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Violence Prevention: An Invitation to Intersectoral Action
"Many individuals and organizations across the world have already taken this step. They have realized that the keys to achieving short-term violence reductions lie in interventions that successfully reduce immediate causes such as alcohol misuse, carrying of guns and knives in public, and retaliatory violence. They have also realized that more sustained long-term reductions require interventions that reach down to the root causes of violence within society, communities, and families. Fundamental to this realization is an acknowledgment of the need for all agencies involved to work together more effectively. Accustomed to working within our own areas, the idea of collaboration and information sharing on a permanent basis can seem unfamiliar. But, as long as this mindset persists, we will never make significant progress in reducing violence. Success requires meaningful alliances founded on positive and specific agreed outcomes -- such as decreased rates of homicide and of non-fatal injury and emergency room visits due to violence in the urban and rural communities across our countries."
National Criminal Justice Reference Service (U.S.)
Carnochan, John; Butchart, Alexander; Feucht, Thom
2010-09
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Risks of Violence in Major Daily Activities: United States, 2003-2005
"This dissertation quantifies the risk of violence for different activities and types of place. Using data from the National Crime Victimization Survey and American Time Use Survey, activity- and place-specific rates of violence are calculated to determine (a) which activity or type of place is the most dangerous, (b) the relative risk of activities and types of place, and (c) how activity- and place-specific risks vary between demographic subgroups. Time-based rates are used to account for the reality that Americans do not spend equal amounts of time in activities and types of place. The activity-specific analysis showed sleeping was the safest activity in America; going to and from school was the most dangerous. [...] The place-specific analysis indicated home was the safest place to be while the street was the most dangerous; the risk of violence on the street was 51 times higher than it was at home. When rates of violence were calculated for demographic subgroups of the American population, the race and sex of individuals were found to have little effect on the risk of violence. Age was the only demographic variable included in the analysis that had substantial impact on the risk of victimization in different activities and types of place. These findings indicate crime prevention strategies cannot neglect the role lifestyles play in an individual's risk of victimization. [...] This research indicates it is what people do, not who they are, that determines their risk of violence. Additionally, this research shows risk assessments that do not account for the transient nature of Americans in time and space can produce misleading information as to which activities and types of place are the most dangerous."
National Criminal Justice Reference Service (U.S.)
Lemieux, Andrew Michael
2010-11
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National Drug Control Strategy: Strengthening Communities' Response to Drugs and Crime
"The 1995 Strategy comes at a time of enormous change and new challenges for our country. Societies around the globe are shifting from the Industrial Age to the Information Age--from the Cold War with its global division to a world united in economic cooperation and hope for the future. This is a time of new beginnings and of great hope, but also a time of tremendous uncertainty. During this period, we must make sure that we remain the strongest country in the world and its most profound force for peace and freedom. Our greatest challenge, however, will be to keep the American dream alive for all our citizens. These challenges give the 1995 Strategy new and added importance. We cannot keep the American dream alive for working families if our youth are turning to illegal drug use, or if the violence spawned by drug use and trafficking continues unabated. We cannot compete in the new world economy and foster economic cooperation among nations while international drug trafficking is rampant. We cannot enter the new millennium as the strongest country in the world unless we continue to lead the way against illegal drugs and the terror they bring--both here at home and abroad."
National Criminal Justice Reference Service (U.S.)
1995
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Role of Social Networks in the Evolution of Al Qaeda-Inspired Violent Extremism in the United States, 1990-2015
From the executive summary: "This report analyses the networks and organizations that mobilize and direct Americans for jihadist action, or that raise money in the US for Hamas and Hezbollah. The study employs a quasi-experimental method using a control-case design, comparing the network structures of American terrorism offenders inspired by Hezbollah with those of Sunni extremist groups aligned with Al Qaeda, and in recent years ISIL [Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant."
National Criminal Justice Reference Service (U.S.)
