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

Webinar: Department-level strategies for improving student retention

In this webinar Dr. Brian Iannacchione, chair of the Criminology and Criminal Justice Department, will discuss CCJ\u27s retention initiative, which has resulted in improved retention rates in the program. CCJ boasts a 4-year increase in retention of new transfer students (+23%), new first year students (+12), and an overall retention rate of +7%. Specifically, the CCJ department 1. requires attendance in all courses 2. places TA\u27s in high prediction courses for retention and 3. Utilizes student evaluations to place professors in appropriate courses. ASL interpretation on scree

A Comparison of Jail Inmate and Staff Correctional Goal Orientations: Results from Across the Line

Previous research on correctional goal orientations has focused on the attitudes of the public, correctional administrators, and correctional staff. Only a few studies have examined inmate attitudes. This research addresses the question: Do jail inmates and staff have similar beliefs about the goals of corrections? Findings from a sample drawn from a single rural mountain state jail indicate that jail staff rank incapacitation as the primary goal of corrections, while inmates rank rehabilitation as most important. Results from two multinomial logistic regression models were mixed. The inmate model indicated that race is significantly associated with a rehabilitative goal orientation. Additionally, for inmates, gender and education influence a non-retributive goal orientation. The staff model did not reach statistical significance. These findings lend some support to further empirical studies that address problems associated with correctional operations and organizational culture in a way that incorporates an inmate perspective

Assessing the Organizational Culture in a Jail Setting

The culture of an organization shapes much that occurs in that environment. Leaders who are oblivious of their organizational culture are less likely to succeed. Organization members who do not understand the culture may be vulnerable to its more negative influences. Assessing the key attributes of an organizational culture in an agency is a tricky but important enterprise. In this research, we pre-tested an instrument that could be used, in tandem with others, to assess the organizational culture of a criminal justice agency\u27s (in this case a jail). We focused on the perceptions of the ‘lower level’ workers in this organization

Confirmatory Analysis of an Organizational Culture Instrument for Corrections

Research has determined that organizational culture is related to employee turnover, job commitment, and job satisfaction. Assessment of this culture requires an instrument that befits the type of organization under examination. Using exploratory factor analysis, Stohr and her colleagues were able to demonstrate that the Organizational Culture Instrument (OCI) had a solid reliability and validity profile. The current study reanalyzes these data, using confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling. The findings indicate that there is statistical evidence to claim validation of the OCI and its seven theoretically based dimensions

Ethics in a Mountain State County Jail

This research was conducted to identify and explain factors that shape staff and inmate perceptions of ethical behavior within a correctional setting. Prior research has found that staff do perceive high levels of deviance among their peers, but this varies by both the facility (jails were perceived as more unethical) and staff characteristics, with female and older staff perceiving their workplace as more ethical. The current research attempts to expand this line of study by surveying both inmates and staff on their perceptions of staff ethics within a jail in a mountain state jail. This research first examines what the general perceptions are among these two populations in regard to staff ethics. Second, it answers the question of whether perceived differences exist and how they vary between staff and inmates in regard to staff ethical behavior

Confirmatory Analysis of an Ethics Instrument for Corrections

In this research, we quantify the difference in correctional officers’ ethical standards, as perceived by both officers and inmates. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and higher order modeling were used to validate the correctional ethics instrument. Group invariance tests at first-order level were applied to examine the invariance structure of conceptualized and operationalized ethics across staff and inmates. The evidence indicates the construct validity of the ethic instrument. Furthermore, correctional officers have a higher perception of their ethical practice than inmates on two of five common dimensions (“professional relationship with inmates” and “use of force”)