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To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2010.04.047 Byline: John Winterdyk (a), Rick Ruddell (b) Abstract: Responses from a survey of gang management strategies were collected from U.S. prison systems holding 1.19million inmates. The results provided insight into the prevalence of gang members in prisons, gang structure, as well as the strategies used to manage the threat that these groups pose. Officials from most prison systems reported an increase in the proportion of security threat group (STG) members over the past five years and that these offenders were more disruptive and sophisticated than five years ago. Despite these challenges, there was no one clear strategy for the investigation or suppression of these groups, nor did most systems evaluate the effectiveness of their current gang management interventions. A lack of rehabilitative opportunities for gang members represents one shortcoming in the range of gang management strategies in most jurisdictions. The implications of these findings are addressed. Author Affiliation: (a) Department of Justice Studies, Mount Royal University, 4825 Mount Royal Gate S.W., Calgary, Alberta, Canada T3E 6K6 (b) Department of Criminal Justice, 467 Stratton Bldg., Eastern Kentucky University, Richmond, KY 40475, United States Article Note: (footnote) [star] This paper was accepted under the Editorship of Kent Joscelyn.

Historically, the appointment to warden or other senior-level post in a correctional system was the end result of several decades 'in the trenches.' By the time leaders took on their [...]

In the United States there were some 1,775 jails with one hundred beds or less, but there had been little empirical examination of these facilities, or the challenges that they confront. This survey of 213 jail administrators from these small facilities found that under-funding, overcrowding, and retention and recruitment of officers were the most significant challenges. By contrast, suicide and violence were perceived to be less serious problems. The small jails sampled also held relatively high percentages of special needs inmates, and this places further demands on these agencies. These challenges are very similar to problems identified several decades ago, suggesting that few structural or operational changes had been made in rural justice systems. In many places, rural jails acted as a default mechanism for failures in other social, health, or community systems and they become the place that 'just can't say no.'

Law enforcement agencies and institutions of higher education have confronted increasing numbers of violent and destructive campus riots and disturbances over the past decade. Problematic is the fact that these riots typically have no underlying cause, other than students' quest for excitement. Responding to gaps in the empirical literature about these events, this study used data from two waves of surveys to systematically examine those involved in a recurring problem event in a college town that was subject to a police crackdown. The analyses drew on survey responses from over eight hundred event participants in 2002 and 2003, and the results revealed that increased enforcement had a significant effect on crowd composition, including the gender and race of participants, repeat visitors, out-of-town participants, and perceptions about the subjects' overall experience. Implications for law enforcement and community strategies to decrease the size and destructiveness of such problem events are outlined.

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2004.12.004 Byline: Rick Ruddell (a), G. Larry Mays (b) Abstract: This study examined the relationship between state firearms homicides and background checks for firearms purchases. Controlling for economic and social conditions, the estimated number of firearms in circulation, offenders under community supervision, and violent crime it was found that states with less stringent background checks on firearms purchases were significantly associated with firearms homicides. The large number of firearms circulating within the United States makes it likely that a motivated -- but ineligible -- person could obtain a firearm over the long-term in the secondary firearms market. Effective state background checks, however, may temporarily frustrate an unauthorized person from obtaining a firearm that, in turn, may contribute to lower firearms homicide rates. Implications for further research are examined. Author Affiliation: (a) Department of Political Science, California State University, Chico, Chico, CA 95929-455, United States (b) Department of Criminal Justice, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM 88003, United States

This study examined the relationship between state firearms homicides and background checks for firearms purchases. Controlling for economic and social conditions, the estimated number of firearms in circulation, offenders under community supervision, and violent crime it was found that states with less stringent background checks on firearms purchases were significantly associated with firearms homicides. The large number of firearms circulating within the United States makes it likely that a motivated--but ineligible--person could obtain a firearm over the long-term the secondary firearms market. Effective state background checks, however, may temporarily frustrate an unauthorized person from obtaining a firearm that, in turn may contribute to lower firearms homicide rates. Implications for further research are examined.

Using the National Institute of Justice body armor threat-level scale, this study classified 1,055 firearms confiscated by police officers from juveniles in St. Louis, Missouri, from 1992 to 1999. The authors found that for this city, the lethal capacity of juveniles' firearms has remained relatively constant over time. Examination of the different types of firearms recovered also found that the sophistication of firearms used by juveniles did not increase throughout the 1990s. By disaggregating firearm types, the authors were able to demonstrate that the police are likely to confiscate relatively unsophisticated firearms from juveniles, such as Saturday night specials, .22 caliber and nonpowder weapons. In St. Louis, juveniles were very unlikely to have an assault weapon confiscated. More troubling, however, were the relatively high numbers of illegally sawed-off rifles and shotguns recovered from youths. Keywords: juvenile gun use; youth violence

Criminal convictions in Canada are routinely set aside through pardons after offenders have demonstrated a period of crime-free behavior. Sealing an offender's criminal record is a practice in Canada, which is a significant step in the reintegration of the individual into society, an official acknowledgement of society's forgiveness, and a study of pardons in Canada reveals that few offenders make applications for pardons, few applications are ever denied, and a very small percentage reoffend.