Klausen, Jytte
2016-11
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Live Fast, Die Young: Anticipated Early Death and Adolescent Violence and Gang Involvement
"Strategies employed by criminal justice agencies to reduce offending often focus on deterrence, with policies relying on the threat of punishment to discourage individuals from crime. However, such strategies will fail if individuals do not fear these consequences, or when potential rewards of offending outweigh the risks. According to life history theory, adolescents with a dangerous or unpredictable childhood environment discount the future and engage in risky behaviors because they have little to lose. Many adolescents embody this 'live fast, die young' mentality, particularly those already at risk of delinquency due to other factors. The scientific literature refers to this mindset as fatalism, future discounting, or anticipated early death (AED). Despite the indication that AED is a crucial correlate of delinquent activity, only recently have criminologists begun to directly examine the relationship. To address this gap in the literature, this dissertation analyzes two longitudinal datasets. One dataset, the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health), offers a nationally representative sample, while the Rochester Youth Development Study (RYDS) provides a sample of at-risk youth in Rochester, New York. Structural equation modeling quantifies adolescent AED in each dataset. [...] I study the effects of the latent AED measures on adolescent violence and gang activity, finding that higher levels of AED correspond to a greater likelihood of violence and gang activity, with the relationships often mediated by low self-control. [...] Findings lend support to life history theory's assumption that AED predicts risk-taking behavior; I find little evidence that violence or gang activity cause AED."
National Criminal Justice Reference Service (U.S.)
Carlock, Arna L.
2016
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A Behavioral Study of the Radicalization Trajectories of American 'Homegrown' Al Qaeda-Inspired Terrorist Offenders
"The purpose [of this study] is to develop a new approach to the assessment of individuals who are suspected of posing a risk to public safety or attempting to engage in criminal behaviors in support of terrorism at home or abroad. Our research provides compelling evidence that individuals who are in the process of becoming dangerously radicalized will exhibit overt and detectable behaviors that are somewhat predictable. [...] Evidence was drawn from the biographies of convicted American homegrown terrorism offenders motivated by the Salafi-jihadist belief system. The process view of radicalization may be applicable to other types of violent extremism, but the research does not support the argument for an ideology-blind assessment policy. [...] Becoming a jihadist terrorist is a life-style choice that is associated with overt behavioral changes. These behavioral signifiers are generally but not always apparent to bystanders, family or friends. Acculturation to extremist and violent action involves a process of identity formation. How long this takes varies greatly, but the American homegrown offenders in the study displayed regular patterns of overt behaviors that signified their newfound religiously-inspired extremist political beliefs and that pointed to progressive radicalization. Most offenders in the study exhibited signs of progressing through all four phases of radicalization elaborated by the process model in a fairly predictable trajectory of radicalization. [...] Nevertheless, none of the behavioral indicators we examined was found in every biography. The finding underscores what other researchers have found: there is no uniform profile of jihadist terrorists."
National Criminal Justice Reference Service (U.S.)
Klausen, Jytte
2016-08
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Experiences of Youth in the Sex Trade in Las Vegas
Taken from the NCJRS Abstract: "The aim of the larger multi-site study of youth in the sex trade is to provide an empirical foundation that will inform relevant professionals and advocates on the extent and nature of the needs of youth involved in the sex trade in the United States. This Las Vegas study involved in-depth interviews with 169 youth or young adults ages 24 or younger who reported involvement in the sex trade in Las Vegas. This was a two-wave 3-year study. Of those interviewed, 37 percent were male; 60 percent were female; and 3 percent were transgender. Sixteen percent were 17 years old or younger; 58 percent of the sample were African-Americans, 22 percent White, 6 percent Hispanic, and the remainder were either "other" or of mixed race/ethnicity. Five percent of female respondents and 3 percent of male respondents reported having been arrested for prostitution in the past year. Eighty-four percent of respondents entered the sex market before age 18, and another 12 percent entered it between ages 18 and 21. The most common mode of entrance into prostitution was through persuasion by a customer; others entered the market because they needed survival money, had friends or family members involved in sex work, needed money to support a drug habit, or were approached by a pimp or other market facilitator. Respondents experienced many disadvantages and obstacles in pursuing a more normative lifestyle, including health care, mental health treatment, substance abuse treatment, education, and job training."
National Criminal Justice Reference Service (U.S.)
Wagner, Brooke M.; Whitmer, Jennifer M.; Spivak, Andrew L.
