Criminology Journals Research Articles

Early childhood educators attitudes towards playful aggression among boys: Exploring the importance of situational context

ABSTRACTThe current study investigates the influence of situational context on perceptions of playful aggression. Using an online data collection instrument embedded with video vignettes showing young boys engaged in aggressive play behaviour, 36 situational profiles that are defined by the unique combinations of variables believed to influence attitudes about playful aggression were created and analysed using the conjunctive analysis of case configurations methods [Miethe, T. D., Hart, T. C., & Regoeczi, W. C. (2008). The conjunctive analysis of case configurations: An exploratory method for discrete multivariate analyses of crime data. Journal of Quantitative Criminology, 24(2), 227–241]. Educators’ perceptions of playful aggression varied considerably, depending on the particular contextual profile that was observed. Significant contextual variability also exists within the groups of profiles perceived by educators’ as ‘most’ playful and ‘least’ playful. Policy implications are discussed and recommendations for future research are offered.

Changes in the Most-Cited Scholars and Works Over 25 Years: The Evolution of the Field of Criminology and Criminal Justice

Cohn and Farrington’s work in citation analysis has examined scholarly influence within criminological research for over 25 years. The current analysis tracks the ten most-cited scholars and each scholar’s most-cited works in four international criminology journals and six American criminology and criminal justice journals over twenty-five years and five time periods—1986–1990, 1991–1995, 1996–2000, 2001–2005, and 2006–2010. This approach extends the traditional approach to citation analysis by documenting increases and decreases in individual citation careers as well as in the most-cited scholarly contributions of the most-cited scholars during a period of significant growth in criminology. The most-cited works mostly fall within the areas of developmental and life-course criminology and criminal careers, reflecting the importance of these topics in criminology.

Special Issue on Methodological Innovations in Developmental and Life-Course Criminology Research: Editorial introduction

This special issue of the Journal of Developmental and Life-Course Criminology (JDLCC) is dedicated to the importance of advancing methodological innovations on developmental and life-course research on crime and criminal behaviour. Our interest in this topic is both altruistic and self-serving. Altruistic in that we have a collective interest in advancing new forms of methodological innovation in developmental research and research on crime across the life course. Without this our field, our disciplines of knowledge and their attendant methodological procedures will stagnate. Self-serving, in the sense that as developmental and life-course researchers, we are especially pleased to be exposed to and to learn from some of the key debates and innovative methodological approaches that are seeking to push the boundaries of the field. In short, we stand to materially benefit by learning from our colleagues who have contributed to this special issue!

Economists' and Criminologists' Views on Guns: Crime, Suicides, and Right-to-Carry Concealed Handgun Laws

Economists and Criminologists have very different models of human behavior. A total of 74 out of all 130 academics who published peer-reviewed empirical research on gun issues in criminology and economics journals responded to our survey. That was a 57% response rate. Looking at their views on their views on deterrence and regulations generally, our survey finds that these two groups have very different views on gun regulations that vary in systematic, predictable ways. Our survey results are consistent with those predictions and statistically significant. While economists tend to view guns as making people safer, criminologists hold this position less strongly. Combining all the economists and criminologists together shows that researchers believe that guns are used more in self-defense than in crime; gun-free zones attract criminals; guns in the home do not increase the risk of suicide; concealed handgun permit holders are much more law-abiding than the typical American; and that permitted concealed handguns lower the murder rate. All those results are statistically significant. The survey of economists was conducted from August 25th to September 12th 2014. The survey of criminologists was conducted from May 29th to June 14th 2015.

The Current State of Criminological Research in the United States: An Examination of Research Methodologies in Criminology and Criminal Justice Journals

A recurring concern within criminology and criminal justice (CCJ) is how to best investigate criminological theory and criminal justice policy. To assess the current state of research, we conducted a content analysis of articles that appeared in seven CCJ journals over a two-year period (2013–2014). We then examined types and frequencies of data sources, analytic techniques, methodological approaches, and subject matters. Findings demonstrate that articles are predominantly employing quantitative methodologies and data where there is no participant contact. From these findings, we discuss the current state of research and how this could be used to guide graduate education, by recommending a variety of subject matters that graduate schools should emphasize in training new academics.

