Does GPS supervision of intimate partner violence defendants reduce pretrial misconduct? Evidence from a quasi-experimental study

Objectives This research examines the effect global positioning system (GPS) technology supervision has on pretrial misconduct for defendants facing intimate partner violence charges. Methods Drawing on data from one pretrial services division, a retrospective quasi-experimental design was constructed to examine failure to appear to court, failure to appear to meetings with pretrial services, and rearrest outcomes between defendants ordered to pretrial GPS supervision and a comparison group of defendants ordered to pretrial supervision without the use of monitoring technology. Cox regression models were used to assess differences between quasi-experimental conditions. To enhance internal validity and mitigate model dependence, we utilized and compared results across four counterfactual comparison groups (propensity score matching, Mahalanobis distance matching, inverse probability of treatment weighting, and marginal mean weighting through stratification). Results Pretrial GPS supervision was no more or less effective than traditional, non-technology based pretrial supervision in reducing the risk of failure to appear to court or the risk of rearrest. GPS supervision did reduce the risk of failing to appear to meetings with pretrial services staff. Conclusions The results suggest that GPS supervision may hold untapped case management benefits for pretrial probation officers, a pragmatic focus that may be overshadowed by efforts to mitigate the risk of pretrial misconduct. Further, the results contribute to ongoing discussions on bail reform, pretrial practice, and the movement to reduce local jail populations. Although the cost savings are not entirely clear, relatively higher risk defendants can be managed in the community and produce outcomes that are comparable to other defendants. The results also call into question the ability of matching procedures to construct appropriate counterfactuals in an era where risk assessment informs criminal justice decision-making. Weighting techniques outperformed matching strategies

Electronic filing : what practitioners of small and medium size accounting firms are saying

Problems presently exist within the government's Electronic Filing System. Since the government has a goal of becoming a paperless tax return filing system, they need to be aware of these problems. A survey of practitioners was conducted in order to understand the problems that practitioners are experiencing with the system, and possible solutions. All major issues were addressed with possible solutions. The aim of the paper was to make the IRS aware of the problems and I took the side of the devil's advocate showing all the major problems that could be found with the Electronic Filing System.B.A. (Bachelor of Arts

Elaborating the Correlates of Firearm Injury Severity: Combining Criminological and Public Health Concerns

This research addresses recent calls to incorporate multidisciplinary approaches in the study of firearm violence by utilizing an elaborated criminal events perspective to explore the correlates of firearm injury severity. A unique dataset of nonfatal firearm injury data are derived from official police reports, allowing the use of a medically validated measure of injury trauma in place of more typical injury indicators. The relative and collaborative contributions of criminological and public health indicators for explaining variation in levels of injury severity are assessed. Multinomial logit models suggest that critical injuries are more likely among older victims, victims who knew their assailants, and victims who refused to cooperate with police. Additionally, the likelihood of critical victim injuries decreased as the time to report an incident to the police increased. The strongest correlates were measures of incident circumstances and the number of gunshot wounds a victim received. In all, these results reveal that a combination of measures from both fields is needed to provide a deeper understanding of injury severity outcomes

Desisters in the making? Exploring the capacity to desist during community transition among a small longitudinal panel of releasees

Self-narratives signal readiness for change and the capacity to desist from crime. Utilizing longitudinal interviews with 39 male subjects in a small, industrialized, Midwestern US city, this study explores self-narratives to gain additional understanding about desistance and the malleable components that shape the process. In contrast to existing long-term desistance studies, this research considers the presence of desistance-promoting narratives during reentry. Data on three waves of interviews conducted shortly after release and three or more months after the first interview are presented. Results indicate that returning prisoners engage with desistance-promoting themes during the immediate reentry process, and that the prevalence and importance of these themes change with additional time in the community. The implications of these findings for reentry policy, practice, and research are discussed

Anticipated Stigma and Defensive Individualism during Post-Incarceration Job Searching

