Understanding high-risk behavior among non-dominant minorities: A social resistance framework

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2011.07.02

A simple checklist, that is all it takes: a cluster randomized controlled field trial on improving the treatment of suspected terrorists by the police

Funder: University of CambridgeAbstract: Objectives: When it comes to interviewing suspected terrorists, global evidence points to harsh interrogation procedures, despite the likelihood of false positives. How can the state maintain an effective counterterrorism policy while simultaneously protecting civil rights? Until now, the shroud of secrecy of “national security” practices has thwarted attempts by researchers to test apparatuses that engender fair interrogation procedures. The present study aims to test one approach: the use of a “procedural justice checklist” (PJ Checklist) in interviews of suspected terrorists by counterterrorism police officers in port settings. Methods: Using a clustered randomized controlled field test in a European democracy, we measure the effect of implementing Procedural Justice (PJ) Checklists in counterterrorism police settings. With 65 teams of officers randomly-assigned into treatment and control conditions, we compare post-interrogation surveys of suspects (n = 1418) on perceptions of legitimacy; obligations to obey the law; willingness to cooperate with the police; effectiveness of counterterrorism measures; distributive justice; feelings of social resistance to the state; and PJ. A series of multi-level linear, logistic, and ordered logit regression models are used to estimate the treatment effect, with Hedges’ g and odds ratios used for effect sizes. Results: When compared with control conditions, implementing a policy of PJ Checklist causes statistically significant and large enhancement in all measured dimensions, including the willingness of suspects to obey the law (g = 1.022 [0.905, 1.138]), to cooperate with the police (g = 1.118 [0.999, 1.238]), distributive justice (g = 0.993 [0.880, 1.106]), effectiveness (g = 1.077 [0.959, 1.195]), procedural justice (g = 1.044 [0.930, 1.158]), and feelings of resistance towards the state (g = − 0.370 [− 0.259, − 0.482]). Conclusions: PJ checklists offer a simple, scalable means of improving how state agents interact with terrorism suspects. The police can use what is evidently a cost-effective tool to enhance legitimacy and cooperation with the police, even in a counterterrorism environment

Noise estimation model development using high-resolution transportation and land use regression

Noise pollution is a common phenomenon of the 21st century. Noise prediction models tend to estimate noise levels mainly from road traffic sources (such as cars, public transportation etc.). This paper describes the adoption of land use regression (LUR) modeling methodology to assess noise pollution in two periods of the day (rush hour and off-peak), in two major cities in Israel (Tel Aviv and Beer Sheva). For both rush hour and off-peak times, 20 min short term measurements were used to develop a LUR noise estimation model. We used GIS-based predictors alongside commonly used traffic predictors. The findings show good fits for our model, with rush hour "out of sample" ten folds cross-validated R² of 0.79 (Tel Aviv) and 0.52 (Beer Sheva). The Tel Aviv model performance was also tested with independent monitoring data in an adjacent city (Bat Yam), presenting a good performance as well (R² of 0.93). The findings demonstrate the viability of using a LUR approach for applying high-resolution spatial data to estimate and map noise pollution for environmental noise assessment