Bernburg, J. (n.d.). Official Labeling, Criminal Embeddedness, And Subsequent Delinquency: A Longitudinal Test Of Labeling Theory. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 67-88.

This article examines the short-term impact of formal criminal labeling on involvement in deviant social networks and increased likelihood of subsequent delinquency. According to labeling theory, formal criminal intervention should affect the individual’s immediate social networks. In many cases, the stigma of the criminal status may increase the probability that the individual becomes involved in deviant social groups. The formal label may thus ultimately increase involvement in subsequent deviance.

Questions to Consider:                     

1)According to this article how has the labeling theory been utilized in terms of explaining criminal behaviors?

 

2)One of the results of this study states that, “juvenile justice intervention increases the odds of gang membership by a factor of 5.2”.  What is meant by juvenile justice intervention as described in this article?  What factors, in your opinion, can explain why the increases in juvenile justice intervention increase the odds of gang membership?

 

3)According to the researchers in this article, labeling can have a strong effect on the adolescent, perhaps more so than any other time in one’s life.  What factors can account for this?

 

Davis, R., & Henderson, N. (2003). Willingness to Report Crimes: The Role of Ethnic Group Membership and Community Efficacy. Crime & Delinquency, 564-580.

Law enforcement experts and observers of immigrant communities have suggested that immigrants are reluctant to report crimes to the police. Various reasons have been advanced to support this idea, ranging from distrust of authorities to fear of retaliation or deportation to lack of confidence in the police. This study examined willingness to report crimes among residents of six ethnic communities in New York City.

Questions to Consider:

1)  According to the results of this article, “Eighty-three percent of respondents said that they would be very likely to report a break-in to someone’s home”. Why, in your opinion, would break-ins be the most likely to be reported?

 

2)  Drug selling was the least likely to be reported.  Why would this be so?

 

3)  How can community leaders and police departments utilize the findings from this study to implement changes?                           

 

Leeper Piquero, N., Carmichael, S., & Piquero, A. (n.d.). Research Note: Assessing The Perceived Seriousness Of White-Collar And Street Crimes. Crime & Delinquency, 291-312.

Controversy surrounds the ranking of crime seriousness of white-collar crimes relative to street crimes, with early research suggesting the general public is indifferent to crimes of the elite, whereas more recent research indicates that the public thinks certain types of white-collar crime are serious. Building on prior research limitations and using data from a national random probability sample, this study compares the seriousness ratings of a number of white-collar and street crimes and examines the factors that distinguish seriousness ratings across the crime types. 

Questions to Consider:

1)According to this study, “the majority of individuals in our data perceived that white-collar crimes were as serious— if not more so—than street crimes”.  What is your own perception in regards to these two types of crimes?  Which do you consider to be more serious?  Why?

 

2)“A July 2002 ABC News/Washington Post poll of 1,512 adults indicated that support for tougher punishment of white-collar crimes was vast. In fact, 91% favored higher fines and longer prison terms for corporate executives who conceal their company’s true financial condition”.  Why aren’t those who commit white collar crimes given tougher sentences?  How might a conflict theorist explain why this is so?

 

Mancini, Christina, Thomas Baker, Karla D. Sainju, Kristen Golden, Laura Bedard, and Marc Gertz.” (2015). “Examining External Support Received in Prison and Concerns About Reentry Among Incarcerated Women." Feminist Criminology, n. pag.

Few studies have examined whether social ties influence concerns about reentry among women in prison. Given that a systematic understanding of reentry has the potential to inform research and policy efforts to assist women with transition, this gap is limiting. This study addresses this void by testing whether social support affects reentry concerns (family, employment, financial, and stigma) among incarcerated women.

Questions to Consider:

1)One of the suggestions that the authors of this study make is, “correctional authorities may want to consider implementing procedures that maximize visitation, and to a lesser extent written correspondence” as this study showed that the benefits of face to face visitation outweighed written correspondence.  What kind of procedures could be implemented to increase this type of visitation?

 

2)After reading this study, do you think that studies like this one can be useful in understanding the recidivism rate?  How can those in charge of implementing social policy utilize the results of this study? 

 

Snedker, Karen. (2010). "Neighborhood Conditions and Fear of Crime A Reconsideration of Sex Differences." Crime & Delinquency, 45-70.

Research indicates that men and women commonly express different amounts of fear about crime. This article explores the sex difference in fear of crime levels by assessing differences in fear of crime in relation to urban environments. Using data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics Criminal Victimization and Perceptions of Community Safety, the present analysis employs multinomial logistic regressions to examine gradations in two measures of fear of crime.

Questions to Consider:

1)One of the results of this study stated that women (58 %) were more likely to be fearful of crime in the neighborhood compared to men (70%) yet women and men experience similar levels of fear in terms of crime in the city.  What factors could account for this difference? 

 

2)How much does the media impact the public’s fear of crime?  How so?  Are there other socialization agents that can impact societal perceptions of crime?

 

3)Who might utilize the results of this article (police administrators, researchers)?