2016-06
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Experiences of Youth in the Sex Trade in North Texas: Shattered Lives
Taken from the NCJRS [National Criminal Justice Reference Service] Abstract: "The aim of the multi-site study of youth in the sex trade is to provide an empirical foundation that will inform relevant professionals and advocates on the extent and nature of the needs of youth involved in the sex trade in the United States. The Dallas study included face-to-face interviews with 78 youth, ages 13-24 who engaged in sex for money. Those interviewed engaged in prostitution as a result of their life circumstances; many transgender and gay youth experienced personal or familial conflict stemming from their sexuality and/or gender identity, which then drove the youth to more extreme engagement in homosexual or transgender lifestyles out of desperation. The struggle of the youth, and often their customers, to accept an unconventional gender identity or sexuality bolsters the argument that greater access to mental health support is needed for individuals with unconventional gender identities, as well as their families. The belief that prostitution is a temporary solution to an immediate problem was prevalent, but moving on to more normative lifestyles is made difficult by mental health issues and the lack of education or job training. This report recommends that social service agencies focus on these needs of youth involved in the sex trade; however, low self-esteem due to parental rejection and society's negative views of their sexual behavior and sexual orientation have undermined their willingness to seek help from social agencies perceived as staffed by personnel with attitudes representative of normative society."
National Criminal Justice Reference Service (U.S.)
Martin, Marcus; Champeau, Heather; Ullrich, Susan . . .
2016-06
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Experiences of Youth in the Sex Trade in Atlantic City
Taken from the NCJRS Abstract: "The aim of the multi-site study of youth in the sex trade is to provide an empirical foundation that will inform relevant professionals and advocates on the extent and nature of the needs of youth involved in the sex trade in the United States. Although the Atlantic City research did not produce the statistically representative sample necessary to provide strong demographic conclusions or scientific comparisons, the authors believe that the extensive ethnographic presence, connections, and collaborative key informants in the city with a small resident population and an even smaller street-level sex market makes the survey closer to a complete census than most methods. These findings suggest that the typical minor or adolescent involved in Atlantic City's sex trade is White, uses drugs regularly, is a runaway from a highly problematic family situation, has experienced rape or other sexual abuse at some time in his/her life, and is vulnerable to street-based violence. Sex market facilitators are typically adults, who derive significant income from the sexual labor of shifting groups of market-involved adolescents. One of the most notable unexpected findings was the relative invisibility of street sex markets. Perhaps this was due to the large number of police in Atlantic City; however, a more probable explanation is the sex market's use of the internet, which is typical of what is occurring in sex markets elsewhere. Options for a change into mainstream living are limited for these youth; their skills and education levels limit them to minimum wage legitimate jobs, and options for schooling and specialized job training involve a combination of parental permission and support that is not an option."
National Criminal Justice Reference Service (U.S.)
Marcus, Anthony; Riggs, Robert; Rivera, Sarah . . .
2016-06
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Experiences of Youth in the Sex Trade in Chicago: Issues in Youth Poverty and Homelessness
Taken from the NCJRS Abstract: "The aim of the multi-site study of youth in the sex trade is to provide an empirical foundation that will inform relevant professionals and advocates on the extent and nature of the needs of youth involved in the sex trade in the United States. The current report features the opinions and experiences of 202 youth ages 13-24 who self-defined as having traded sex for money or other needs in Chicago. Interviews were conducted over a period from 2011 to 2013. Findings are derived from qualitative interviews and observations that focused on these youths' experiences with needs and services from three areas of the city (Southside, Westside, and Northside). According to the youth interviewed, the only aspect of the sex trade they liked was the money. Most envisioned having their own homes and being wealthy in 10 years. Most mentioned getting a legitimate job, going back to school, finding housing, and finding supportive people as the most likely way to have a satisfying future. The authors advise that some of these youth need job training, life skills development, leadership guidance, and critical education about social injustice. Others need health care and housing. All wish to be helped as individuals on a case-by-case basis in an atmosphere of respect for their autonomy and preferences. The researchers note that children kept indoors under the control of adults or for sale in secrecy did not volunteer to participate in this research, and those who participated had no knowledge of such practices."
National Criminal Justice Reference Service (U.S.)
Schaffner, Laurie; Buhr, Grant; Lewis, Deana . . .
2016-06
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Electronic Harassment: Concept Map and Definition
Taken from the NCJRS [National Criminal Justice Reference Service] Abstract: "Online electronic forms used by bullies to harass targeted victims include e-mail, blogs, social networking websites, online games, forums, instant messaging, Skype, text messaging, and mobile phone pictures. Bullying perpetrated through these online media have come to be known as "cyber bullying." Based on the findings of this study, the following definition of "cyber bullying" is proposed: "Bullying behaviors which take place online or using technology, which can include verbal or relational bullying or threats of physical harm. Cyberbullying includes similar tactics as other bullying behaviors as well as unique approaches such as viral repetition or widespread sharing of messages;" however, an important finding from this study is the need to integrate cyberbullying as part of a shared, understood, and uniform definition of bullying as a whole. One notable study finding is the key areas of overlap between cyberbullying and traditional bullying, including the characteristics of individuals involved. Participants in this study described similar characteristics of both bullying perpetrators and their victims for both traditional bullying and cyberbullying. The Center for Disease Control's (CDC's) definition of bullying behaviors involves an actual or perceived power imbalance between bullies and their victims. In the current study, the fluidity in roles of perpetrators and victims does not appear to represent a shift in the actual power of the individual, but could represent power derived from the tool used to commit bullying. The stakeholders involved in this study - including educators, legal experts, health professionals, and teens - perceived that significant and similar negative consequences result from both cyberbullying and traditional bullying."
