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The American South witnessed an increase in church burnings during the mid-1990s that was characterized by the national media as a function of resurgent racism. Despite the scope of attention and resources allocated to the burnings, no systematic empirical analysis of the phenomenon has been conducted. This study examines the relationship between hate group activism and the burning of black churches in South Carolina between 1990 and 2000. Logistic regression models indicated that, after controlling for structural properties, white supremacist demonstrations did not increase the likelihood of church burnings. The implications of these findings are situated in a social constructionist framework and discussed in the contexts of stakeholder interests and social justice.

Academic involvement in juvenile and criminal justice initiatives is largely limited to program design and evaluation. Typically, there is discontinuity of academic involvement over the life of a program and minimal, if any, participation in program delivery. This description of the Southern Region Violence and Substance Abuse Prevention Center illustrates a model for academic-led program delivery, an approach that enables greater realization into practice of theoretically derived and empirically sound delinquency prevention and reduction principles. The VSACprogrammatic orientation, which features youth as resources, is discussed relative to program mission and increased effectiveness attributable to scientific control.

(1997). ON THE DEMISE AND MORROW OF SUBCULTURE THEORIES OF CRIME AND DELINQUENCY. Journal of Crime and Justice: Vol. 20, No. 2, pp. 167-178.