Miguel Basto-Pereira , Darrick Jolliffe , David P. Farrington
{"title":"The developmental sequences of events underlying persistence in criminal convictions during adulthood","authors":"Miguel Basto-Pereira , Darrick Jolliffe , David P. Farrington","doi":"10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2024.102351","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2024.102351","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The relationship between multiple vulnerabilities experienced and accumulated during development, and later life-course persistent offending trajectories is well-established. However, no studies have yet systematically examined how the sequences in which these vulnerabilities are experienced may influence the persistence of criminal behaviour into adulthood. Therefore, this work investigated how the sequences in which risk factors were experienced may contribute to accruing adult criminal convictions among males with justice involvement during adolescence. To this end, we employed the rich and detailed Cambridge Study in Delinquent Development, a longitudinal study that followed 411 boys from South London from age 8 to age 61. Using an innovative methodological approach, the sequences of risk factors experienced at ages 8–10, 12–14, and 16–18 were mapped and analysed as predictors of adult convictions. Childhood vulnerabilities such as parenting-related problems, low attainment, and risk-taking behaviour at ages 8–10 emerged as key starting points for the developmental sequences leading to adult convictions. At ages 12–14, hyperactivity and low IQ were identified as significant risk factors, followed by school failure and sexual promiscuity at ages 16–18. A very small number of prevalent sequences of risk factors appeared to promote the continuity of convictions from adolescence into adulthood. Our findings suggest that enhancing parenting strategies and fostering school success may prevent the cascade of risk factors promoting life-course persistent offending trajectories. At the transition to adulthood, the most common risk factors and crime-predictive sequences seem to undermine key opportunities for earlier crime desistance.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48272,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Criminal Justice","volume":"96 ","pages":"Article 102351"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143146303","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Patrick M. Markey, Samantha Goldman, Jennie Dapice, Sofia Saj, Saadet Ceynek, Tia Nicolas, Lila Trollip
{"title":"Artificial intelligence as a tool for detecting deception in 911 homicide calls","authors":"Patrick M. Markey, Samantha Goldman, Jennie Dapice, Sofia Saj, Saadet Ceynek, Tia Nicolas, Lila Trollip","doi":"10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2024.102337","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2024.102337","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This paper investigates the application of Artificial Intelligence (AI), specifically the use of a Large Language Model (ChatGPT), in analyzing 911 calls to identify deceptive reports of homicides. The study sampled an equal number of False Allegation Callers (FACs) and True Report Callers (TRCs), categorized through judicial outcomes. Calls were processed using ChatGPT, which assessed 86 behavioral cues from 142 callers. Using a random forest model with k-fold cross-validation and repeated sampling, the analysis achieved an accuracy rate of 70.68 %, with sensitivity and specificity rates at 71.44 % and 69.92 %, respectively. The study revealed distinct behavioral patterns that differentiate FACs and TRCs. AI characterized FACs as somewhat unhelpful and emotional, displaying behaviors such as awkwardness, unintelligibility, moodiness, uncertainty, making situations more complicated, expressing regret, and self-dramatizing. In contrast, AI identified TRCs as helpful and composed, marked by responsiveness, cooperativeness, a focus on relevant issues, consistency, plausibility in their messages, and candidness.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48272,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Criminal Justice","volume":"96 ","pages":"Article 102337"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143146299","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ziwan Zheng , Shuqi Huang , Yueqiao Ning , Yuanyuan Mao , Can Wang
{"title":"Will regular COVID-19 control measures impact the spatial distribution of two-wheeled vehicle theft?: A case study of NH city, China","authors":"Ziwan Zheng , Shuqi Huang , Yueqiao Ning , Yuanyuan Mao , Can Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2024.102345","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2024.102345","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted daily routines and crime dynamics. While a substantial body of research has examined the effects of pandemic-related restrictions on crime, the impact of regular COVID-19 control measures on the occurrence and spatial distribution of criminal incidents in areas unaffected by large-scale COVID-19 outbreaks remains unexplored. Focusing on NH city, China, the present study applies spatial point pattern test (SPPT) and multinomial logistic regression to investigate changes in the spatiotemporal patterns of two-wheeled vehicle thefts, including e-bikes, normal bikes, and motorcycles, as well as the environmental factors leading to these changes. <strong>The findings are as follows</strong>: (1) Two-wheeled vehicle thefts fall drastically at the onset of COVID-19 and then maintain at a low level with slight fluctuations throughout the period of restriction orders. Monthly speaking, the spatial patterns of two-wheeled vehicle theft show periodicity in both pre-pandemic and pandemic contexts. Furthermore, on the daily basis, the spatial patterns of two-wheeled vehicle theft align closely with commuting behaviors in both periods. (2) SPPT results indicate that a significant alteration in the spatial patterns of overall two-wheeled vehicle theft and e-bike theft during the pandemic. Although the entire study area witnesses a notable decrease in both types of thefts, certain spatial units experience a marked increase. (3) The present study further compares the spatial factors influencing two-wheeled vehicle thefts across the two periods. During the pandemic, areas with social organizations, government agencies, parks and squares witness a significant reduction in two-wheeled vehicle thefts, whereas areas with dense tutoring institutions and residential areas with a high density of male residents aged 20–49 experience a significant uptick in theft incidents. The present study provides insights into the impacts of regular COVID-19 control measures, an approach to social management, on the spatial patterns of crime. The findings may inform strategies for optimizing crime prevention efforts and the allocation of local police resources.