National Criminal Justice Reference Service (U.S.)
Moreno, Megan Andreas
2016-06
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Experiences of Youth in the Sex Trade in the Bay Area
Taken from the NCJRS [National Criminal Justice Reference Service] Abstract: "The aim of the larger multi-site study of youth in the sex trade is to provide an empirical foundation that will inform relevant professionals and advocates on the extent and nature of the needs of youth involved in the sex trade in the United States. Using a dual sampling and recruitment strategy developed for hidden and stigmatized populations, this study interviewed 136 youth 13-24 years old who had at some time traded sex for money or other resources. These youth entered the sex trade under a variety of influences, including coercion, persuasion, friendship, or family, but the primary motivation for persistent prostitution is to make money in amounts that are inaccessible or difficult for these youth to obtain by other means. Many of the respondents had attempted to end their involvement in the sex trade. Some were drawn back to the market because of its quick access to money or other resources. Their attempts to leave the market suggest that they want a change in their lifestyles. Future research should examine these efforts in terms of their timing and reasons for failure. One component of an intervention should be strengthening the safety net for these youth by providing safe shelters, food, and other material resources. For those youth who are attempting to leave prostitution, intervention should include a consistent, graduated organizational or institutional commitment over a multi-year period that includes resources for developing job-related skills in the legal market."
National Criminal Justice Reference Service (U.S.)
Jones, Nikki; Gamson, Joshua; Amato, Brianne . . .
2016-06
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Experiences of Youth in the Sex Trade in Miami
Taken from the NCJRS Abstract: "The aim of the larger multi-site study of youth in the sex trade is to provide an empirical foundation that will inform relevant professionals and advocates on the extent and nature of the needs of youth involved in the sex trade in the United States. The Miami study consisted of interviews with 264 youth and young adults ages 13-24 who reported involvement in Miami's sex trade. Many of these youth entered the sex market because of desperate financial circumstances combined with limited skills and education that hindered them from obtaining other than minimum-wage employment. In some cases, support for their drug addiction increased a financial need met by the sex trade. Although some of the youth were controlled and exploited by persons who took a percentage of their earnings, a majority were independent actors who voluntarily entered the market, initiated contacts with customers, and set their own prices. Overall, however, these youth are living hazardous, oppressed, and insecure lives. They face health risks, intimate interactions with potentially dangerous and infected customers, loss of physical appeal necessary to attract well-paying customers, conflicts with police, mental and physical health issues, and increasingly limited socioeconomic options as they age. Their need for money and a limited ability to obtain it keep them in prostitution, although they have hope for a better future."
National Criminal Justice Reference Service (U.S.)
Maurrasse, David J.; Jones, Cynthia C.
2016-06
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Biological and Psychosocial Effects of Peer Victimization: Lessons for Bullying Prevention, Summary Overview
Taken from the NCJRS Abstract: "The Board on Children, Youth, and Families, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, in conjunction with the Committee on Law and Justice, convened a committee of experts to conduct a consensus study that produced a comprehensive report on the state of the science on the biological and psychosocial consequences of peer victimization behavior and consequences, as well as the risk and protective factors that either increase or decrease peer victimization behavior and consequences for victims. The committee and project staff produced a final report entitled, 'Preventing Bullying Through Science, Policy, and Practice.' [...] This summary of the report features seven recommendations for making progress in monitoring, preventing, and intervening in bullying. A number of the recommendations are directed to agencies that participate in the Federal Partners in Bullying Prevention, an interagency group. Several of the committee's recommendations have implications for criminal justice policy and practice in the United States. The committee also concluded that additional research is needed in evaluating the effectiveness of anti-bullying laws and policies."
National Criminal Justice Reference Service (U.S.)
