Situational and Individual Predictors of Violent Intentions: A Factorial Survey Approach

Though many criminological perspectives suggest that violence is the result of both individual and situational factors, the majority of criminological research focuses narrowly on individual-level factors. The current study contributes to the literature by utilizing a factorial survey design to examine both the independent and interactive effects of situational and individual predictors of violent behavioral intentions. This factorial survey presented college respondents with randomly generated versions of a hypothetical situation depicting interpersonal conflict and also gathered data about a variety of individual level factors known to predict violence. In order to improve the validity of the factorial survey method, the vignettes utilized in this study were based on those utilized in prior research and were pretested in a series of focus groups. The factorial elements of the vignette were inspired by psychological and qualitative sociological research on violence and aggression. Utilizing a sample size of 751 respondents, I estimate a series of multilevel regression models predicting violent behavioral intentions. Results suggest that both individual level and situational factors are important predictors of violent intentions. Specifically, physical provocation, the attention of an audience, and the presence of aggressive cues all significantly predicted violent intentions. Results also suggest that, in addition to their separate relationships with violent intentions, individual and situational factors interact to predict violent intentions. After demonstrating the importance of situational factors in predicting violent intentions, I then demonstrate the utility of a situational perspective to criminology more broadly by providing situational tests of general strain theory and situational action theory. These situational tests demonstrate general support for both theoretical perspectives and highlight the importance of utilizing the situation as the unit of analysis for studying micro-social processes

The use of specialized cybercrime policing units: An organizational analysis

Given the increased focus and importance of cybercrime, some police agencies have turned to the use of specialized cybercrime policing units. Research has yet to examine the how frequently these units are used in policing, nor has research examined the types of agencies most likely to use these units. The current research, drawing on contingency theory, institutional theory, and Maguire’s theory of police organizational structure, uses four waves of Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Survey data to provide a descriptive analysis of specialized cybercrime units with a focus on identifying organizational correlates, environmental pressures, and the role of time. Trend data show that cybercrime units have proliferated over time and are on the path to becoming a normative aspect of policing, with about one-half of all state-level agencies and around one-quarter of all county and municipal agencies making use of cybercrime units as of 2013. Regression results indicate that larger agencies, agencies facing more task routineness and larger task scope challenges, agencies which make use of broader material technologies, and agencies which have adopted specialization strategies are more likely to use cybercrime units than other agencies. The practical and theoretical implications of these results are discussed, as are promising future research directions

Evidence indicates that drug crime is greater in neighborhoods with middle and high schools.

For many adolescents experimenting with drugs is a fairly normal part of growing up, but many are accessing these drugs at, or near to, schools. In new research, Dale Willits, Lisa Broidy, and Kristine Denman find that drug crime is higher in city blocks that have middle and high schools. They write that schools give drug dealers and buyers the opportunity to meet, a process that occurs regardless of the neighborhood’s characteristics

Wreck on the Highway: The Intersectionality of Driver Culpability, THC, Other Intoxicants and Fatalities in Washington State

Objective: Given the legalization of recreational cannabis in 2012 in Washington State and recent mixed results regarding the effects of cannabis on driver safety, we examine the link between Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinols (THC) and driver’s behavior, including speeding and driver errors which may have contributed to a particular fatal crash. Methods: The current study utilized data from the Washington State Fatality Analysis Reporting System Analytical File (WA FARS) in years 2008-2016. A series of logistic regression were employed to compare THC positive and negative drivers, as well as drivers who tested positive for other intoxicants. Results: The results of the study were mixed as Delta-9 THC positively predicted speeding, but not other driver errors. Interestingly, Carboxy THC, a non-psychoactive chemical that can be detected for a longer period of time, was a significant predictor of both speeding and driver errors. Conclusions: This research further demonstrates that cannabis is a risk factor for fatal crashes, though it is not nearly a risk factor of the same magnitude as alcohol. Additional research is needed to better understand why Carboxy THC is a stronger and more robust predictor of poor driving behavior than Delta-9 THC

Application of Ligninolytic Enzymes in the Production of Biofuels from Cotton Wastes

The application of ligninolytic fungi and enzymes is an option to overcome the issues related with the production of biofuels using cotton wastes. In this dissertation, the ligninolytic fungus and enzymes were evaluated as pretreatment for the biochemical conversion of Cotton Gin Trash (CGT) in ethanol and as a treatment for the transformation of cotton wastes biochar in other substances. In biochemical conversion, seven combinations of three pretreatments (ultrasonication, liquid hot water and ligninolytic enzymes) were evaluated on CGT. The best results were achieved by the sequential combination of ultrasonication, hot water, and ligninolytic enzymes with an improvement of 10% in ethanol yield. To improve these results, alkaline-ultrasonication was evaluated. Additionally, Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) and principal component analysis (PCA) were employed as fast methodology to identify structural differences in the biomass. The combination of ultrasonication-alkali hydrolysis, hot liquid water, and ligninolytic enzymes using 15% of NaOH improved 35% ethanol yield compared with the original treatment. Additionally, FT-IR and PCA identified modifications in the biomass structure after different types of pretreatments and conditions. In thermal conversion, this study evaluated the biodepolymerization of cotton wastes biochar using chemical and biological treatments. The chemical depolymerization evaluated three chemical agents (KMnO4, H2SO4, and NaOH), with three concentrations and two environmental conditions. The sulfuric acid treatments performed the largest transformations of the biochar solid phase; whereas, the KMnO4 treatments achieved the largest depolymerizations. The compounds released into the liquid phase were correlated with fulvic and humic acids and silicon compounds. The biological depolymerization utilized four ligninolytic fungi Phanerochaete chrysosporium, Ceriporiopsis subvermispora, Postia placenta, and Bjerkandera adusta. The greatest depolymerization was obtained by C. subvermispora. The depolymerization kinetics of C. subvermispora evidenced the production of laccase and manganese peroxidase and a correlation between depolymerization and production of ligninolytic enzymes. The modifications obtained in the liquid and solid phases showed the production of humic and fulvic acids from the cultures with C. subvermispora. The results of this research are the initial steps for the development of new processes using the ligninolytic fungus and their enzymes for the production of biofuels from cotton wastes

