Sequencing Terrorists\u27 Precursor Behaviors: A Crime Specific Analysis

Recently completed research (Smith et al., 2016) suggests that radicalization toward violence is best viewed as a process – a journey that begins with a less-radical identity and moves toward a more radical identity and corresponding orientation. Efforts to test this theoretical assertion revealed that the process of identity construction involves a variety of behaviors that David Snow has referred to as “identify work” (Snow and Machalek, 1983; Snow and McAdam, 2000; Snow, 2004; Cross and Snow, 2011). One type of identity work –demonstration events – appeared to be particularly relevant to our ability to predict radicalization toward violence and subsequent terrorism. The commission of acts in preparation for a terrorism incident serves to “demonstrate” the individual participant’s commitment to the cause as well as solidifying their radicalization to violence. The number and type of these demonstration events were significantly related to the terrorists’ rank or status in the cell or group, the severity of preparatory crimes they committed, and the number of terrorism incidents in which the individual was involved (Smith et al., 2016)

Their Day in Court: Assessing Guilty Plea Rates Among Terrorists

Individuals who are charged for traditional crimes are substantially more likely to plead guilty than individuals who are charged under the same statutes but who are officially involved in terrorism (Smith & Damphousse, 1998). Relying on a structural–contextual theory framework, a quantitative analysis not only confirmed that terrorists plead guilty more often than traditional offenders but that the defendant’s age and number of counts in the indictment are important predictors. Directions for future research are suggested.Yeshttps://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/manuscript-submission-guideline

Punishing Terrorists: A Re-Examination of U.S. Federal Sentencing in the Postguidelines Era

The empirical literature on the theory and practice of sentencing politically motivated offenders such as terrorists in U.S. federal courts is limited. Thus, we know relatively little about the dealings between terrorist offenders and the criminal justice system or how these interactions may be influenced by changes in American legal or political context. This study summarizes previous findings relative to sentencing disparity among terrorists and nonterrorists in U.S. federal courts prior to the imposition of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines. We then identify events occurring after the advent of the guidelines, including the early acts of terrorism on American soil. We evaluate the sentencing of terrorists versus nonterrorists following the confluence imposition of the guidelines and these events. We determine whether and how the sentencing disparity between terrorist and nonterrorist has changed since the implementation of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the terrorist events of the early 1990s. Based on our findings, we put forth suggestions as to the possible ways these conditions may have affected sentencing outcomes.Yeshttps://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/manuscript-submission-guideline

Reciprocal relationships between adolescent drug use and psychological distress : an examination of the self-medication hypothesis

Vita.This paper examines the reciprocal relationship of adolescent drug use and psychological distress, with a special focus on the self-medication hypothesis. The hypothesis suggests that people use drugs to relieve the stress associated with social interaction. The use of drugs, then, is seen as an attempt to "self-medicate" the psychological distress that a person experiences. The analysis uses structural equation modeling to examine this relationship and finds that psychological distress has an indirect effect on later drug use (via disposition to deviance and association with deviant peers), but no direct or indirect effect on later psychological distress (net of concurrent non-drug deviant behavior). The effect of psychological distress on later drug use is moderated by gender and coping processes. Thus, females, those with less effective coping skills, who feel in control of their life and are willing to make changes are more likely to use drugs to self-medicate

Reciprocal relationships between adolescent drug use and psychological distress : an examination of the self-medication hypothesis

Vita.This paper examines the reciprocal relationship of adolescent drug use and psychological distress, with a special focus on the self-medication hypothesis. The hypothesis suggests that people use drugs to relieve the stress associated with social interaction. The use of drugs, then, is seen as an attempt to "self-medicate" the psychological distress that a person experiences. The analysis uses structural equation modeling to examine this relationship and finds that psychological distress has an indirect effect on later drug use (via disposition to deviance and association with deviant peers), but no direct or indirect effect on later psychological distress (net of concurrent non-drug deviant behavior). The effect of psychological distress on later drug use is moderated by gender and coping processes. Thus, females, those with less effective coping skills, who feel in control of their life and are willing to make changes are more likely to use drugs to self-medicate

