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Journal Article 1: Chanin, J., & Sheats, B. (2017). Depolicing as dissent shirking: Examining the effects of pattern or practice misconduct reform on police behavior. Criminal Justice Review, 43, 105–126.

URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/stoken/default+domain/NrvSQPw2YXJ8cuS6AewM/full

Abstract: Theory suggests that bureaucratic actors express opposition to unfavorable organizational and policy changes by acting in ways inconsistent with established rules, norms, and community expectations. Empirical evidence from various professional contexts and geographic locations lends support to the notion that some public employees have indeed engaged in dissent shirking by refusing to perform at their best so as to express work-related dissatisfaction. This research relies on a quasi-experimental design to examine this phenomenon in the context of the police. The study’s analysis will be driven by a series of autoregressive integrated moving average models in order to examine the extent to which a form of dissent shirking—“depolicing”—has occurred in jurisdictions investigated by the U.S. Department of Justice under that agency’s pattern or practice authority. Despite qualitative support for depolicing under these conditions, this analysis shows no evidence that officers responded to external criticism and intensified oversight brought on by the pattern or practice reform process by policing less proactively. Findings are discussed in terms of both theory and policy.

Journal Article 2: Lambert, E. G., Hall, D. E., & Ventura, L. (2003). Litigation views among jail staff: An exploratory and descriptive study. Criminal Justice Review, 28, 70–87.

URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/stoken/default+domain/SmqVcMuHCmUtBm9xzdXH/full

Abstract: The staff at a county jail in Florida were surveyed concerning their attitudes, experiences, and perceptions about civil liability. Few of the jail staff surveyed reported that they had ever been sued, and the vast majority of those who had been sued were supervisors. The likelihood of being sued increased with tenure. Slightly less than half of the jail staff believed that they had been adequately educated in civil liability or that their department would support them if they were sued in the performance of their duties. The survey found that half of the jail staff supported civil liability against public employees and agencies who harm or violate the civil rights of citizens. Most jail staff did not believe that threats of civil suits hindered their job performance. The study's findings have implications for jail administrations, particularly in terms of the need for staff training on civil liability, and support the need for additional research on jail staff as well as for comparative research on jail staff and police attitudes toward civil liability.