Le Menestrel, Suzanne
2016-06
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Impact of Mobile Broadband Data Access on Police Operations: An Exploratory Case Study of One Medium-Sized Municipal Police Department, Final Report
From the executive summary: "The present study has three primary objectives. First, this study seeks to explore the impact of dedicated mobile broadband technology on the operations of a medium-sized municipal police department in the northeast United States - Brookline, Massachusetts Police Department. As will be discussed, there is a lack of scientifically informed and independent knowledge with respect to how a large-bandwidth wireless capability may influence law enforcement's daily operations. Specifically, this capability may improve the police operations of information sharing, reduce time spent on administrative tasks, and improve police response time to calls for service, and the clearance of such calls. Second, this study seeks to provide guidance for implementation and practice within the field. As the movement towards law enforcement wireless networks gains momentum, the persons tasked with implementing this capability and developing policies to guide its use will be faced with challenges in an arena where little is known. This study seeks to inform their journey through best practices and evidence-based outcomes. Third, this study seeks to establish an empirical foundation for mobile broadband and large bandwidth digital communications research."
National Criminal Justice Reference Service (U.S.)
Carter, Jeremy; Grommon, Eric; Frantz, Fred
2016-09
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Scale Modeling in Fire Reconstruction
"Scale modeling can allow fire investigators to replicate specific fire dynamics at a dramatically reduced cost. A gas burner, liquid pool, wood crib, and polyurethane foam block are used to represent the wide range of fuels that investigators encounter. These fuels are classified into two groups: the burner and liquid pool that reach a semi-immediate steady state (static fires) and the crib and foam that have a fire spread and growth period (dynamic fires). This research examines the proposed scaling method for the static fires. The enclosure consists of a large corridor that provides an interesting challenge due to the presence of partitions at the ceiling. The design fires and the model enclosure are designed based on Froude scaling derived from conservation equations. The eight various sized fires demonstrate acceptable scaling results in the prediction of flame height and temperature at various elevations in the enclosure."
National Criminal Justice Reference Service (U.S.)
Quintiere, James G.; Carey, Allison C.; Reeves, Lenwood . . .
2017-06
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Evaluation of San José 's Mayor's Gang Prevention Task Force
"Since 2011, the City of San José's Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services (PRNS) has partnered with Resource Development Associates (RDA) and Dr. Jeffrey Butts from John Jay College of Criminal Justice to conduct an evaluation of the Mayor's Gang Prevention Task Force (MGPTF). Since its inception, the MGPTF has gained widespread acclaim. In 2008, the National League of Cities and National Center on Crime and Delinquency recognized the initiative as a promising approach. In 2010, the National Forum on Youth Violence Prevention invited the City of San José to join as one of six cities in the nation working with federal agencies to share promising strategies and identify opportunities for federal agencies to enhance support local efforts. Despite this acclaim, there has not been a comprehensive, rigorous evaluation of the Task Force to shed light on the factors that have made it successful over time, nor to examine its impact on the community. This evaluation responds to that need by examining (1) the evolution and implementation of the MGPTF over 20 years and (2) the associations between MGPTF activities and youth outcomes and gang violence over 20 years."
National Criminal Justice Reference Service (U.S.)
2017-02
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Gunshot Residue in a Non-Firearm Detainee Population
"The scope of this project was expanded to examine the prospects of Direct Analysis in Real Time-Time of Flight (DART-TOF) mass spectrometry for the analysis of organic gunshot residues. Standard SEM [Scanning Electron Microscopy] stubs were used to ascertain the association between organic and inorganic residues. Initial attempts at observing pertinent analytes in unexploded powders proved to be successful, in that ethyl centralite was detected in pulverized powder samples. Samples collected from firearms examiners immediately after test firing weapons, and samples collected from the antechamber of the shooting tank provided no data that could be construed as a residue from the detonation of gunpowder. All of the samples were found to be positive for inorganic GSR [Gunshot Residue]."
National Criminal Justice Reference Service (U.S.)
Davis, William M.
2017-01
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Bath Salt-type Aminoketone Designer Drugs: Analytical and Synthetic Studies on Substituted Cathinones
"This project involves basic chemical sciences and focuses on forensic drug chemistry. This research project did not involve human subjects and no laboratory animals were used in this work. The project has explored issues of analytical specificity in forensic drug analysis involving synthetic designer drugs related to cathinone. Cathinone is a natural product found in the leaves of Catha edulis Forsk, the Khat plant, discovered in Yemen in the eighteenth century. Cathinone's stimulatory effects have been known for centuries, mostly prevalent in Middle Eastern countries ranging from Southern Africa to the Arabian Peninsula. Synthetic cathinones, the active component in 'bath salts,' have surfaced as a popular alternative to other illicit drugs of abuse, such as cocaine, MDMA (ecstasy), and methamphetamine, due to their potent psychostimulant and empathogenic effects."
