications were discussed.

An alternative intervention for juvenile hackers? A qualitative evaluation of the Hack_Right intervention

ABSTRACT While traditional crime rates are decreasing, cybercrime is on the rise. As a result, the criminal justice system is increasingly dealing with criminals committing cyber-dependent crimes. However, to date there are no effective interventions to prevent recidivism in this type of offenders. Dutch authorities have developed an intervention program, called Hack_Right. Hack_Right is an alternative criminal justice program for young first-offenders of cyber-dependent crimes. In order to prevent recidivism, this program places participants in organizations where they are taught about ethical hacking, complete (technical) assignments and reflect on their offense. In this study, we have evaluated the Hack_Right program and the pilot interventions carried out thus far. By examining the program theory (program evaluation) and implementation of the intervention (process evaluation), the study adds to the scarce literature about cybercrime interventions. During the study, two qualitative research methods have been applied: 1) document analysis and 2) interviews with intervention developers, imposers, implementers and participants. In addition to the observation that the scientific basis for linking specific criminogenic factors to cybercriminals is still fragile, the article concludes that the theoretical base and program integrity of Hack_Right need to be further developed in order to adhere to principles of effective interventions.

A Popularity Contest? Exploring Predictors of Faculty Influence in Criminology and Criminal Justice

Our study analyzes the factors associated with the faculty influence. We explore Google Scholar citation counts of 226 faculty at the top 20 doctoral programs in criminology and criminal justice. Our multivariate models show that some of the publication-related factors matter; the number of journal articles, proportion of articles published in prestigious journals, and proportion of books published with prestigious publishers are all positively related to citation counts, while the proportion of solo-authored articles and the number of textbooks published are both negatively related to the citation counts. Among demographic factors, faculty rank, length of years since the Ph.D., and race are related to citation counts, while gender is not. Finally, institutional prestige is positively related to citation counts, while the field of specialization is not.

Driver Licences, Diversionary Programs and Transport Justice for First Nations Peoples in Australia

In Australia, one significant cause of the imprisonment and disadvantage of First Nations people relates to transport injustice. First Nations people face obstacles in becoming lawful road users, particularly in relation to acquiring driver licences, with driving unlicensed a common pathway into the criminal justice system. This paper identifies that while some programs focus on increasing driver licensing for First Nations people, there are significant limitations in terms of coverage and access. Further, very few diversionary or support programs proactively address the intersection between First Nations people’s driver licensing and the criminal justice system. Nevertheless, it is argued that scope does exist within some state and territory criminal justice programs to enhance transport justice by assisting First Nations people to secure driver licensing. This paper highlights the need for accessible, available and culturally safe driver licencing support programs in First Nations communities led by First Nations people.

“This is Part of my Final Grade”: A LatCrit Critique of Prison Tours as Pedagogical Tools in Criminal Justice Education

The proliferation of criminal justice programs brings new pedagogical challenges for educators who look for innovative ways to help students build lasting connections between theory, research, and practice. Prison tours are a well-known experiential learning practice in criminal justice courses. Educators have emphasized the benefits of using prison tours in providing students with first-hand knowledge of the criminal justice system, but critics have questioned their educational value, and the subjectivity of students’ personal experiences are rarely considered. In this article, I use LatCrit to problematize the use of prison tours as pedagogical tools in criminal justice courses, focusing on my status as a Latinx scholar and educator. I combine counter-story telling and autoethnography to highlight my own prison tour experience. I question the educational benefits of prison tours and discuss the potential harms they can cause Latinx students who have previously come into contact with the criminal justice system.

Patterns and Profiles in Faculty Publication Productivity

Unlike prior studies that have examined the research productivity to develop various rank-order metrics of particular scholars or institutions, we seek to determine ways in which criminology and criminal justice faculty at the top 21 doctoral programs publish their research. To account for a potential diversity in faculty publication productivity, our study considers various outlets for faculty publications—journal articles, books, and book chapters—and develops composite profiles of publication productivity. Our intention is not to rank faculty and determine academic stars, but to distinguish groups of faculty similar in their patterns of faculty productivity. We analyze the publications of over 90% of all tenured and tenure-track faculty employed by the top 21 U.S. doctoral programs in criminology and criminal justice. Our latent profile analysis yielded five distinct profiles of productivity among the faculty in the top doctoral programs. Our study reaffirms the need for the use of multidimensional measures of publication productivity.

The effect of COVID-19 pandemic on college enrollment: How has enrollment in criminal justice programs been affected by the pandemic in comparison to other college programs

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected various aspects of our lives. For many, it has affected their ability to attend school. While some have switched to online classes, others have had to drop or delay college until later. Using official enrollment data for 12 public universities in the State of Texas, this study explores the impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on student enrollment in criminal justice programs. A series of statistical techniques, including t-tests comparing pre- and post-pandemic enrollment numbers and panel data analysis models, are utilized to investigate the trends and changes in the program enrollments between 2009 and 2021. While in alignment with the existing research on the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on college enrollment in general the authors have found a negative statistically significant effect of the pandemic on total college enrollment for all universities in the sample, no statistically significant effect of the pandemic was found on enrollment in criminal justice programs at 12 public universities. The effect was also non-existent for engineering and all social science programs combined. In contrast to all other programs studied herein, enrollment in natural science programs was found to be positively associated with the pandemic. Authors offer an explanation for these findings as well as suggest ideas for future research.