Measuring Activism and Restraint: An Alternative Perspective on the Supreme Court of Canada’s Exclusion of Evidence Decisions under Section 24(2) of the Charter

In the January 2015 issue of the Canadian Journal of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Melanie Janelle Murchison and Richard Jochelson maintain that the Supreme Court of Canada has become more restrained since 9/11 in its exclusion of evidence decisions under section 24(2) of the Charter of Rights. In making this assertion, the authors provide Likert scale scores that attempt to measure different dimensions of activism and restraint. I argue that these measures of activism and restraint are flawed, particularly if one is interested in whether the Supreme Court is giving police more latitude to investigate crime. Using measures of whether evidence was actually excluded or not to assess activism or restraint, I argue that the Supreme Court has become somewhat less prone to exclude evidence over time but that 9/11 is not a convincing explanatory factor either empirically or logically. A Charter maturation effect and sensitivity to critique from law professors would appear to be better explanations.

Publishing Qualitative Research in Criminology and Criminal Justice Journals

The methodological orientation of criminology and criminal justice journals is overwhelmingly quantitative. In fact, only between 5 and 10% of articles published in CCJ journals rely on qualitative methods. Fortunately, this trend seems to be changing within the discipline, which will encourage more scholars to seek to publish qualitative research. Our aim is to offer practical suggestions on how to best structure, write, and format manuscripts based on qualitative methods to increase the likelihood of success. We discuss the importance of paying attention to the organizational structure of the manuscript, properly selecting journals with which to submit, and properly formatting and revising manuscripts.

Street walking: randomized controlled trials in criminology, education, and elsewhere

This article was written in celebration of the Tenth Anniversary issue of the Journal of Experimental Criminology. It focuses on efforts to mount high-quality randomized controlled trials, mainly in criminology and education. There are occasional excursions into medical, welfare, and manpower research. The aim is to uncover similarities and differences in the way controlled trials are handled, and is in the spirit of comparative sociology and history of science

The effects of sexual offender treatment on recidivism: an international meta-analysis of sound quality evaluations

Sound evaluations of sexual offender treatment are essential for an evidence-based crime policy. However, previous reviews substantially varied in their mean effects and were often based on methodologically weak primary studies. Therefore, the present study contains an update of our meta-analysis in the first issue of this journal (Losel and Schmucker Journal of Experimental Criminology, 1, 117–146, 2005). It includes more recent primary research and is restricted to comparisons with equivalent treatment and control groups and official measures of recidivism as outcome criteria. Applying a detailed search procedure which yielded more than 3000 published and unpublished documents, we identified 29 eligible comparisons containing a total of 4,939 treated and 5,448 untreated sexual offenders. The study effects were integrated using a random effects model and further analyzed with regard to treatment, offender, and methodological characteristics to identify moderator variables. All eligible comparisons evaluated psychosocial treatment (mainly cognitive behavioral programs). None of the comparisons evaluating organic treatments fulfilled the eligibility criteria. The mean effect size for sexual recidivism was smaller than in our previous meta-analysis but still statistically significant (OR = 1.41, p < .01). This equates to a difference in recidivism of 3.6 percentage points (10.1 % in treated vs. 13.7 % in untreated offenders) and a relative reduction in recidivism of 26.3 %. The significant overall effect was robust against outliers, but contained much heterogeneity. Methodological quality did not significantly influence effect sizes, but there were only a few randomized designs present. Cognitive-behavioral and multi-systemic treatment as well as studies with small samples, medium- to high-risk offenders, more individualized treatment, and good descriptive validity revealed better effects. In contrast to treatment in the community, treatment in prisons did not reveal a significant mean effect, but there were some prison studies with rather positive outcomes. Although our findings are promising, the evidence basis for sex offender treatment is not yet satisfactory. More randomized trials and high-quality quasi-experiments are needed, particularly outside North America. In addition, there is a clear need of more differentiated process and outcome evaluations that address the questions of what works with whom, in what contexts, under what conditions, with regard to what outcomes, and also why.

Advancing knowledge about developmental and life-course criminology

Developmental and life-course criminology is concerned mainly with three topics: (1) the development of offending and antisocial behavior from childhood to adulthood; (2) risk and protective factors for offending and antisocial behavior; and (3) the effect of life events on the course of development. The main aim is to study changes within individuals over time in risk factors and life events, and to relate them to later changes in offending. This special issue of the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Criminology brings together a range of papers focused around this aim.