National Criminal Justice Reference Service (U.S.)
Clark, Randall
2016-07
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Protecting Children Online: Using Research-Based Algorithms to Prioritize Law Enforcement Internet Investigations, Technical Report
"There is increasing public and professional concern about Internet sexual offending, as reflected in increasing law enforcement cases and clinical referrals. While all instances of Internet offending against minors require intervention, the number of cases and the overarching goal of protecting children require law enforcement to prioritize cases. This project used data from 20 Internet Crimes Against Children task forces across the United States -- offender characteristics, crime characteristics, and online behavior -- to develop empirically-based recommendations to assist law enforcement in prioritizing: (1) cases involving production of child pornography over possession/distribution; (2) cases involving online luring for the purpose of meeting the minor to commit sexual offenses, over luring restricted to online behavior such as sexual chat or exchanging pornographic images; and (3) cases involving offenders who have committed contact sexual offenses against children over cases involving offenders with no known history. The research builds on a previous OJJDP-funded [Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention] project by increasing the number of task forces and thereby sample size in order to develop practical recommendations, and adding a new component -- a geographical analysis of cases -- that will assist decision makers in the allocation of training and resources across the United States in order to combat online sexual exploitation and abuse of children."
National Criminal Justice Reference Service (U.S.)
Dwyer, R. Gregg; Seto, Michael C.; DeHart, Dana . . .
2016-08
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Human Trafficking Organizations and Facilitators: A Detailed Profile and Interviews with Convicted Traffickers in the United States
"On January 1, 2012, Abt Associates began a study of individuals and organizations involved in perpetrating human trafficking. The project, supported by a grant from the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), was designed to advance knowledge of human trafficking operations and facilitation, and the motivations and decision-making processes of individual offenders. In addition to these substantive pursuits, the study explored the utility of data and records maintained by the United States Sentencing Commission (USSC) that are seldom used for research in the public realm, and are potentially valuable for studying individual offenders and criminal enterprises."
National Criminal Justice Reference Service (U.S.)
Shively, Michael; Smith, Kamala; Jalbert, Sarah . . .
2016-03-31
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Smokeless Powder Reference Collection and SWGFEX Smokeless Powders Database Expansion
"In 1998, the National Research Council (NRC) issued a report 'Black and Smokeless Powders: Technologies for Finding Bombs and the Bomb Makers'. The NRC report recommended that a comprehensive national powder database be developed, containing information about the physical characteristics and chemical composition of commercially available black and smokeless powders. An agency-independent effort to develop a smokeless powders database did not emerge until 2009, when the National Center for Forensic Science (NCFS) in collaboration with the Scientific Working Group for Fire and Explosions (SWGFEX) began work on an internet-accessible database of analytical information on smokeless powders. The database opened in early 2011 with 100 entries of legacy powders, provided by Mr. Ronald Kelly (FBI-retired). Under this research grant: (1) records for an additional 600 powders were entered into the database, (2) 100 new powders were analyzed and their records entered into the database, (3) reference collections of the 100 smokeless powders were provided, free of charge, to 50 forensic laboratories that conduct smokeless powder exams and, (4) the data corresponding to the legacy and new records were utilized in research to establish evidentiary and investigative value associated with matching records returned from a search of the Smokeless Powders Database."
National Criminal Justice Reference Service (U.S.)
Sigman, Michael E.; Williams, Mary; Dennis, Dana-Marie K.
2017-07
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Interaction and Impacts of State DNA Database Laws, Final Summary Overview
"Despite the widespread use of criminal offender DNA databases by the law enforcement community, relatively little is known about their real-world effects on criminal behavior. The purpose of DNA databases is to quickly and accurately match crime scene evidence with known offenders. They aim to reduce crime by increasing the probability of punishment, conditional on offending. They also exhibit large returns to scale. For these reasons, DNA databases are likely to be far more cost-effective than traditional law enforcement tools. Indeed, previous research has shown that DNA databases have large crime-reducing effects at the state level (Doleac, 2015). However, because DNA database expansions are - like most crime policies - legislated at the state level, the resulting policies may not be efficient from a national perspective. Each state will weigh its own costs and benefits when making policy decisions, without regard for their effects on other states. But state DNA databases do not exist in a vacuum: they could have effects on criminal behavior elsewhere. The federal government can improve the national efficiency of state-level policies by inducing states to consider the costs and benefits to their neighbors - i.e., to internalize the externalities. [...] Which of these externalities dominates in the DNA database context is an empirical question. The goal of this project is to answer that question. This report summarizes the main findings."
