Intergenerational Transmission of Abuse of Incarcerated Fathers: A Study of the Measurement of Abuse

Research on the intergenerational transmission of abuse hypothesis often only examined the existence of abuse. The current study utilizes retrospective recalls of incarcerated male defendants (N = 414), using questions formulated from the modified Conflict Tactics Scales (Straus, 1974). Five logistic regression models are ran, representing a different physical abuse measure, including incidence of physical abuse, severity of physical abuse, and three composite measures: total frequency, total severity, and total frequency/severity. Although social desirability is a limitation in any study relying on self-report data, the comparison of the chi-square (x2) values of each model may give indication that the simpler abuse measures ( incidence of physical abuse” and “severity of physical abuse ) are more predictive of later abusive behaviors than the more complex, composite measures

Is it a Prosecutor’s World?: Determinants of Count Bargaining Decisions

Scholars agree that the American prosecutor possesses a great amount of discretion (see Albonetti, 1987; Kersetter, 1990; Thomas & Fitch, 1976). Scholars also agree that such discretion has the potential to result in discrimination in the form of unwarranted disparity (Walker, Spohn, & DeLone, 2000). American prosecutors use their discretion to make initial charging decisions, to seek the death penalty, and to negotiate plea agreements. One of the most profound and frequently studied issues in the American criminal justice system is racial discrimination. Research indicates that Black offenders are disproportionately represented in prison populations (Blumstein, Cohen, Martin, & Tonry, 1983; Walker, et al., 2000). Although Black citizens only represent 13% of the U.S. population, they represent 45% of the incarcerated population in state and federal prisons (Harrison & Beck, 2003). On its face, Blumstein and his associates (1983) suggested that the overrepresentation of certain groups in prison populations may be a direct result of disparate treatment at sentencing. One argument Blumstein and his colleagues (1983) proffered, though, was that some of the racial disparity in prison populations might be attributed to a cumulative effect, whereby discretionary decisions at each stage contributed to the overall overrepresentation of racial minorities in prison (Blumstein, et al., 1983). Wilmot and Spohn (2004) argued that plea bargaining decisions which can play an important role in court processing. The current research project attempts to examine potential disparate treatment in one of these prior stages–the plea bargaining stage

Measurement of Physical Discipline Practices: Is it Potato or Potata? Tomato or Tomata? Or, Should We Call the Whole Thing Off? An Analysis of the Different Measures of Physical Discipline on the Intergenerational Transmission of Violence Hypotheses

The intergenerational transmission of violence hypothesis has been stated in four general ways: “abuse breeds abuse,” “abuse breeds crime,” “abuse breeds violent crime,” and “abuse breeds a life of crime.” Scholars have disagreed as to whether abuse is a dichotomous concept or not- that is, abuse or no abuse. Some researchers have suggested that abuse is on a continuum of severity and frequency of physical discipline ranging from a slap or a spank to the more violent abusive practices such as beatings and burnings. The current study examines the intergenerational transmission of violence hypotheses using this broader concept. The question of this study is not whether these hypotheses are valid in predicting adult behavior but whether some physical discipline measures are more relevant than others. The current study sampled 719 inmates from a Nebraska intake correctional facility. The data collected were retrospective accounts of past physical discipline experiences measured five different ways: ever physically disciplined, severity of discipline, combination of variety and frequency of discipline, variety and severity of discipline, and variety, frequency, and severity of discipline. The results indicate that the “ever physically disciplined” measure is more relevant than the combination measures in their relationship to the respondent’s likelihood of ever disciplining his child. However, the more complex measures are more relevant in their relationship to the likelihood of committing violent crime and the likelihood of early onset. This result suggests that when a respondent experiences chronic severe physical discipline, he is more likely to commit a violent crime and begin a life of crime early

The Effect of \u3cem\u3eBlakely v. Washington\u3c/em\u3e on Upward Departures in a Sentencing Guideline State

One of the problems facing the criminal justice system is unwarranted disparity as a result of unbridled discretion. Although disparity, by itself, does not necessarily indicate a problem in the criminal justice system, disparity unwarranted does present a problem. Disparity becomes unwarranted when, controlling for legal factors, extralegal factors such as race/ethnicity, gender, and age influence court processing decisions. The greater the discretion one possesses, the higher the likelihood of unwarranted disparity in one’s decisions (Albonetti, 1991; Meeker, Jesilow, & Aranda, 1992; Bushway & Piehl, 2001). Within the criminal court system, judicial discretion in sentencing has received the most scrutiny

