Criminology & Criminal Justice

The United States is releasing more individuals from prisons than ever before. However, returning citizens face numerous challenges transitioning back into community life and many communities remain ill-equipped in successfully supporting them. This study focuses on transportation as in integral component to the success of returning citizens.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a pervasive issue that is underreported to law enforcement. One reason why individuals do not report their victimization stems from a perceived lack of support from law enforcement officials. However, law enforcement perceptions of IPV are largely unknown as the empirical literature on this topic is both limited and dated. To fill this gap in the literature, we conduct an exploratory analysis of how officers perceive IPV events.

Negative impacts resulting from peer bullying victimization include psychological stress, emotional and academic maladjustment, decreased self-esteem, relational problems with peers, and may also lead to suicidal ideation and behavior. Therefore, efforts have been concentrated toward identifying characteristics of victims and perpetrators of bullying to allocate resources for preventive strategies. The current study adds to this ongoing research by using a nationally representative sample of adolescents to identify health-related correlates (obesity and negative emotions) of students vulnerable to peer bullying victimization, as well as exploring individual and school-related characteristics.

Prior research on crime hot spots has been mostly concerned with the analyses of cross-sectional data or short-term aggregations. Less research, however, has conducted longitudinal analyses on homicide hot spots and their dynamic behavior over time. The current study assessed 5 years of Chicago homicides (2016–2020) by police beats to explore how hot spots of homicides behave, with specific attention to durability.

Previous research has consistently identified a crime spillover effect from public housing communities. However, variation in spillover between communities has also been observed. Drawing upon environmental criminology and recent advancements in crime and place research, we examine whether street block betweenness conditions the relationship between street block distance to public housing communities and robbery levels.

The rate at which women experience incarceration has increased substantially over the last four decades. Justice-involved women are often the primary caretakers of children and suffer more often from mental health, substance use, and other issues at higher rates than justice-involved males. Previous research has noted the need for gender-responsive programming, but less research has explored women inmate perceptions of the programming within women correctional facilities. This qualitative study examined 545 incarcerated women across multiple institutions in a large Southern prison system. We asked incarcerated women about their perceptions of accessibility, needs, benefits, and problems in correctional programming.

Although prior research has examined the link between having an absent biological father and self-reported delinquency, few studies have assessed the influence of the timing of paternal absence (i.e., the child’s age when father leaves) on delinquency and adult criminal behavior. Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health), the present study examines this relationship to determine whether the timing of biological father absence impacts delinquency, adult criminal behavior, and arrest across the life course.

The pig-butchering scam, also known as Sha Zhu Pan (杀猪盘) in Chinese, is a distinctive form of online romance scam. It involves fraudulently enticing victims through fake online investment platforms and the use of romantic persuasion. While this crime is renowned for its innovative social engineering techniques, there is a lack of knowledge regarding the scammers' involvement in human trafficking, particularly their recruitment of vulnerable Chinese workers for illegal labor practices. Recognizing these overlapping identities, the current research aims to comprehensively understand the process of identity transformation experienced by these Chinese workers concerning their vulnerabilities and resilience. Using victim testimonial data from two prominent online sources, this study presents a four-stage model outlining the processes undergone by trafficked Chinese workers, leading to the development of a victim-offender identity.