Presentation of the HoNOS-Secure French Version, an Outcome Measure for Users of Secure and Forensic Mental Health Services

Introduction Presentation of the HoNOS-Secure French Version, an Outcome Measure for Users of Secure and Forensic Mental Health Services Eytan A*1, Golay D2, Della Polla S2, Hofer F2, Sillitti F2 and Gex-Fabry M3 1Division of General Psychiatry, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland 2Division of Penitentiary Psychiatry, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland 3Division of Psychiatric Specialties, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland *Corresponding author: Eytan A, Division of General Psychiatry, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland, Tel: +41 22 3054755, E-mail: ariel.eytan@hcuge.ch Citation: Eytan A, Golay D, Della Polla S, Hofer F, Sillitti F, et al. (2015) Presentation of the HoNOS-Secure French Version, an Outcome Measure for Users of Secure and Forensic Mental Health Services. J Forensic Sci Criminol 3(4): 401 Research Article Open Access Volume 3 | Issue 4 Journal of Forensic Science & Criminology

What Journals are the Most Cited Journals in Criminology and Criminal Justice’s “Big Three” Journals?

Recently, scholars have sought to learn more about scholarly activity within the fields of criminology and criminal justice (CCJ). Research in this area has examined which departments have the most productive faculty, which scholars are the most productive, and which journals are the most prestigious. However, no study of which we are aware has determined what journals criminologists are most likely to cite in their scholarly research. In this study, we rank the most influential journals by the number of times those journals were cited between 2009 and 2013 in Criminology, the Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, and Justice Quarterly. Our analyses suggest that Criminology is clearly the most influential CCJ journal in terms of citations, while the American Sociological Review, the Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, and the American Journal of Sociology remain influential in CCJ as well.

A Spatiotemporal Analysis of Arson

Objectives: To investigate the characteristics of spatial and temporal patterning of arson incidents in a large urban county. Methods: Using multiyear geocoded crime data from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office (2005 to 2012), arson incidents are analyzed for significant space–time interaction using the Monte Carlo simulation-based Knox method, originally developed for epidemiology research. Several additional contrasts are presented according to situational and routine activities factors that may be implicated in target selection and guardianship efficacy. Results: Evidence illustrates that arson generally exhibits enhanced likelihood of near repeat follow-up incidents in close spatial and temporal proximity to an initiating event. Also, spatiotemporal patterns for arson exhibit systematic differences when contrasting subtypes including residential versus non-residential, daytime versus nighttime, and weekday versus weekend arsons. Conclusions: Comparatively little empirical research has been published in criminology journals concerning this “invisible” Uniform Crime Report index crime. This study provides a theoretically informed, aggregate-level examination of trends and patterns for arson in an urban environment. Results may aid in inductive theory building as well as efforts to investigate and prevent arson.

Invisible Colleagues: The Informal Organization of Knowledge Production in Criminology and Criminal Justice

This study seeks to shed light on the informal process of knowledge production in criminology and criminal justice by examining acknowledgements in journal publications. Studying the structure of research collaboration among scholars may enhance our understanding of the discipline’s organization. We test hypotheses derived from prior research by analyzing acknowledgements in 786 articles from five journals in criminology and criminal justice over the last five years. As anticipated by the “invisible college” hypothesis, criminology and criminal justice scholarship contains a small group of individuals who receive a disproportionate share of acknowledgements. Additionally, we find that higher ranked and more productive scholars are awarded more acknowledgements than their lower ranked and less productive counterparts. Integrating acknowledgements as an unofficial assessment tool may improve the collective endeavor of contemporary science in our field. Overall, the influence of the “invisible colleagues,” measured by acknowledgements, demonstrates the value of collaboration in the process of knowledge production.

The Most Cited Scholars in Five International Criminology Journals, 2006–10

The current article examines three elements of scholarly influence comparing five major international criminology journals (BJC – British Journal of Criminology , CRIM – Criminology , ANZ – Australian and New Zealand Journal of Criminology , CJC – Canadian Journal of Criminology and Criminal Justice , EJC – European Journal of Criminology ) from 2006 to 2010. David Garland (BJC), Robert J. Sampson (CRIM and ANZ), Julian V. Roberts (CJC) and David P. Farrington (EJC) had the most overall influence, with Sampson the most cited over the five journals. Influence was both specialized, with some scholars having one or two highly cited seminal works, and versatile, with others having many different works cited several times each. The most cited works of the most cited authors were on developmental and life-course criminology and criminal careers.