An Evaluation of Operation Street Sweeper - 2006

Operation Street Sweeper (OSS) was a multi-level, interagency collaboration with multiple purposes. According to OSS documents, Operation Street Sweeper goals included the following: (1) to reduce gang-related criminal and violent activity in Nampa and Caldwell, Idaho through aggressive, proactive, and coordinated street enforcement between the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) and local law enforcement; (2) to deter criminal activity through high profile enforcement activity; (3) to develop and/or increase the number of positive community contacts; (4) to show the community and gang members that law enforcement is serious about reducing gang and violent crime in the area; and (5) to use the media to showcase a law enforcement effort to reduce gang violence and activity

Effects of Individual Characteristics on Plea Negotiations Under Sentencing Guidelines

Research conducted on the decision points between arrest and sentencing is scarce. The current study attempts to fill this gap by focusing on plea negotiations, examining the effects of individual characteristics on plea bargaining decisions by using two dependent variables – a two-category dependent variable analyzing negotiated pleas vs. non-negotiated pleas and a three-category dependent variable analyzing negotiated pleas, non-negotiated pleas, and bench/jury trial convictions. The results from the multinomial logistic regression indicate that individual characteristics are predictors of negotiated guilty pleas compared to a trial conviction. Black offenders were more likely than white offenders to have their case go to trial rather than straight pleading or negotiating a guilty plea

He Versus She: A Gender Specific Analysis of Legal and Extralegal Effects on Pretrial Release for Felony Defendants

The current study seeks to identify significant predictors of pretrial processing for both male and female defendants in an aggregate sample. The data used in this study is taken from the State Court Processing Statistics (SCPS), 1990-2000: Felony Defendants in Large Urban Counties (Bureau of Justice Statistics 2004). The original sample included a total of 87,437 felony cases. The relationship between relevant independent variables and five separate dependent variables (denial of bail, non-financial release, amount of bail set, making bail, and pretrial incarceration) were analyzed using both multivariate regression and Z-score comparisons within gender-specific models. Findings suggest that effects of certain independent variables on pretrial release decisions and outcomes are different between the gender-specific models

The Efficacy of PET Staging for Small-Cell Lung Cancer: A Systematic Review and Cost Analysis in the Australian Setting

IntroductionThis study aimed to establish from the published literature the efficacy of a positron emission tomography (PET)-based strategy for the staging of small-cell lung cancer compared to conventional methods, the potential impact on patient management and outcomes, and cost implications for the Australian health system.MethodsEMBASE, Current Contents, PubMed, and OVID, databases were searched using relevant search terms. Reference lists of identified studies were examined for additional pertinent papers. Literature review identified 22 relevant studies containing data for 1663 patients. Studies were evaluated regarding the adequacy of pathological or clinical correlation of imaging findings. Efficacy of PET-staging was analyzed. The Medicare benefits schedule was used to compare costs of the two strategies.ResultsPublished data confirm that PET staging has a sensitivity approaching 100% and specificity exceeding 90%. Data suggest that compared to conventional staging, PET can alter management (including radiotherapy portal changes) in at least 28% of patients, can result in the addition of life-prolonging radiotherapy in 6%, and avert unnecessary radiotherapy with associated toxicity in 9%. PET-based staging costs 1603 Australian dollars (AUD) and conventional staging 1610 AUD per patient. An additional 540,354 AUD may be saved annually through avoidance of unnecessary radiotherapy.ConclusionsPET-based staging seems superior to conventional staging, and can significantly alter patient management particularly with regard to the inclusion, omission, and portal design of radiotherapy. The initial costs of the two strategies do not seem significantly different. PET may ultimately reduce healthcare costs through avoidance of inappropriate thoracic radiotherapy. The major advantages of PET-staging may, however, lie in averting unnecessary toxicity and in the appropriate addition of thoracic radiotherapy with potential survival gains

Moxifloxacin: A Unique Cause of Severe Hypoglycemia

As a class, quinolone antibiotics have been rarely associated with hypoglycemia in non-diabetic patients and rare reversible episodes of hypoglycemia documented in the literature typically occur within the duration of action of the medication. In this case, however, we believe the effect of the medication persisted much longer

Predicting Public Opinion about Juvenile Waivers

The accountability movement of the juvenile justice system in the late 1980s and early 1990s encouraged more punitive practices by juvenile justice professionals. Public opinion was strong during this time. The attitudes about the juvenile justice system are a product of individual demographic, cultural, and political characteristics. This study addresses opinions about juvenile waivers–a punitive sanction–examining data from the National Opinion Survey of Crime and Justice in the 1990s (see Flanagan, 1996). This study analyzes attitudes about juvenile waivers, using multivariate quantitative methods. The results indicate a consistent relationship between the perception of the sentencing goals of the juvenile court (punishment versus rehabilitation) and one\u27s attitudes towards the use of juvenile waivers. Contrary to the generated hypotheses, though, attitudes about juvenile waivers were not consistently dependent on individual demographic, cultural, or political characteristics