National Criminal Justice Reference Service (U.S.)
Doleac, Jennifer L.
2017-02
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Police Integrity Lost: A Study of Law Enforcement Officers Arrested
"There are no comprehensive statistics available on problems with police integrity, and no
government entity collects data on all criminal arrests of law enforcement officers in the United
States. Police crimes are those crimes committed by sworn law enforcement officers with the
general powers of arrest. These crimes can occur while the officer is either on- or off-duty and
include offenses committed by officers employed by state and local law enforcement agencies.
This study provides a wealth of data on a phenomena that relates directly to police integrity-
data that previously did not exist in any useable format.
The first goal of the study is to determine the nature and extent of police crime in the
United States. The objective for this goal is to determine the incidence and prevalence of
officers arrested. A second goal is to determine what factors influence how an agency responds
to arrests of its officers. Objectives for this goal are to determine whether certain factors
influence agency response and employment outcomes: (a) severity of crimes for which officers
are arrested; (b) level of urbanization for each employing agency; (c) geographic location for
each employing agency; (d) length of service and age of arrested officers; and, (e) criminal case
outcomes. A final goal is to foster police integrity by exploring whether officer arrests correlate
with other forms of police misconduct. Objectives for this goal are to determine whether
arrested officers were also named as a civil defendant in any 42 U.S.C. §1983 federal court
actions during their careers, and to inform practitioners and policymakers of strategies that will
better identify problem officers and those at risk for engaging in police crime and its correlates."
National Criminal Justice Reference Service (U.S.)
Stinson, Philip Matthew; Liederbach, John; Lab, Steven P. . . .
2016-01
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Chasing the Electronic Cigarette Dragon: Characterizing the Evolution and Impact of Design and Content
From the Statement of Problem: "Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes or e-cigs), known as 'personal vaporizers' (PV) by avid users or electronic nicotine delivery devices (ENDS) by industry, have experienced a significant increase in popularity for those seeking an alternative to smoking traditional tobacco products. These products are comprised of a battery-powered atomizer and a cartridge filled with a pharmaceutical (nicotine), flavorants, and water dissolved in glycerol products. [...] The industry has evolved quickly in the last 2 years to produce devices that facilitate aerosolization of 'dry' non-glycerol-based formulations - items such as plant materials, crystalline formulations, and powders. As e-cig devices and the associated pharmaceutical products evolve, it is imperative to track their development and know how they are being promulgated. It is critical to understand how their use contributes to issues related to criminal justice and public safety concerns such as the distribution of illicit substances, toxicological episodes, and postmortem investigations."
National Criminal Justice Reference Service (U.S.)
Peace, Michelle; Turner, Joseph; Poklis, Justin L.
2019-05
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Decision Making in Sexual Assault Cases: Replication Research on Sexual Violence Case Attrition in the U.S.
From the Abstract: "We report findings from a multi-site study of sexual violence case attrition in the U.S. -- a replication and extension of work conducted by researchers in Los Angeles. The attrition of sexual assault cases from the criminal justice system has been a concern to victims, practitioners and researchers for the last forty years. Some of the barriers come from police discouraging victims from filing a report while other problems result from prosecutors reluctant to prosecute cases. A growing body of research suggests that there is still much that can be done to support victims and to assure that the role of extra-legal factors in case attrition is minimized. [...] Our research is a multi-site replication designed to consider individual, locale, and community characteristics; victim advocacy; and police and prosecutorial responses. [...] In six jurisdictions we tracked reports of rape and attempted rape cases and documented the flow of reports through each stage; analyzing detailed case records to understand the dynamics including victim, offender and case characteristics associated with attrition; and conducting interviews and focus groups with key personnel: police, prosecutors and victim service providers."
National Criminal Justice Reference Service (U.S.)
Pattavina, April; Williams, Linda M.; Morabito, Melissa S.
