In this article we examine how students' accounts of the discipline of sociology change over the course of their undergraduate degrees. Based on a phenomenographic analysis of 86 interviews with 32 sociology and criminology students over the course of their undergraduate degrees, we constituted five different ways of accounting for sociology.…

This article will expand upon the techniques of Criminologist, D. Kim Rossmo, and Social Psychologist, David Canter for determining a serial criminal's base of operations. The basic framework for our investigation is that of Rossmo, but uses a different criterion for analysing the relationship of points within the hunting area defined by the crime…

The US has one of the most inequitably funded school systems and the largest prison population in the industrialized world. These two factors help to construct what is known as the school to prison pipeline. The past 30 years has included punitive policies within schools and the criminal justice system that have resulted in a disproportionate…

This article examines youth transitions and youth offending in tandem. It argues that the transition to adulthood is heavily implicated in the fact that most offending occurs in the youth phase. Drawing on a study of 20 male and 20 female persistent young offenders in Scotland, it explores young people's desire for integration with others in the…

The present study examines the utilization of a class project involving the Jack the Ripper murders. Students enrolled in a criminal investigations class were required to investigate the five canonical murders associated with the infamous serial killer known as Jack the Ripper and the murders that occurred in London during 1888. This paper…

This article presents an approach to systematic reviews that combines the Campbell Collaboration Crime and Justice standards and the realist notion of contexts-mechanisms-outcomes (CMO) configurations. Both approaches have their advantages and drawbacks, and the authors will make a case for combining both approaches to profit from their advantages…

Researchers usually explain individual offending in terms of background factors like low self-control and association with delinquent peers. Such factors reflect the routine or typical aspects of the individual's life over an extended period of time and they influence the individual's predisposition for crime. Researchers also sometimes explain…

Background: Various lines of research point to the overrepresentation of individuals with intellectual disability (ID) in the criminal justice system. Studies have also shown that individuals with ID are vulnerable to mental health problems. To date there have been no Canadian studies of individuals with an ID in the criminal justice system.…

A multidisciplinary undergraduate course in correctional psychology is described, noteworthy features of which include field work experiences in criminal justice agencies, discussions with criminal justice personnel from a variety of disciplines and professions, and in-class role-playing exercises, as well as more traditional coursework. (Author)

This research examines the individual-level and contextual correlates of punitive attitudes in the United States. Prior research suggests that the demographic composition and economic conditions of geographic areas influence public support for punitive policies. Yet, these findings rest on assumptions about individual perceptions of minority…

This exploratory study of 42 cases with sexual abuse allegations and polygraph results found that polygraph findings were unrelated to other evidence of likelihood of sexual abuse, including the child's statements, medical evidence, psychological symptoms, or indicators of sexual abuse. When alleged offenders passed polygraphs, criminal…

A careful look at several pervasive notions about crime proves them to be without base. Our best evidence suggests that crime rates fluctuate somewhat, but remain essentially stable over time. The United States is the most punitive of all free nations. Furthermore, crime is evenly distributed among the socioeconomic groups. (Author)

This study considers some aspects of "prisonization," or the process by which inmates adapt to confinement. Specifically, it further examines two ideas suggested by earlier studies. One is the belief that the structural characteristics of many prisons promote rather than inhibit assimilation into an inmate normative system that is opposed to the…

This article examines the effects of racial change in adjoining community areas on local delinquency rates. Evidence is presented that external contingencies have a significant effect on local rates of delinquency. (Author/JDH)

To determine the effects of military service on subsequent criminal behavior, especially violent crimes, this study compared veteran and non-veteran felons incarcerated at the Texas Department of Corrections. Available programed data on inmates born since 1930 were supplemented by interview and questionnaire data on 200 veterans concerning…