Journal of Experimental Criminology最新文献

Background

We sought to determine whether various ion scanner devices could provide a practical alternative in field-based research, where affordable and accessible drug screening is needed for comprehensive and ongoing investigation.

Methods

In Study 1, off-site sample analysis proved inconclusive, rendering Protocols A and B impractical for ongoing drug screening. Conversely, Study 2’s on-site, real-time analysis (Protocol C) emerged as a more effective method. The Itemizer3, particularly in Protocol C, excelled in discerning drug users. Comparing admitted drug use rates in both studies, the mere presence of an objective measure, confirmational or not, likely facilitated more truthful participant responses, highlighting the efficacy of real-time, on-site drug screening using IMS/ITMS technologies.

Findings

All samples analyzed off-site in Study 1 were found to be inconclusive. As such, Protocols A and B were not feasible for on-going drug screening and monitoring. Conversely, the results of Study 2 Protocol C demonstrated that harvesting samples directly off participants on-site and analyzing these in-real time to be a more efficacious method. Our findings in Protocol C also show that the Itemizer3 was better at identifying those who did not use drugs from those who did. Looking at the incidence rates of admitted drug use in Studies 1 and 2, we find that simply having an objective measure present (irrespective of whether it is confirmational or not) likely resulted in us obtaining more truthful responses from participants about their use of drugs.

Conclusions

Our results underscore IMS/ITMS practicality for on-site NED drug screening.

Objective

This Research Note describes the MAXLab Aggression and Bystander Intervention Scenario Set (MAXLab_ABISS) and provides empirical examples of its applicability. We describe the scenarios, elaborate on the production process, provide technical specifications, and explain how materials can be obtained.

Method

This modular stimulus set, which is currently available in the English, German and Dutch language, includes 360° videos for studying decision-making in interpersonal violence. It offers researchers a complimentary method to collect data on emotions, perceptions, and reactions to violent situations using immersive technology.

Results

Analysis from two samples (n = 101 and n = 55) show the immersive scenarios of the stimulus set are effective at evoking targeted emotional experiences at the moment of a crime decision.

Conclusion

MAXLab_ABISS is a safe and effective tool for studying decision making in real-life, emotion-laden criminogenic settings. We offer insights for how researchers can further use the materials to study decision making related to crime and violence.

Objectives

This study examines the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) to reduce the time police officers spend writing reports, a task that consumes a significant portion of their workday.

Methods

In a pre-registered randomized controlled trial, we test this claim within the patrol division of a medium-sized police department (n = 85) at the individual report level (n = 755). Analyses utilize mixed-effects regression accounting for the nested structure of report-writing.

Results

AI assistance did not significantly affect the duration of writing police reports. Alternative specifications beyond those specified in the pre-registration, including a difference-in-differences approach observing report duration over a full year (n = 6084), confirm the null findings are robust.

Conclusions

Our findings contradict marketing expectations for the effect of this technology, suggesting no time savings in report-writing can be expected when using AI-assisted report-writing. Several other potential effects remain possible and untested.

Objectives

This study aims to identify effective strategies for disseminating scholarly evidence to corrections practitioners within the framework of translational criminology.

Methods

In this experimental study, corrections practitioners were randomly assigned to receive weekly executive summaries, full-text articles, or corrections news for five months. Data were collected through a pre-survey, a 2-month midpoint survey, and a post-survey to evaluate engagement and knowledge uptake.

Results

Participants receiving executive summaries showed the highest engagement but did not demonstrate enhanced comprehension compared to those receiving corrections news, who exhibited higher comprehension. Those accessing full-text articles reported the least comprehension and lower engagement, despite finding the information highly useful.

Conclusions

Given the mixed effectiveness of executive summaries and full-text articles, future research should develop tailored dissemination strategies to better meet the needs of corrections practitioners. The study highlights the critical roles of partnerships and pracademics in translating complex research for practical application.

The purpose of this response essay is to commend the authors of the article, “Evaluating the effectiveness of a fatigue training intervention for the Seattle Police Department” for calling attention to the issue of fatigue and addressing its negative impact on health and safety. We highlight the demanding role of police officers and how fatigue can have significant consequences. We also discuss how the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) is committed to calling attention to the importance of sufficient sleep, and review how effectively the online training course tackled the issue. The positive results from the online training program align well with the AASM’s priority of addressing and improving sleep health. The AASM finds the published trial to be groundbreaking work and agree that its cost-effective, low-burden strategy for combating fatigue can be a potential model for significantly improving sleep, mental health, and safe driving in police officers.