The Morning After

A major terrorism event has several important consequences for officials involved in the investigation and prosecution of terrorist activities. Such events are likely to bring increased scrutiny by both public policy officials and the media. The article uses data from the American Terrorism Study to compare the period before and after two of the most dramatic terrorist events on U.S. soil: the Oklahoma City bombing and the 9/11 attacks. The results suggest that whether intentional or not, major terrorism events result in the government's pursuing cases that are generally less serious and less complicated, and those cases are treated much more like “traditional” crimes by the prosecution. Following the aftermath of a major event, terrorist defendants are more likely to behave like traditional offenders and are less likely to be convicted as a result of a trial than are terrorists who are indicted before major events.Yeshttps://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/manuscript-submission-guideline

Patterns of precursor behaviors in the life span of a U.S. environmental terrorist group

Research Summary This article discusses the paucity of data available for assessing the “life span” of a terrorist group. It introduces a new methodology that allows researchers to examine when terrorist groups perform their preincident activities. The findings suggest that differences exist in the temporal patterns of terrorist groups: environmental terrorist groups engage in a relatively short planning cycle compared with right-wing and international terrorists. The article concludes by examining a case study on “the Family,” which is a unique environmental terrorist group that conducted activities over a relatively long period of time. This group provides an interesting contrast to other environmental terrorists. Despite significant organizational differences, their patterns of preparatory conduct were highly similar. Policy Implications The findings suggest that (1) temporal and spatial data about preincident terrorist activity can be collected from unclassified and open sources and (2) law-enforcement agencies that are investigating environmental groups have relatively little time to observe and infiltrate their individual cells (compared with right-wing and international terrorists). Finally, the data suggest that environmental terrorists—at least so far—have engaged in attacks that are less deadly than the comparison groups

American Terrorism Study, 1980-2002

This study was conducted in response to a lack of existing data collections relating specifically to acts of American terrorism. A primary goal of the study was to create an empirical database from which criminological theories and governmental policies could be effectively evaluated. The American Terrorism Study began in 1989 when the Federal Bureau of Investigation\u27s (FBI) Terrorist Research and Analytical Center released a list of persons indicted as a result of investigation under the FBI\u27s Counterterrorism Program. Since that time, FBI has released additional lists to the principal investigators. After receiving a list of persons indicted in federal criminal court as a result of an official terrorism investigation, the researchers reviewed the cases at either the federal district court where the cases were tried or at the federal regional records center where the cases were archived. The researchers divided the dataset into five distinct datasets. Part 1, Counts Data, provides data on every count for each indictee in each indictment. This is the basic dataset. There were 7,306 counts from 1980 to 2002. Part 2, Indictees Data, provides data on each of the 574 indictees from 1980-2002. Part 3, Persons Data, provides data on the 510 individuals who were indicted by the federal government as a result of a terrorism investigation. Part 4, Cases Data, provides one line of data for each of the 172 criminal terrorism cases that resulted from a federal terrorism investigation. Part 5, Group Data, provides one line of case data for each of the 85 groups that were tried in federal court for terrorism-related activity. Each of the five datasets includes information on approximately 80 variables divided into four major categories: (1) demographic information, (2) information about the terrorist group to which the individual belongs, (3) prosecution and defense data, and (4) count/case outcome and sentencing data

Obtaining sensitive information from a wary population: A comparison of telephone and face-to-face surveys of welfare recipients in the United States

Recent studies reveal the benefits of technological developments such as audio computer assisted self-interviewing (A-CASI) in interview methodology, especially for surveys of sensitive behavior and information. However, we believe that the selection of mode of administration depends not only on the technology available and the behavior of interest, but also on the specific population under study. We therefore assess survey mode effects on reported rates of alcohol and drug use among welfare recipients, an especially important group for scholars and public health agencies. The sample consisted of adult recipients of Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) in Oklahoma, January 2001. Adjusting for demographic characteristics, employment, and education, we employ odds ratios to compare 30-day, 1 year, and lifetime prevalence estimates from telephone and face-to-face surveys. Telephone methodology yields similar or higher estimates for lifetime prevalence of alcohol, marijuana, and hard drug use and abuse, though lower estimates of recent use. We discuss our findings in relation to underfunded public health agencies that must efficiently assess and respond to local levels of drug abuse and we conclude that mode selection may depend upon the population under study.Survey methodology Alcohol Drugs Welfare USA