Obtaining employment is one of the most difficult challenges for individuals released from prison. This research explores the strategies recently released male parolees employ in attempting to find work, with specific attention to the role of anticipated stigma from their ex-convict status. Through the use of in-depth longitudinal interviews, this research contributes to our understanding of returning prisoner's experiences in job searching. We find that although a majority of the sample anticipated stigma as a barrier to employment, those who did expressed an extreme self-reliance consistent with defensive individualism. This reluctance to draw on social networks may ultimately be counter-productive to the search for employment

Examining the Correlates of Sex Offender Residence Restriction Violation Rates

Objectives This research examines the contribution of social ecological factors to the variation in sex offender residence restriction (SORR) violation rates, operationalized as a sex offender residing within a buffer zone around a school or a day care. Methods Drawing on data from two Midwestern states, we utilize a quasi-experimental cohort-control group design to examine the correlates of county-level SORR violation rates among a cohort of post-SORR sex offender parolees, and three counterfactual cohorts (pre-SORR sex offenders, pre- and post-SORR non-sex offender parolees). We model the violation rate using a series of fractional logit regressions, examining the contribution of housing market, environmental justice, and system resource variables. Results We observe that county-level variation in post-SORR sex offender violation rates is directly associated with concentrated disadvantage and the density of residence restrictions. The direct effect of concentrated disadvantage was unique to the post-SORR sex offender cohort. Model predictions suggest that the relationship between SORR density and concentrated disadvantage varies across the study states. Conclusions The results suggest that factors found to be associated with sex offender clustering (i.e., housing market characteristics) are not associated with SORR violation rates. Instead, this research suggests a model which allows for the simultaneous influence of environmental justice and system resource effects. Future research on the mechanisms underlying these effects is warranted

The Effect of Statewide Residency Restrictions on Sex Offender Post-Release Housing Mobility

Securing stable housing may be difficult for returning offenders in general, and these concerns may be exacerbated for sex offenders. In addition to the barriers faced by other returning offenders, sex offenders face intense stigma and once released to the community, they are also subject to additional legal restrictions. The current study explores the effect of statewide residency restriction policies on housing mobility using a unique sample of male sex offenders released in a Midwestern state. The research is based on a quasi-experimental cohort control group design and it describes the frequency and correlation of movement for pre- and post-statewide residency restriction legislation samples. Sex offenders released after the implementation of residency restrictions moved more often and had relatively high degrees of housing mobility compared to offenders released prior to the legislation. The results have important implications for reentry programming and post-release services for sex offenders

An Evaluation of Sex Offender Residency Restrictions in Michigan and Missouri

In Michigan, sex offenders are prohibited from living within 1,000 feet of school property and 500 feet from any licensed daycare center. Missouri prohibits sex offenders from living within 1,000 feet of a public or private school up to the 12th grade or childcare facility which existed at the time the offender established his/her residency. In addition, sex offenders are prohibited from working or loitering within 500 feet of a school, childcare facility, or public park with playground equipment or a public swimming pool. Residency restriction policies in both States are universally applied to all registered sex offenders. The current study had three primary goals. First, document the residency locations of sex offenders and non-sex offenders before and after the implementation of the residency restriction laws. Second, examine the change in recidivism patterns before and after the implementation of residency restrictions. Third, describe the collateral consequences of residency restrictions. The study found a decline in the number of registered sex offenders living in restricted areas, including near schools or daycare centers, but the differences were not statistically significant. The study also determined that sex offenders, especially child molesters, moved more often relative to comparable non-sex offenders after the implementation of residency restrictions; those living at addresses within the boundary zones surrounding schools and daycare centers tended to live in more disadvantaged areas. Regarding the impact of residency restrictions on recidivism, the relationship was small. The study recommends reconsidering the universal application of sex offender residency restrictions, an increase in housing services for sex offenders, and the development of reentry programming specific to sex offender populations. 22 tables and 139 reference