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48272,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Criminal Justice","volume":"96 ","pages":"Article 102345"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143146301","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Invite only: The prevalence of subgroups within a police department","authors":"Sadaf Hashimi , Marie Ouellet","doi":"10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2024.102347","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2024.102347","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Purpose</h3><div>There has been growing interest from legislators and civil rights groups to identify subgroups within law enforcement agencies. Yet, few studies have examined the attributes and behaviors of officers recruited to join. This study adopts a network approach to understanding the scope and social position of officers invited to join departmental subgroups.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>We surveyed 1352 officers in one large department to examine the attributes, workplace behaviors, and networks of officers invited to join subgroups. Specifically, we used network analytic techniques to identify whether officers invited to join held more influential structural positions than their non-invited peers in the department.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Nine percent of officers were invited to join a subgroup. One-third received an invitation within the past year, and over half noted that these subgroups had an online presence. While results found no significant differences in the attributes and behaviors of invited and non-invited officers, officers invited to join were likely to be embedded in more cohesive friendship networks.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Regardless of their primary purpose, subgroup membership may pose operational and organizational challenges in police departments. Our study provides insight into the implications of entry and the role of peers in fostering these opportunities.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48272,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Criminal Justice","volume":"96 ","pages":"Article 102347"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143146706","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jessica Duncan , Emma C. Lathan , Jennifer Langhinrichsen-Rohling , James Tres Stefurak
{"title":"Rape by any other name… Comparing sexual assault cases labeled “suspicious circumstances” to those labeled sex crimes","authors":"Jessica Duncan , Emma C. Lathan , Jennifer Langhinrichsen-Rohling , James Tres Stefurak","doi":"10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2024.102324","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2024.102324","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In sexual assault cases, the presence of victim- and case-level factors that align with rape myth beliefs are thought to influence law enforcement perceptions of victim credibility, which in turn, can predict case progression. This study examined the case narratives and investigative outcomes of 200 randomly sampled cases attached to unsubmitted sexual assault kits (SAKs) to compare the frequency of factors found to negatively influence officers' perceptions of victim credibility in cases originally labeled “suspicious circumstances” versus sex crimes. SAKs were submitted for forensic testing, and outcomes were compared between groups. Compared to cases labeled sex crimes, “suspicious circumstances” case narratives were 1.5 times more likely to contain statements indicative of a negative view of the victim's credibility (Exp(B) = 1.490; 95 %CI = 1.267–1.752; <em>p</em> = .000) (i.e., the victim engaged in risky behavior, provided inconsistent statements, was unable to provide details in their report of the crime, and had a criminal record, a history of promiscuity, or low intellectual ability). Yet, case label was not predictive of receiving a forensic DNA match (Exp(B) = 1.017; 95 %CI = 0.753–1.374; <em>p</em> = .91). Findings support policy and procedure changes, including routinely testing all SAKs and eliminating the “suspicious circumstances” label, to prevent victim credibility biases from influencing sexual assault case decisions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48272,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Criminal Justice","volume":"96 ","pages":"Article 102324"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143146717","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The impact of Hurricane Harvey on crime in Houston, Texas: A partial test of routine activity theory at the neighborhood level","authors":"Jihong Solomon Zhao, Yan Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2024.102332","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2024.102332","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>To enhance the understanding of potential theoretical applications, this research examines the impact of Hurricane Harvey on crime in Houston, Texas. Utilizing crime data obtained from the Houston Police Department (HPD) and employing Difference-in-Difference (DID) for panel-data analysis, the study explores the influence of varying levels of housing damage caused by Hurricane Harvey on four categories of crime: theft, residential burglary, robbery, and aggravated assault across Houston's neighborhoods. The findings reveal distinct crime patterns associated with varying levels of housing damage caused by flooding. After Hurricane Harvey, the average rate of residential burglaries remained largely unchanged over two months, except in neighborhoods with major housing damage, where the average count increased by 0.92 incidents (a 49 % increase) per census tract. In contrast, other types of crime generally declined. For example, the average count of robberies per census tract decreased by 0.57 incidents (a 42 % decrease) in areas severely affected by flooding. These results highlight the applicability of Routine Activity Theory in studying the relationship between natural disasters and crime. The study also explores policy implications and acknowledges its limitations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48272,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Criminal Justice","volume":"96 ","pages":"Article 102332"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143146716","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A global comparison of long prison sentences","authors":"Lila Kazemian , Sebastián