Welcome! The first panel of the fall semester. Guest speaker, Beth Thomas, the Executive Director of the NC Prison Legal Services. Come join to hear a well-rounded conversation on the prison system today and her experiences.
Author: Lori Brown
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The Angola 3
There is still work to do in the name of humane treatment of all people in the US, which includes the incarcerated. Is the story of the “Angola 3” possible today?
Recent court rulings, restrictive laws, and questionable governmental leadership can only lead to being unsure about the supposed freedoms of law abiding, voting citizens in the US. There has been many up and downs about race and corruption in a system that has been around for centuries. As for the incarcerated, it appears we may already be on repeat!
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The Martinsville Seven
Seven black men were executed in 1951 for an alleged rape.
Comments were made by the governor of Virginia as he posthumously partons the Martinsville Seven.
Is it too late after the 7 black men were already executed? Is this truly justice for them?
https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/31/us/martinsville-seven-7-young-black-men-pardon/index.html
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Criminal Justice Reform Bills into Law
On September 4th in Raleigh, Governor Roy Cooper has signed three criminal justice law reform bills into law that consist of: House Bill 436: Support Law Enforcement Mental Health, House Bill 536: Law Enforcement Duty to Intervene and Senate Bill 300: Criminal Justice Reform.
What are these laws meant for and who? Are these laws supposed to change behavior in certain realms?
They speak of policies, procedures, and informal action that is already in place. The real questions lies as to, “What are the consequences for violating these LAWS?” Beautifully written rhetoric that is window dressing when behavior and practice continues to go unchecked, unregulated and without consequence. I guess time will tell!! The scary reality is, do we have time to wait.
The link to the article:
By: Crystal Poole
Kearney’s (2020) article “Conducting 50-State Survey Research: Lessons Learned Through Criminal Justice Research” provides a set of general tips and recommendations for conducting effective multi-state survey research. She notes that while multi-state surveys enable us to compare the laws of multiple jurisdictions in the United States, it can be time-consuming to find what you need because there is such a wide variety of resources. Kearney states that by following the tips and recommendations provided in the article, time spent on research requests for multi-state surveys can be reduced.
The first tip Kearney provides is to identify exactly what you want to know. By asking questions such as “Is it important for you to find all regulations on a subject?” and “Do you more generally want to know how a public policy is implemented in a state regardless of the legal mechanism?”, you can help narrow down your injury. The second tip Kearney provides is to develop a detailed plan. She suggests developing a plan to keep you focused on relevant information and updating as you go, so you do not lose time later. The third tip Kearney provides is to evaluate what you, or your researchers, already know. It is important to consider any prior knowledge of the states being surveyed and whether the relationship between statutes and regulations is well understood. The fourth tip Kearney provides is to define your key concepts. If your research question(s) includes a concept, you must be prepared to define it, so it is clear for the reader. The fifth tip Kearney provides is to draft a variety of keywords. She notes that oftentimes vastly different words are used to describe the same content in different states, along with laws that are organized and administered in different ways. Utilizing an index, or a popular name table, can help you understand a concept from one state to another. The sixth tip Kearney provides is when conducting a regulatory survey, remember the relationship between different types of documents. She suggests keeping in mind the relationship between the types of public policies, such as how a statue will not always direct you to related administrative regulations, however, a regulation should direct you to a statute. The seventh tip Kearney provides is to keep in mind the relationship between state and local governments. She states that when investigating an issue that affects multiple levels of government, research can get tricky. It is important for the researcher to understand the extent that the state institution interacts with the local. The eighth tip Kearney provides is to ask for assistance. If something seems inconsistent or strange, asking for assistance from an individual in that jurisdiction can prove helpful. The ninth tip Kearney provides is to be prepared to take extra steps. She notes that you will likely need to be more meticulously organized and careful about how you organize your findings than in other types of research, and you should always consider the needs of the potential audience. The tenth, and final tip, Kearney provides is to have fun! She states that while conducting a multi-state survey can be frustrating and complicated, you can take what you learn and carry it with you for the rest of your life.
