Review of \u3ci\u3eThe Cultural Lives of Capital Punishment: Comparative Perspectives\u3c/i\u3e edited by Austin Sarat and Christian Boulanger

This volume examines the interconnectivity of culture and punishment across an impressive variety of states and nations. The authors convincingly argue that research is strengthened by developing an understanding of the cultural life of capital punishment, defined as the embeddedness of this punishment in the discourse and symbolic practices of specific locales and times. This book is abolitionist in nature, representing the praxis of social research. The editors argue that independent variables like crime rates, economics, religion, and public opinion fail to explain international variation in the use of the death penalty. Eschewing variables, they argue for analysis of individual cases, examining the richness of historical, social, political, and cultural context. They argue that Americans appear exceptional in their use of capital punishment only when compared to other western developed nations, and that adopting a broad comparative approach can increase our understanding of capital punishment in the U.S. This book\u27s strength is the richness of detail of the research. Most chapters are historical and descriptive, including comprehensive analyses of culture and capital punishment in Gennany, Mexico, Poland, Kyrgyzstan, India, Israel, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, and Palestine. A central focus of many of the studies is state killing, addressing the interdependence of culture, capital punishment, and other state actions that threaten the lives of citizens

Pathways and Turning Points: Child Maltreatment, Adolescent Outcomes, and Delinquency

The National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being is a valuable resource for examining the lives of at-risk youth in a longitudinal fashion. Essentially, I seek to increase our knowledge of “what works?” and “for whom?” I seek to determine if negative pathways of at-risk youth are altered by social factors and professional intervention. This pathway theory is founded on the assumption that individual differences in factors such as cognitive and emotional development lead to trajectories that often lead at-risk youth down paths of negative social and behavioral outcomes. However, I also assume that turning points will be evident in the lives of these youth. Consistent with Laub and Sampson’s (2003) idea of “desistance by default,” I suggest that structural turning points, such as official interventions and services, social control and social support, may serve as transitions that send youth on pathways of prosocial behavior. On the other hand, experiences of subsequent victimization will likely perpetuate or exacerbate negative pathways of behavior. The NSCAW data includes 1) individual difference constructs, such as neurodevelopmental or cognitive impairment, 2) measures of social processes and transitions measured 18 months later, and 3) dependent variables measured 18 months later, or 36 months post-baseline, allowing a test of this pathway theory

Ohio Regional Forum Report Findings from the Survey and Small Small-Group Participation

The Midwest Child Welfare Implementation Center (MCWIC) is collaborating with The Ohio Office of Families and Children (OFC) to develop and implement a new technical assistance (TA) model. This project is a part of Ohio\u27s systemic effort to improve its child welfare outcomes, and will materially alter how OFC works with Ohio\u27s county-administered child welfare offices. It will build Ohio\u27s capacity to implement evidence-informed and promising child welfare interventions. To inform the process of developing a new technical assistance model, MCWIC hosted a series of ten regional forums throughout the state during July, 2010. The purpose of these events was to understand how the Ohio Office of Children and Families can better work with and support Ohio’s public and private children services agencies. Attendees were invited to participate in small focus group discussions to provide input and share their agency’s perspective on the current and future role of the OFC in supporting public children services agencies. Preceding the focus group discussions, however, participants were asked to complete a survey that was designed to gather their frank opinions on the role of the OFC. An identical survey was administered online through a link on MCWIC’s home page to be completed by interested persons who were unable to attend a regional forum. This report summarizes the findings from the regional forum discussions and survey. It provides a snapshot of perceptions of the technical assistance currently provided by the OFC, as well as suggestions for the new technical assistance model that is to be developed by the MCWIC “Partners for Ohio’s Families Project.

Spare the Rod, Endanger the Child? Strain, Race/Ethnicity, and Serious Delinquency

General strain theory has evolved into a comprehensive theory of delinquency by incorporating factors that condition the relationship between strain and delinquency as well as acknowledging the subjective nature of strain. This study advances general strain theory by examining the conditioning role of race and the manner in which race influences the subjective experience of strain. Examining a nationally representative sample of adolescents, this study finds that ethnic minorities generally experience greater strain. However, the effect of strain is not consistently more criminogenic for ethnic minorities. Our research suggests that the impact of strain on delinquency is conditioned by the sociocultural context of race/ethnicity

Pathways and Turning Points: Child Maltreatment, Adolescent Outcomes, and Delinquency