Galleguillos","doi":"10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2024.102341","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2024.102341","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>While it is widely known that American criminal justice policies are generally more punitive than those of peer industrialized nations, there is limited comparative research on the prevalence of long sentences (i.e., 10 or more years) across different countries. This study fills this gap by drawing on publicly available sentencing data from various U.S. states and countries across the globe. On average, U.S. prisoners convicted of homicide are sentenced to longer terms in prison compared to their counterparts in other countries. Despite having lower homicide rates, U.S. states generally incarcerate more people, and for longer periods of time, when compared with many Latin American countries. The average sentence length imposed in the U.S. is more aligned with the criminal justice policies of the Global South than with those of peer industrialized nations. Our analyses also draw attention to the importance of considering homicide rates in comparative analyses of punitiveness. We highlight the unique features of the U.S. system that may contribute to more punitive sentencing practices, such as the decentralized structure of the political and criminal legal systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48272,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Criminal Justice","volume":"96 ","pages":"Article 102341"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143146305","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Kelly M. Babchishin , Michael C. Seto , Niklas Långström
{"title":"Psychiatric and neurological morbidity predicts sexual offending: A nationwide, population-based, case-control study","authors":"Kelly M. Babchishin , Michael C. Seto , Niklas Långström","doi":"10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2025.102355","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2025.102355","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>We examined if psychiatric and neurological disorders and conditions predict sexual offending onset in a population-based, linked-registry nested case-control study of all males in Sweden suspected or convicted of a sexual (<em>N</em> = 48,951) or non-sexual violent offence (<em>N</em> = 358,653) from 1973 to 2013 and matched (1:5) to non-offending Swedish general population males (241,829 and 1,786,317, respectively). We included presence of any principal or comorbid psychiatric and neurological disorders and conditions diagnosed before offending onset as predictors: any psychiatric disorder, any severe psychiatric disorder (any affective, psychotic, or personality disorder), substance use-related disorder, any self-harm or suicide attempt, and any neurological disorder (concussion, epilepsy, or traumatic brain injury). Individual disorders and conditions were bivariately associated with offending (Odds Ratios [ORs] 2.00 to 2.42 for sexual; 2.09 to 2.39 for non-sexual violent offending). Affective disorder (adjusted OR [AOR] = 0.92), concussion (AOR = 1.43), and traumatic brain injury (AOR = 1.96) independently and significantly predicted sexual offending when adjusting for other disorders and conditions. Six variables independently and significantly predicted onset of <em>non-sexual violent offending</em>: affective disorder (AOR = 0.92), substance use-related (AOR = 1.07) disorder, self-harm or suicide attempts (AOR = 0.89), concussion (AOR = 1.51), epilepsy (AOR = 1.11), and traumatic brain injury (AOR = 1.97). Neurological and some psychiatric disorders and conditions predicted sexual and non-sexual offending onset, suggesting that effective interventions to manage these conditions may reduce sexual and non-sexual violent offending.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48272,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Criminal Justice","volume":"96 ","pages":"Article 102355"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143146307","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The structure of cooperation among organized crime groups: A network study of Merseyside, UK","authors":"Paolo Campana , Andrea Giovannetti","doi":"10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2024.102348","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2024.102348","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study reconstructs the cooperation network among 134 organized crime groups (OCGs) operating in an urban setting by leveraging a dataset of 5239 police crime reports (January 2015 to March 2018). While 63 % of groups cooperated with at least another group (median 2.8, maximum 9), cooperation remains subject to constraints, with a maximum of 3.3 % of all possible ties being established, and there is a strong tendency towards clusterization.</div><div>Moving to the determinants of such structure, the study finds that only one type of revenue-generating criminal activity has a <em>structuring</em> effect on the OCG landscape: drug trafficking. This sets drug trafficking apart from acquisitive crime. Results also suggest that OCGs decrease risk by collaborating with groups that also collaborate with a partner OCG. This holds when controlling for spatial proximity. This work also shows that more central groups in the cooperation network tend to use violence more often.</div><div>This study points to two main implications. Firstly, it highlights the importance of considering self-organized groups of offenders as entities in their own right when developing interventions; secondly, it stresses the importance of group-level relational mapping and associated mechanisms. Methodologically, it emphasizes the importance of criminal groups as a unit of analysis.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48272,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Criminal Justice","volume":"96 ","pages":"Article 102348"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143146709","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Allison R. Gilbert , Josie Caves Sivaraman , Reginald Lerebours , Michele M. Easter , Reah Siegel
{"title":"Law enforcement assisted diversion (LEAD) in North Carolina: A longitudinal analysis of criminal-legal outcomes","authors":"Allison R. Gilbert , Josie Caves Sivaraman , Reginald Lerebours , Michele M. Easter , Reah Siegel","doi":"10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2024.102323","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2024.102323","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":48272,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Criminal Justice","volume":"96 ","pages":"Article 102323"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143146722","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}