Criminologists, duct tape, and Indigenous peoples: quantifying the use of silencing research methods

A recent quantitative evaluation of mainstream criminological research found that there is a dearth of research on “Indigenous peoples in the criminal justice context” conducted in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States and published in elite criminology journals while these nations continue to incarcerate Indigenous peoples at markedly disproportionate rates. Although the silence prohibits public attention to this social issue, counter-colonial critics have mostly focused on criminologists who deliberately marginalize Indigenous peoples through use of inappropriate research methods. This study is a first attempt to quantify the use of “silencing research methods” in contemporary mainstream criminology. It involves a comprehensive review of research published in elite criminology journals over the past decade (2001–2010). The findings reveal that although mainstream criminologists generally prefer non-silencing research tools, they primarily employ silencing research methods when studying Indigenous peoples. Also, studies that focus on Native American peoples use silencing research tools more often than studies on other disproportionately incarcerated social groups, i.e., African and Hispanic Americans. The study concludes that by using “silencing research methods,” elite mainstream criminology has contributed to the marginalization of Indigenous peoples to varying degrees in all four countries over the past decade.

An unrepresentative sample is unrepresentative regardless of the reason: a rejoinder to Amendola and Wixted

Objective Our objective was to assess Amendola and Wixted’s (Journal of Experimental Criminology, 2015b, this issue) response to our critique of their conclusions regarding simultaneous and sequential lineups.

Replication in criminology: A necessary practice

Although researchers acknowledge the importance of replication in building scientific knowledge, replication studies seem to be published infrequently. The present study examines the extent to which replications are conducted in criminology. We conduct a content analysis of the five most influential journals in criminology. We also compare the replication rate in criminology with that in the social sciences and natural sciences. The results show that replication research is rarely published in these disciplines. In criminology journals in particular, replication studies constitute just over 2 percent of the articles published between 2006 and 2010. Further, those replication studies that were published in criminology journals in that period tended to conflict with the original studies. These findings call into question the utility of empirical results published in criminology journals for developing theory and policy. Strategies for promoting replication research in criminology are suggested.

Gender and Publication Patterns: Female Authorship Is Increasing, But Is There Gender Parity?

Women's authorship has historically been underrepresented in criminal justice publications. The current study updates previous research by examining the authorship patterns of articles published in 8 criminological journals spanning 2007 to 2013. Women's representation increased from earlier rates but remained below that of their male contemporaries. This growth corresponded with general trends of increasing coauthorship, suggesting that the recent gains in women's representation do not indicate decreases in gender disparities. Men also were more likely to have sole-authored articles and be lead authors in papers coauthored by men and women. In addition, the vast majority of articles included at least 1 male author, and far fewer included a female giving men a larger visual presence. Gender representation also varied considerably between mainstream/traditional journals and 2 gender-specialized journals.

Establishing the Journal of Developmental and Life-Course Criminology: Editorial Introduction

It is indeed our pleasure to provide a welcome to the inaugural issue of the Journal of Developmental and Life-Course Criminology (JDLCC). We believe that a journal dedicated to this specific area of enquiry is timely if not somewhat overdue. The importance of employing an age-graded approach in criminology was recently well argued by Francis Cullen on receiving the American Society of Criminology’s Sutherland Award. Cullen, in his 2010 Sutherland address, encouraged a paradigm shift away from what he termed adolescent-limited criminology (ALC). He argued that the ALC framework, among other things, tended to ignore individual differences in offenders, tended to reject the epidemiology of crime in favour of making new theories and was based on cross-sectional self-report surveys of (mainly school based) adolescents. Cullen argued that to move forward, criminologists need to accept that developmental and lifecourse criminology is criminology. That it is not just another perspective that competes with traditional theories but rather that it should replace the dominant ALC framework. He argued that it is important to examine not only what happens during adolescence but also before and after adolescence. He was careful to note that he was not arguing that other theories do not matter but rather that existing theories should be age graded and viewed within a wider life course and developmental perspective. As co-editors of the JDLCC, we are proud to say that we wholeheartedly agree with Francis Cullen and this inclusive perspective is the approach that will be embraced for this new journal. It is worth acknowledging that despite the rapid rise in research on topics of central significance for understanding crime and criminal offending in a developmental and life-course context, the range of academic outlets with a specific focus in this area have been limited. Indeed, before the JDLCC was established, there was limited scope among existing journals to explore the key elements of developmental and lifecourse criminology in the detail necessary to expand knowledge in this area. It is our hope and indeed our intention to amplify this opportunity, through the JDLCC, for researchers interested in expanding this area of knowledge for the field. J Dev Life Course Criminology (2015) 1:1–3 DOI 10.1007/s40865-015-0006-1