Institutional-Anomie, Political Corruption, and Homicide Rates

Messner and Rosenfeld’s institutional-anomie theory (IAT) has advanced our understanding of cross-national variation in homicide rates. Empirical tests of IAT have primarily examined how non-economic institutions alleviate or mitigate the mal-effects of economic inequality and economic deprivation. As economic institutions gain strength and dominance, non-economic institutions tend to weaken and are forced to accommodate the market. This creates an elevated state of institutional anomie that is conducive to higher violent crime rates. Most cross-national quantitative tests of IAT have examined the comparative strength of economic and social support institutions (especially social welfare) and find support for the theory. However, prior research has not examined other anomic institutional configurations that could increase violent crime rates within nation-states. For example, global economic forces coupled with an anemic nation-state government possessing high levels of corruption, patronage, and clientalism, all of which are evidence of market forces penetrating the polity, could theoretically represent an institutional-imbalance promoting higher violent crime rates. Our cross-national quantitative study is an attempt to fill this gap in the literature by offering a measure of political corruption. Our models reexamine the effects of the economy on homicide rates while controlling for various measures of social support and political corruption. The theoretical and empirical implications are discussed

Impossibility of a "reverse racism" effect

Lois James, Stephen James, and Bryan Vila in their article “The Reverse Racism Effect: Are Cops More Hesitant to Shoot Black Than White Suspects?” from the May 2016 issue of Criminology & Public Policy suggested that a fear of adverse “legal and social consequences” leads police officers to be more cautious in shooting decisions when dealing with Blacks than with Whites, resulting in fewer errors and slower response times in a shooting simulation study. The authors dubbed this the “reverse racism effect.” Given the current political tension between communities of color and police, embodied in places like Ferguson, MO, these claims are disconcerting. This rejoinder contests the research on conceptual, theoretical, and methodological grounds. Although the article was originally published with policy essay responses from Lorie Fridell (2016) and William Terrill (2016) and an editorial introduction from Cynthia Lum (2016), none delivered the race-based critique that the conclusions of the article demand. We argue the crucial flaw of the article is a substantive lack of knowledge of race/racism by James et al.,1 leading them to make the unsubstantiated claim of “reverse racism.” We thus join other scholars who have criticized criminology's engagement with race/racism (Covington, 1995, 2010; Potter, 2013; Russell, 1992, 1998) and thank the editors of Criminology & Public Policy for this opportunity

Children of Mixed-Ethnic Heritage and Adverse Life Outcomes: A Comparison of Two Korean Adolescent Samples

The number of mixed-ethnic adolescents from multicultural families in South Korea has rapidly increased over the last several years. Although traditionally ethnically homogeneous, Korea has recently shifted toward multiculturalism, yet little research has compared mixed and single-ethnic youth on adverse outcomes in Korea and, to date, no research has done so using a quasi-experimental design. This study uses propensity score weighting with a sample of 1,156 Korean adolescents (756 inter-ethnic and 800 single-ethnic youths) to examine differences in mixed and single-ethic adolescent adverse life outcomes, including depressive symptoms, fear of crime, and victimization experiences. The results indicate that inter-ethnic heritage is associated with increases in fear of crime, but has a negative association with victimization. Findings also revealed nonsignificant differences on depression between the two groups. This highlights the need to engage in research with a strong emphasis on eliminating confounding effects. Implications for further research are discussed

Relative Risk of Cannabis, Alcohol, and Their Combination on Driver Behavior in Fatal Crashes in Washington State

The greater availability of cannabis following legalization increases the likelihood that more drivers will drive drugged, rendering the determination of its effect on crashes a matter of vital public policy interest. For criminal justice agencies, this issue takes on increased importance, as drugged driving is a criminal offense. We examine the relative risk of cannabis (Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinols [hereafter THC]), alcohol, and the combination of the two, on fatal crashes in Washington state, using data from the Washington Coded Fatal Crash (WA-CFC) Files, which includes appended toxicology results. Findings indicate the presence of alcohol or the combination of alcohol and THC in the blood of a driver involved in a fatal crash is more likely to be associated with risky driving behaviors, fatal injuries, and death compared to THC alone