2019-02
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Changing Boundaries of Law Enforcement: State and Local Law Enforcement, Illegal Immigration and Transnational Crime Control, Final Report
"This study began as an examination of the role of state and local law enforcement in transnational law enforcement with special attention to the matter of illegal immigration. It grew to include the larger historical and comparative framework needed to understand the complexity of the problem. Illegal immigration is intricately linked to legal immigration. The police can not respond to the one independently of how they respond to the other. Moreover, the problems of ;law and order that illegal immigration represent for the local police today are not simply a matter of catching people who are in the country illegally. Indeed. in the United States that part of the problem has been largely removed from the direct responsibility of the local police and defined as the responsibility of the federal immigration police, the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) and its special unit, the Border Patrol. This division of labor, however, is of comparatively recent origin; is the reverse of what it once was: is legally open to change at the option of the local police; and is a point of contention in the larger national debate over immigration policy."
National Criminal Justice Reference Service (U.S.)
McDonald, William F. (William Frank), 1943-
1999
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Multi-Method Study of Special Weapons and Tactics Teams
"Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) teams,1 first appeared in American policing in the later half of the 1960s when a series of high-profile incidents -- such as Charles Whitman's murderous sniping from a tower on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin that claimed over a dozen lives -- showed that a single violent episode could easily outstrip the capacity of 'standard' law enforcement tactics, weapons, and officers to respond effectively. Innovative police officials thus developed SWAT teams to provide their agencies with the means to handle such extra-ordinarily dangerous incidents (see, e.g., Hudson, 1997; Kolman, 1982). In the years since the first teams came on line, SWAT units have grown in number, sophistication, and frequency of operations, so that today the vast majority of the police agencies serving populations over 50,000 have some sort of tactical team, and yearly SWAT deployments nationwide number in the tens of thousands (e.g., Kraska and Kappeler, 1997). Despite the crucial role they currently play in dealing with the high-risk incidents that are commonplace in contemporary policing, we know very little about how SWAT teams around the nation are organized, and even less about what they do and how they do it. The primary reason for this is that very little research on tactical teams and operations has been conducted. A second is that the small body of research literature that has been produced is quite limited in scope. In 1998 the National Institute of Justice funded a study designed to help develop a better picture of the role that SWAT plays in contemporary American law enforcement. This study included four distinct data collection components. The first was a nationwide survey of law enforcement agencies with 50 or more sworn officers (N=2,027) that sought information about their emergency response capabilities and structures (henceforth referred to as the SWAT Operations Survey, or SOS). The second aspect of the study was the collection of standardized after-action reports from SWAT teams that agreed to provide information about select aspects of incidents they handled (henceforth referred to as the Post Critical Incident Report, or PCIR). The third element of the research was a series of site visits to several police departments during which the PI observed their SWAT teams. Finally, both the PI and the second author of this report conducted intensive observation of SWAT teams in areas near where they resided, accompanying these teams during training and field deployment at critical incidents."
National Criminal Justice Reference Service (U.S.)
Rojek, Jeff; Klinger, David A.
2008-08
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Managing Citizen Calls to the Police: An Assessment of Non-Emergency Call Systems
This document concludes that a "split-force" approach to handling non-emergency calls could be trialed in conjunction with the implementation of a 3-1-1 non-emergency call taking system. The document recommends utilizing 3-1-1 systems to implement dual 9-1-1/3-1-1 call handling systems. Calls made to the 9-1-1 system should be treated differently to calls placed to the 3-1-1 system. Only the most obvious emergencies that are placed to the 3-1-1 call system should be dispatched. The document suggests that 3-1-1 calls be diverted to patrol units that do not receive dispatched calls and are thus free to handle 3-1-1 calls using a problem- oriented policing approach.
National Criminal Justice Reference Service (U.S.)
Mazerolle, Lorraine Green; Rogan, Dennis P.; Famega, Christine
2001-10
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Final Activities Report for the National Communications Interoperability Assessment Project
From January 2001 through February 2002 The John Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (JHU/API.) conducted the National Communications Interoperability Assessment (NCIA) study under the auspices of the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) Advanced Generation Interoperability for Law Enforcement (AGILE) Program. The objective of the NCIA study was to evaluate the operational utility of a cross-band repeater technology in enabling wireless voice communications for public safety agencies. The focus of NCIA was the Multiple Agency Radio Interoperability Program (MARIP) TRP-1600 Transportable Intelligent Interconnect System, commonly referred to as the MARIP TRP-1000. The Office of Domestic Preparedness (ODP) provided MARIP TRP-1000 units to public safety agencies nationwide, 23 of which participated in the NCIA study.
National Criminal Justice Reference Service (U.S.)
Arnold, Ann G.
2002