Kearney also notes the challenge of a multi-state survey being up to date. She suggests two approaches to keeping up to date when you are compiling the research. The first is to set an alert in a database for changes to any of the primary sources that are relevant. She notes that this is a better option for long-term updating. The second is to set a date to finalize the survey and substantiate all the material at once. She notes that this might be a better method for a one-time project, and you should always indicate to your readers the cut-off date for accuracy and currency.
Kearney, Janet. 2020. “Conducting 50-State Survey Research: Lessons Learned through Criminal Justice Research.” AALL Spectrum 24(6):23–25.
By Johana Calderon Suarez
A recent study published in Prison Journal examined the impact of incarceration on prisoners and their families. In “The Pill Line is Longer Than the Chow Line: The Impact of Incarceration on Prisoners and their Families,” DeHart et al. (2018) identify the unique impacts of incarceration on prisoners and their families; the challenges that it effects on their communities, health, mental health, finances, and involvement with community supports such as friends, church, and human services.
The greatest challenge researchers face is gaining the trust not only from the family members but the prisoners in a situation so frustrating, with various limitations from both sides, and feelings. Full transparency may not be there due to maintaining and controlling their emotional state along with avoiding the reality of the situation; the feeling of being alone.
The current study, which drew from survey research, found that the keyways families were impacted by incarceration involved communication. Which not only decreased the quality of communication and experiences of family conflict but also prisoners along with family members withholding information in their conversation to protect one another from distress. Another major area of impact involved mental health, particularly increased stress felt by prisoners and family members. Outside all these stressors, prisoners and their families alleged little support from friends and communities. Researchers recommend that to effectively address impacts across all these areas, we must break down service silos to develop networked interventions. Families are the context to which prisoners will return upon reentry, and planned approaches may help assure that the offender’s path out of prison includes support to address complex family struggles.
By: Juliana King
One of the most concerning topics in our culture at this time is police officer reactions in a variety of arrest situations. Ross and Wright conducted this research study in 2014 and took a different approach at learning about police officer responses by studying specifically what their response was to a relatively low-level offense of graffiti and street art. Their thoughts were that this type of reaction could be related and show a better indication of police officer discretion which would directly affect crime rates in their area. The studies consulted for this research tended to focus on police officer views of illegal behavior, content and causes of the graffiti/street art.
The data gather for this study was from about 130 active-duty police officers who answered a survey regarding their attitude and behavior towards street vandalism. They used an accidental nonprobability sample with voluntary consent from the officers. Their independent variables that were assessed were gender, race, education, shift time period, and rank. The influence of shift time was analyzed for a difference in response to assess for shift work related stressors.
In analyzing the data, the major differences were shown in the race variable where White and non-White responses towards graffiti and street art seemed opposing. White officers responded more often that they disagreed with street art being “a harmless recreational activity, whereas non-White officers responded as not sure whether they agreed or disagreed.” The data found related to shift work showed that officers who had day shifts were more likely to support jail sentences for street art offenders, whereas night shift responders were unsure. The other variables of age, education, and rank did not have a major statistical impact. Gender was not equally represented in the study as shown by the 80% male respondents, but the study was not altered to obtain a balance of gender representation.
In looking forward at how attitudes of police officers affect the way they choose to react to graffiti and street art this study emphasized the cultural differences that makes them relate to the causation of street art. Some officers are able to understand it is expression and others are not. Ross and Wright encouraged more education of locational culture to abate perhaps nonviolent crime arrests and promote community expression by providing appropriate spaces for street art to be created.
Ross, J. I., & Wright, B. S. (2014). “I’ve Got Better Things to Worry About”: Police Perceptions of Graffiti and Street Art in a Large Mid-Atlantic City. Police Quarterly, 17(2), 176–200. https://doi.org/10.1177/1098611114531491
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First Webinar of the Summer Semester!