In “Cause, Effect, and the Structure of the Social World” (2023), Megan Stevenson makes a claim that randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have not had a significant effect in criminal justice settings. She then draws the conclusion that the gold standard for research designs, RCTs, are inherently incapable of doing so, demonstrating that the social world they intervene on is too complex, but also too resilient, to respond to the types of interventions that are evaluable by RCT. She calls the insistence that RCTs can work an “engineer’s” view of the world, which she discards as a myth. The argument then conflates RCTs with other methods of generating and sustaining change in organizations and systems, and closes suggesting RCTs should be discarded for less rigorous but more sweeping means of social reform. This article proceeds as follows: It characterizes Stevenson’s argument, which she asserts is empirical, as a de facto meta-analysis of criminal justice RCTs executed as a heuristic and presented in a narrative format. It argues that if a formal meta-analysis would be rendered invalid by violating established protocols, then a heuristic analysis that commits the same errors would be invalid as well. The analysis then presents the prohibitions on pooling studies with heterogeneous designs, interventions, outcomes, and metrics for the purpose of meta-analysis. It demonstrates that Stevenson pools a wide range of heterogenous studies, rendering her empirical meta-analytic claims problematic. It is true that many criminal justice RCTs have produced null or lackluster results—which also constitute an important outcome—and attempts to replicate significant findings have often been unsuccessful. This is not unique to criminal justice: psychology was recently in crisis when it was determined few of its most prominent studies could be replicated. However, less rigorous methods of reform do not solve this problem. Instead, more comprehensive research designs such as hybrid implementation/effectiveness trials can reveal aspects of our social world that impact external validity and generalizability. Findings from these studies can help illuminate the conditions that impact outcomes and sustainably modify highly resilient human behaviors. These methods arise from techniques in medicine and public health, which Stevenson brackets off as fundamentally different from criminal justice. This type of thinking may be the actual myth that prevents progress.

Objective

Calls for more transparent and replicable scientific practices have been increasing across scientific disciplines over the last decade, often referred to as the open science movement. Open science practices are arguably particularly important in fields like criminology and criminal justice where empirical findings aim to inform public policy and legal practice. Despite favorable views of these practices by criminal justice scholars, limited research has explored how often researchers actually use these open science practices.

Method

The current study measures the reported use of pre-registration, open access, open materials, open data, and open code in leading criminology and criminal justice journals from 2018 to 2022.

Results

Our results reveal limited use of open science practices, particularly pre-registration and open code.

Conclusions

Given these findings, we call for both journals and authors to consider adopting these practices to move toward a more transparent and replicable field.

Objectives

Estimate the impact of October 7^th on fear, antagonism, and harassment towards Jewish members of universities.

Methods

The study is based on a survey experiment conducted with 201 Jewish individuals at universities in Northern America and Europe. Respondents were asked about their exposure to hate, and about their comfort level conducting several activities. However, we randomly manipulated whether each respondent was asked about the weeks before October 7^th, the weeks thereafter, or about recent weeks. Because of random assignment, estimates are conservative and are less sensitive to bias.

Results

We found high levels of hate prior to October 7^th, which were exacerbated significantly afterwards. Most respondents no longer feel comfortable expressing their culture or conducting several daily activities.

Conclusions

Respondents are being harmed for their identity and because of a conflict which is outside of their control. They also believe their host institutions have been ineffective in addressing their safety concerns.

Objective

Recent reports suggest that thefts of vehicles and thefts from vehicles have increased significantly over the last several years. Some police agencies have turned to mobile surveillance watchtowers to address this problem. This study examines the effectiveness of these mobile watchtowers at reducing vehicle-related thefts in Arlington, Texas.

Methods

An interrupted time series analysis is used to determine whether the use of mobile watchtowers reduces the frequency of vehicle-related thefts.

Results

The watchtowers are associated with a small, but significant, decrease in vehicle-related thefts. However, this effect appears to decay over time.

Conclusion

Mobile watchtowers may be a viable method for addressing vehicle-related thefts.

Background

Alternative responses to behavioral health emergencies are increasingly common interventions to address the overrepresentation of people with mental illness in the criminal legal and health systems. We compared costs associated with receiving a crisis response from police-as-usual versus a police-mental health co-response team that occurred as part of a randomized controlled trial.

Methods

Eligible 911 calls-for-service were randomized to receive a police-as-usual or a co-response. Next, we record-linked randomized events to emergency medical services, jail, outpatient services, and emergency department data to assess outcomes. We calculated per-person costs of service utilization following the randomized event from a public-sector perspective.

Results

Our analysis revealed no cost-savings from the co-response. Persons who received a co-response team response had greater 12-month post-randomized incident costs associated with outpatient behavioral health encounters and emergency department visits.

Conclusions

Rigorous evaluations and cost analyses are important for determining whether alternative police response interventions achieve community goals.