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This study extends our knowledge about the rehabilitation of criminal organization offenders by focusing on their community outcomes upon release, and identifying the risk factors related to reoffending for 332 organized crime offenders released from federal penitentiaries in Canada prior to March 31, 2009. Of that group, 12.7% were readmitted to prison, which was about one half the percentage of a matched group of nonorganized crime offenders. These results are especially relevant given that most of these offenders were affiliated with traditional organized crime groups, such as the Mafia or outlaw motorcycle gangs, and, as such, are likely to be admitted to prison with well entrenched criminogenic beliefs and negative peer associations. These findings provide empirical evidence that these offenders do have the potential for successful community reentry. Implications for the development of correctional programs are discussed. (Contains 5 tables and 2 notes.)

A comparison of the characteristics of 337 Canadian adult female gang offenders with a matched sample of women offenders showed that they were more likely to have been sentenced for violent offenses, had a greater number of prior youth and criminal convictions, and served prior terms of incarceration. Gang members were also assessed as having higher overall needs and risks, lower levels of motivation for change, and a higher risk of recidivism. An important first step in developing rehabilitative programs to respond to their needs is to better understand these attributes. Gang management strategies should also be informed by what the research tells us about these gang members. (Contains 6 notes and 4 tables.)

Several highly publicized incidents have drawn the public's attention to the problem of rural crime in Canada, and this focus is appropriate given that rates of rural crime in most provinces are higher than in urban areas. This study reports the results of an examination of urban and rural residents' perceptions of the police in Saskatchewan, Canada. Controlling for their socio-demographic characteristics, prior victimization, perceptions of crime, and contact with the police, the results of 1,791 phone surveys reveal that rural residents are less likely than their urban counterparts to indicate their police do a good job of enforcing the laws, promptly responding to calls for service, providing them with crime prevention information, ensuring their safety, or cooperating with them to address their concerns. We also found that both urban and rural residents who felt their communities were unsafe or neutral (neither safe nor unsafe) were less likely to indicate the police did a good job in all the seven categories of police performance examined in this research. Implications for rural policing practice and research are identified considering these findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationship between crime and the rapid growth and industrialization associated with resource‐based booms in large boomtowns is well‐documented. This study focuses on changes in police‐reported crime and perceptions of crime and disorder in a region experiencing a mini‐boom after the boom subsides. Analyses of survey results of 1,336 respondents living in oil‐impacted and non‐impacted communities in southeastern Saskatchewan reveal several noteworthy differences between these two groups. Inconsistent with prior research, respondents in the oil‐impacted region were less fearful of being victimized than their counterparts in non‐impacted communities and did not believe that a lack of law enforcement was a problem. Our analyses also revealed that the economic downturn after oil prices and production plunged was associated with significant decreases in rates of reported crime, crime severity, and traffic collisions. Implications for establishing a more comprehensive theory of the boom‐crime relationship and future research are discussed. Key Messages: Respondents reported that oil extraction was good for their community and they believed their communities could manage the boom.Respondents in oil‐impacted communities generally had equivalent or more favourable perceptions of police effectiveness than residents of non‐impacted communities.Respondents in the oil‐impacted jurisdictions expressed less fear of crime than those from the non‐impacted communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid economic and population growth resulting from resource development presents a number of challenges for rural police services, including responding to higher levels of disorder and serious crime. The cycles of anticipation, development, plateau—and sometimes bust and recovery—in boomtowns have long been recognized, but seldom have the claims of increased crime and disorder been empirically examined. This study analysed the deployment of the police in the Canadian city of Fort McMurray, Alberta, from 1986 to 2009. During this era rates of crime per law enforcement officer were three times the national average while the ratio of police to city residents was less than the national average for nearly two decades, which is similar to a lag in protective services that has been reported in other jurisdictions experiencing booms. Implications for rural development and policing are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This cross-sectional study examined the relationships between indicators of law enforcement spending, police strength, and minority threat in California in 2004. Controlling for economic conditions, crime, and indicators of social disruption we find that counties with higher populations of American Indians, Asians, or blacks and non-English speakers employ a greater number of sworn officers, or have increased spending on law enforcement. Further, this study also revealed that counties with less 'white flight' were likely to have a greater number of sworn officers. Implications for the study of formal social control, conflict theories, and policing are outlined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the use of punishment becomes increasingly important as imprisonment rates in many nations have fluctuated irrespective of crime rates. Controlling for violent crime, inequality modernization, and economic stress, this research examined three diverse hypotheses about the sources of imprisonment in a sample of 100 nations. Consistent with expectations, nations that retained use of the death penalty had a greater use of imprisonment. More surprising was the finding of a clear and consistent relationship between imprisonment and countries with common law legal systems, as well as newly independent nation-states. Finally, this study reveals a significant — although inconsistent — association between population heterogeneity and imprisonment. While punishment research has often focused upon the relationships between economic variables and imprisonment, these findings suggest that theories of formal social control will remain incomplete until the roles of political, cultural, and structural conditions are fully understood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]