The ALE( Alcohol Law Enforcement will be joining for our first webinar of the summer semester. This agency is in North Carolina and they are recruiting now. Come out to hear some amazing information from our panelist: Assistant Special Agent in Charge, Reese Wilkerson and Special Agent, Glen Webb.
By Juliana King
A recent recent research study conducted by Vanessa M. Diaz and Lidia E. Nuno of California State University explores the gender gap in policing. In their article titled “Women and Policing: An Assessment of Factors Related to the Likelihood of Pursuing a Career as a Police Officer” they examine individual, group, and cultural factors that shape policing. As Dias and Nuno write, “In this article we are asked to understand why the percentage of women as police officers has slowly risen to 12% representation and what are the current most influential mitigating factors.” A key variable for the researchers is the “male-dominated nature of policing, which has historically excluded women from its ranks mainly due to perceptions of policing as physically demanding, dangerous, and a sexist occupation (Diaz and Nuno, 2021) This led the researchers to ask the questions related to “personal characteristics, perceptions of the profession, and the current socio-political climate.” (Diaz and Nuno, 2021)
The study surveyed almost 400 current students at California State University enrolled in criminology courses to see why they were or were not interested in becoming a police officer. The survey included a variety of ethnicities and included women and men to assess responses for gender differences or similarities. They used an online Qualtrics survey system and stratified random sampling to eliminate systematic bias. One surprising finding was that physical fitness capability influenced more than gender capability in the feeling of wanting to pursue being a police officer. This also showed how recruitment could be overstating the physical requirements for the role and leaving out other equally as important parts like report writing, social work, and job-related trauma exposure. Physically fit men and women were more likely to want to become police officers. While the socio-political climate at that time was a negative influence on wanting to become a police officer, I would recommend for it to have been evaluated differently because it is a variable that did become obsolete upon change of administration. Some limitations that were stated were the analysis of only one population location and the small size studied.
Going forward, criminal justice professionals should be aware of some of the positive ways women can contribute to the role of policing. The researchers felt that including women in policing roles they would be able to “be more effective than men in de-escalating violence, building trust in the community, and using an appropriate amount of force.” (Diaz and Nuno, 2021) Recruiters could work on making women aware and not intimidated by physical expectations for the role and emphasizing their strengths that make them a viable recruit like report writing, and citizen relations.
Diaz, V. M., & Nuño, L. E. (2021). Women and Policing: An Assessment of Factors Related to the Likelihood of Pursuing a Career as a Police Officer. Police Quarterly. https://doi.org/10.1177/10986111211009048
By Morgan Garrett, Meredith College
A interesting recent study published in The Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice examined the challenges of developing researcher-practitioner collaborations within small-to-medium sized police departments. In “Building Bridges Between Researchers and Police Practitioners in Small and Midsize Law Enforcement Agencies in the United States,” Iwama et al. (2021) identify the unique challenges police departments face in creating working relationships with researchers. Some of these challenges include studies in larger cities not applying to smaller and midsize cities, not having the same level of attention as larger cities, and lack of resources and funding.
The most important challenge researchers face is gaining the trust of the departments; finding community leaders they want to work with; and creating partnerships. Consistent communication and transparency amongst all partners are key to a successful working relationship. By including law enforcement officers and community members in the research and having their opinions heard, they feel that they are part of the research to enact change instead of being researched. Another key aspect of this partnership is having a local champion who is not only a part of the community, but also has ties to law enforcement. The local champion will understand both the law enforcement and community side of the partnership because they have experience and the trust of both sides which will aid in bridging the gap between partners.
This current study, which drew from survey research, found that the “critical integrated pedagogy” is the best model to form and maintain a working researcher and police practitioner relationship. This model encourages understanding each partners’ perspective, sharing knowledge, and increasing exposure of the partners to each other. Researchers recommend that increased resources be invested in supporting research partnerships in small-to-medium sized police departments.