Sociological and Human Developmental Explanations of Crime: Conflict or Consensus

This paper examines multidisciplinary correlates of delinquency in an attempt to integrate sociological and environmental theories of crime with human developmental and biological explanations of crime. Structural equation models are applied to assess links among biological, psychological, and environmental variables collected prospectively from birth through age 17 on a sample of 800 black children at high risk for learning and behavioral disorders. Results show that for both males and females, aggression and disciplinary problems in school during adolescence are the strongest predictors of repeat offense behavior. Whereas school achievement and family income and stability are also significant predictors of delinquency for males, early physical development is the next strongest predictor for females. Results indicate that some effects on delinquency also vary during different ages. It is suggested that behavioral and learning disorders have both sociological and developmental correlates and that adequate educational resources are necessary to ensure channels of legitimate opportunities for high-risk youths

Police performance measurement: an annotated bibliography

This study provides information to assist those involved in performance measurement in police organisations. The strategies used to identify the literature are described. Thematic sections cover; general overviews; methodological issues; performance management in other industries; national, international and cross-national studies; frameworks (e.g. Compstat; the Balanced Scorecard); criticisms (particularly unintended consequences); crime-specific measures; practitioner guides; performance evaluation of individual staff; police department plans and evaluations; annotated bibliographies in related areas, and; other literature. Our discussion offers two conclusions: the measures best aligned with performance are typically more expensive, while most operational data should only provide contextual information; the philosophy of open governance should be pursued to promote transparency, accountability and communication to improve police performance

Guidance for preventive and responsive measures to coronavirus by police and law enforcement

The coronavirus, or COVID-19, has already been declared by the World Health Organization as a global pandemic. As the number of people infected in the United States grows exponentially, we must focus on prevention and containment in the criminal and immigration legal systems. Actors in the criminal and immigration legal systems have a unique and critical role to play. The importance of this role is underscored by how vast these systems are—almost 10.5 million arrests a year, 2.2 million people in jail and prison at any given time, 50,000 in immigration detention, and another 4.5 million under some form of supervision on probation or parole. The Vera Institute of Justice (Vera) and Community Oriented Correctional Health Services (COCHS) have created the guidance in this document to protect people who interact with these systems and for the staff and personnel who work with them

A prosecutor’s guide for advancing racial equity

Black and Latino people are overrepresented in the U.S. criminal justice system. While racial disparity in case outcomes is often attributed to law enforcement practices or judicial decision making, the role of prosecutors is overlooked. In fact, prosecutors have wide discretionary power in case processing decisions—from initial screening, charging, bail, and pretrial recommendations, to diversion, plea bargaining, and sentencing. Until now, prosecutors have lacked ready access to analytical tools that would help them see the overall impacts of their decisions, and whether their decision-making power affects racially disparate case outcomes. Vera’s Prosecution and Racial Justice Program (PRJ) published this guide to aid prosecutors seeking to conduct research into their offices’ work and address any problems contributing to racial disparity the research uncovers. The guide is based on PRJ’s nine years of experience as research partner with a number of district attorneys around the country

Guidance for preventive and responsive measures to coronavirus for rural justice systems

The coronavirus, or COVID-19, has been declared by the World Health Organization to be a global pandemic. As the number of people infected in the United States grows exponentially, we must focus on prevention and containment in the criminal and immigration legal systems. Actors in the criminal and immigration legal systems have a unique and critical role to play. Theimportance of this role is underscored by how vast these systems are—almost 10.5 million arrests a year, 2.2 million people in jail and prison at any given time, 50,000 in immigration detention, andanother 4.5 million under some form of supervision on probation or parole. The Vera Institute of Justice (Vera) and Community Oriented Correctional Health Services (COCHS) have created the guidance in this document to protect people who interact with and work in these systems

Guidance for preventive and responsive measures to coronavirus for prosecutors, defenders, and courts

The coronavirus, or COVID-19, has been declared by the World Health Organization to be a global pandemic. As the number of people infected in the United States grows exponentially, we must focus on prevention and containment in the criminal and immigration legal systems. Actors in the criminal and immigration legal systems have a unique and critical role to play. Theimportance of this role is underscored by how vast these systems are—almost 10.5 million arrests a year, 2.2 million people in jail and prison at any given time, 50,000 in immigration detention, andanother 4.5 million under some form of supervision on probation or parole. The Vera Institute of Justice (Vera) and Community Oriented Correctional Health Services (COCHS) have created the guidance in this document to protect people who interact with and work in these systems

Guidance for preventive and responsive measures to coronavirus for youth agencies

The coronavirus, or COVID-19, has been declared by the World Health Organization to be a global pandemic. As the number of people infected in the United States grows exponentially, we must focus on prevention and containment in the criminal and immigration legal systems. Actors in the criminal and immigration legal systems have a unique and critical role to play. Theimportance of this role is underscored by how vast these systems are—almost 10.5 million arrests a year, 2.2 million people in jail and prison at any given time, 50,000 in immigration detention, andanother 4.5 million under some form of supervision on probation or parole. The Vera Institute of Justice (Vera) and Community Oriented Correctional Health Services (COCHS) have created the guidance in this document to protect people who interact with and work in these systems

Guidance for preventive and responsive measures to coronavirus for immigration system actors

The coronavirus, or COVID-19, has been declared by the World Health Organization to be a global pandemic. As the number of people infected in the United States grows exponentially, we must focus on prevention and containment in the criminal and immigration legal systems. Actors in the criminal and immigration legal systems have a unique and critical role to play. The importance of this role is underscored by how vast these systems are—almost 10.5 million arrests a year, 2.2 million people in jail and prison at any given time, 50,000 in immigration detention, and another 4.5 million under some form of supervision on probation or parole. The Vera Institute of Justice (Vera) and Community Oriented Correctional Health Services (COCHS) have created the guidance in this document to protect people who interact with and work in these systems

Guidance for preventive and responsive measures to coronavirus for jails, prisons, immigration detention and youth facilities

The coronavirus, or COVID-19, has been declared by the World Health Organization to be a global pandemic. As the number of people infected in the United States grows exponentially, we must focus on prevention and containment in the criminal and immigration legal systems. It is not a matter of if, but when, coronavirus shows up in courts, jails, detention centers, prisons, and other places where the work of the criminal and immigration systems occur. Actors in these systems have a unique and critical role to play. The importance of this role is underscored by how vast the footprint of these systems is—almost 10.5 million arrests a year, 2.2 million people in jail and prison at any given time, 50,000 in immigration detention, and another 4.5 million under some form of criminal justice supervision on probation or parole. The Vera Institute of Justice (Vera) and Community Oriented Correctional Health Services (COCHS) have created the guidance in this document to protect people who interact with and work in these systems