Evidence-Based Inventory of Criminal Justice Programs in Nebraska

Evidence-Based Inventory of Criminal Justice Programs in Nebraska

Criminal Justice Education Quality Assurance and Program Standard: Implications from a Case Study of SUCs Evaluation Reports

Criminal Justice Education Quality Assurance and Program Standard: Implications from a Case Study of SUCs Evaluation Reports

Measuring a motivational interviewing practice orientation in criminal justice practitioners: initial validation of the response style screening questionnaire.

The use of collaborative communication techniques by criminal justice practitioners has been identified as a component of core correctional practices (CCPs). Criminal justice agencies and programs are investing in motivational interviewing (MI) training for their staff with varying intensity, follow-up coaching, and expectations for integration into practice. The present article describes the development and initial validation of the Response Style Screening Questionnaire (RSSQ), a practitioner completed tool assessing an MI-consistent practice orientation. Over three studies, we examined the factor structure, reliability, and correlations between the scale and self-reported and behavioral validity indicators. Study 1 examined the factor structure of the RSSQ with a sample of 825 criminal justice practitioners. In Study 2, data from 350 probation officers completing the RSSQ alongside measures of work-orientation and attitudes was used to conduct a confirmatory factor analysis and an initial assessment of its construct validity. In Study 3, correlations between the RSSQ and audio recorded office visits of 33 probation officers coded for MI and relationship building skills examined the scale's criterion validity. In Study 1, an exploratory factor analysis with an oblique rotation yielded 18 items on four factors. In Study 2, four and five factor models were tested, with the 4-factor model of Study 1 yielding the best fit. Two of the 4 factor-derived subscales reflect styles inconsistent with MI: (1) Confrontational style, and (2) Sustain Talk style; while the remaining two reflect styles consistent with MI: (3) Eliciting style, and (4) Change Talk style. Confrontational style scores were correlated with a work-orientation reflecting probation as a law enforcement endeavor, while Eliciting and Change Talk scores were correlated with a behavior change and resource broker work-orientations. In Study 3, Confrontational and Sustain Talk style scores were negatively correlated with a variety of MI skills and CCPs displayed on audio recordings, while Change Talk style scores were positively correlated with use of such skills. Overall, the findings suggest the RSSQ is a potentially useful new practitioner self-report tool for assessing an MI practice orientation.

Detection of coca alkaloids in oral fluid from coca leaf (tea) consumers: using solid phase extraction to improve validation parameters and widen the detection window.

Hygrine and cuscohygrine, two coca leaf alkaloids, have been previously proposed as markers to differentiate legal and illegal cocaine consumption. This is a very common problem in some countries of South America, where the consumption of coca leaves has a long tradition. Analytical methods focusing on the assessment of coca leaf alkaloids, such as cuscohygrine, hygrine, tropacocaine and t-cinnamoylcocaine, in oral fluid are virtually non-existent in forensic toxicology laboratories worldwide due to their lack of application. However, the problem of differentiating legal and illegal cocaine use in criminal justice, DUID (drug-impaired driving) and WDT (workplace drug testing) programs is growing. Therefore, researchers are obliged to develop methods to measure coca leaf alkaloids (cuscohygrine, hygrine and t-cinnamoylcocaine) in biological matrices for further validation for routine analyses in forensic toxicology laboratories. This work aims to optimize a previously published separation method by protein precipitation in oral fluid by using solid-phase extraction (SPE) coupled with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) operating in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode. The use of SPE allowed the matrix effect and the background to be reduced in the chromatograms due to the obtained cleaner extracts. Consequently, improved detection and quantification limits were reached. Findings showed that the detection windows for coca leaf alkaloids were longer than three hours in real oral fluid samples from volunteers who drank a cup of coca tea. These detection windows are quite higher than those previously obtained when using the method based on separation by protein precipitation.

Mandated Treatment for Troubled Adolescents and Substance Use Disorder: Identifying and Breaking Through Defensiveness and Denial

Objective This article presents an investigation of the defensiveness demonstrated by teens who are mandated to participate in treatment as compared to their non-mandated peers. Methods The data for this study was collected as part of The Substance Abuse Subtle Screening Inventory (SASSI) Institute’s third iteration of the Adolescent SASSI-A3. A total of 164 teenagers in treatment served as the dataset for the present study. All participant cases were provided by clinicians working in service settings throughout all U.S. Census Regions and serving in a variety of venues including substance use treatment, criminal justice programs, community corrections, private clinical practices, behavioral health centers, and social service organizations. Results We present two brief de-identified treatment case studies, aptly demonstrating defensiveness and denial from a clinical standpoint. Additionally, we review cases demonstrating high-levels of defensiveness and denial in mandated teen clients, and ethical ways to break through that barrier to treatment engagement. Conclusion Working with teens can be extremely difficult given their rapid mood changes, intensely felt experiences and shifting states of compliance, openness and defiance. When teens are mandated for treatment, they may often feel their choices have been taken away and the counselor may be viewed as more of a power authority rather than a concerned and helping figure. Contingencies placed on the teen as part of the mandated treatment experience are generally the primary focus, rather than addressing their underlying substance use disorder (SUD). As a result, the teen, as well as the counselor, require greater focus than just making sure those requirements are met