The National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being is a valuable resource for examining the lives of at-risk youth in a longitudinal fashion. Essentially, I seek to increase our knowledge of “what works?” and “for whom?” I seek to determine if negative pathways of at-risk youth are altered by social factors and professional intervention. This pathway theory is founded on the assumption that individual differences in factors such as cognitive and emotional development lead to trajectories that often lead at-risk youth down paths of negative social and behavioral outcomes. However, I also assume that turning points will be evident in the lives of these youth. Consistent with Laub and Sampson’s (2003) idea of “desistance by default,” I suggest that structural turning points, such as official interventions and services, social control and social support, may serve as transitions that send youth on pathways of prosocial behavior. On the other hand, experiences of subsequent victimization will likely perpetuate or exacerbate negative pathways of behavior. The NSCAW data includes 1) individual difference constructs, such as neurodevelopmental or cognitive impairment, 2) measures of social processes and transitions measured 18 months later, and 3) dependent variables measured 18 months later, or 36 months post-baseline, allowing a test of this pathway theory

Nebraska Coalition of Juvenile Justice Strength-Based Assessment

The Nebraska Coalition for Juvenile Justice (NCJJ) was established in 1982, as required by the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act and acts as an advisory group to the Nebraska Crime Commission. In 2013, NCJJ submitted a technical assistance request for strategic planning to the State Relations and Assistance Division of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) seeking assistance in the development of an action oriented, strategic plan to guide its future activities. The OJJDP technical assistance meeting occurred on May 30th and 31st, 2013. One of the recommendations resulting from this technical assistance meeting was that NCJJ conduct a strength-based assessment of its members around its five key focus areas. The two primary areas of data collection were to be 1) the area of system represented by each member, and 2) the area of system of most interest to each member. The proposed goals of the assessment were twofold. First, the assessment would allow NCJJ to determine their current representation throughout the juvenile justice system and determine potential areas that would benefit from the recruitment of new members. Second, the assessment would provide an opportunity to assist individual members in setting realistic goals for themselves and the group as a whole. Dr. Ryan Spohn, Director of the Nebraska Center for Justice Research (NCJR) at the University of Nebraska – Omaha was contracted to conduct the strength-based assessment and summarize his findings in a report for NCJJ

NCJR Annual Report: 2016

The Nebraska Center for Justice Research (NCJR) was established in 2014 with a mission to develop and sustain criminal justice research capacity internal to the State of Nebraska. Our goal is to assist the Legislature, justice agencies, practitioners, foundations, and stakeholders with research and evaluation to reduce recidivism, promote the use of evidence-based practices, and improve public safety. This annual report summarizes the activities and financial status of NCJR in its second year

Delinquent Friends and Reactions to Strain: An Examination of Direct and Indirect Pathways

Strain theorists acknowledge that only some strained individuals become involved in delinquency. Thus, a necessary research objective is to determine the conditions under which strain results in deviant adaptations. The goal of this research is to examine the conditioning effects of exposure to delinquent friends/peer pressure on the relationship between strain and delinquency. Whereas Agnew (1992, 2001, 2006) argues that a criminogenic environment will increase the effect of strain on delinquency, Warr’s (1993) research indicates that other correlates of delinquency lose their influence when adolescents are enmeshed in a network of delinquent peers. In testing these competing hypotheses, the current research finds a preponderance of evidence supporting the latter position. Peer pressure and having friends that commit delinquency tend to reduce the direct effect of strain on serious delinquency, as well as reducing the indirect effects of strain on negative emotions and negative emotions on serious delinquency

Nebraska Sex Offender Registry Study: Interim Report

Sexual victimization is of great concern to the public, as evidenced by the legislative attention it has received over the last twenty years (Adkins, Huff, and Stageberg 2000; Levenson 2006; Sample and Kadleck 2008; Schram and Milloy 1995; Walker et al. 2005; Zevit 2006). To help increase public safety and address public concern, corrections departments nationwide have adopted some form of risk classification and assessment instrument for offenders who have been convicted of sex crimes (Richardson and Huebner 2006). Some of the most popular risk assessment instruments include the STATIC 99, RRASOR, MnSOST, SORAG, and ASRS (Richardson and Huebner 2006; Vess and Skelton 2010). These instruments have all been empirically validated and been found to accurately predict risk of reoffending, although with varying degrees (Blasko, Jeglic, and Mercado 2010; Scoones, Will, and Grace, 2012). Many states have adjusted this policy, however, to adhere to the federal standards of the Adam Walsh Act of 2006, by which offenders are to be classified by the type of crime committed, rather than the assessed risk to reoffend