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Juveniles contribute to crime in natural resource-based boom communities, but there has been very little research examining the extent of their involvement. To respond to this gap in the literature, two indicators of youth arrests and court referrals in North Dakota—the state hardest hit by the 2000s oil boom—were examined. Although arrest rates for North Dakota youth were more than two times higher than the national average in 2019, almost three-quarters of them were for minor offenses. In addition, arrest and court referral rates in oil-producing counties were lower than those for non oil-producing counties. When controlling for demographic and economic factors, and county-specific fixed effects in panel analyses from 2011 to 2019, oil production is negatively associated with youth arrest rates, but positively associated with juvenile court referrals. However, oil-producing counties had very strong county-specific fixed effects which on average raised youth arrest and court referral rates. Arrest rates were also positively associated with unemployment rates while median household income was negatively associated with Group B offenses and juvenile court referrals. Implications for future research into the boom-crime relationship are discussed in light of these findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comparative analyses enable researchers to identify individual- and structural-level factors that influence the operations of the justice system that might not be evident when examining these indicators in a single nation. In this study, the factors associated with the public's self-reported trust in thepolice were examined in 105 nations. We analysed the contributions of three theoretical propositions: social integration, democratic performance, and self-reported perceptions of crime. With respect to the structural factors, the public expressed the most trust in the police in nations with a greater adherence to the rule of law and a higher per capita gross domestic product. Citizens in countries perceived to be more corrupt were also less likely to believe their police were trustworthy. Inconsistent with expectations, individual-level factors, such as perceptions about crime, risks of being victimised, and prior histories of victimisation also exerted an influence on the public's perceptions of trust.. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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.)

Offenders sentenced to terms of life imprisonment pose special challenges for correctional systems. The Correctional Service of Canada collaborated with nongovernmental agencies to develop programmatic interventions to better prepare this population to survive their prison sentences and transition to the community. This study describes the characteristics of the Canadian lifer population and illustrates how the LifeLine program, first introduced in 1991, has contributed to low rates of recidivism using National Parole Board statistics from 1994 to 2009. The fact that so many life-imprisoned offenders make a successful transition to the community suggests that not only is this program effective, but that the risk to public safety has been carefully managed. Implications for the management of this growing population of offenders are discussed. (Contains 3 tables and 4 notes.)