An Examination of Delinquency and Victimization Using Social Bonding and Routine Activities

The study examined the relationship between juvenile delinquency and juvenile victimization using an integration of social bond theory and routine activities perspectives. Data were obtained from the Monitoring the Future (MTF) series of surveys given annually to a nationally representative sample of students. The MTF survey is from the 2005 group of surveys given to tenth grade students. The version of the survey was administered to 5,577 tenth grade students. This research examined the link between a student\u27s commitment to school and guardianship. Specifically, it determined the amount of delinquency to which a student is involved and the extent of victimization experienced. Results showed that students who had stronger bonds to school were less likely to be involved in delinquency and were less likely to experience victimization than students who had weaker bonds to school. Current research supported an integration of social bond and routine activities/lifestyle theories and also provided more empirical evidence to support the anecdotal beliefs concerning the relationship between delinquency and victimization

Social Distance Between Minority Youth and the Police: An Exploratory Analysis of the TAPS Academy

Research has consistently shown that minority youth harbor more negative feelings toward the criminal justice system and are more likely to express negative perceptions of the police than non-minority youth. These negative perceptions are often the result of weak social bonds that reflect great social distance between minority youth and the police. In order to reduce social distance between minority youth and the police, the Teen and Police Service (TAPS) Academy was established in 2011. This study explores the effectiveness of the TAPS Academy. Pre-test and post-test data measuring social distance were collected from a group of Hispanic/Latino and African American youth engaged in the TAPS Academy. Results from the study provide support for the effectiveness of the TAPS Academy in reducing social distance between minority youth and the police. Important implications and directions for future research are also discussed

Black Supporters Of The No-Discrimination Thesis In Criminal Justice: A Portrait Of An Understudied Segment Of The Black Community

This study examined a national sample of more than 600 Black Americans and their views on bias in the American criminal justice system. The research found that 26% of the Black respondents did not believe there was bias in the American criminal justice system. To explore the segment of respondents holding these views, we separated the sample into Blacks who believe there is bias in the system (referred to as the discrimination thesis or DT supporters) and those who opposed this belief (referred to as the no-discrimination thesis or NDT supporters). The NDT supporters were more likely to be younger, male, less educated, and have lower income than those respondents who supported the DT. NDT supporters were also more likely to believe that Blacks and Whites had equal job opportunities, have more confidence in the police, and believe that racism was not widespread. © 2013 SAGE Publications