Beginning with the passage of The Jacob Wetterling Crimes Against Children and Sexually Violent Offender Registration Act in 1994 and Megan's Law in 1996, the federal government and states have passed numerous pieces of legislation to control and restrict those convicted of sex offenses. This study surveyed the attitudes of undergraduate students…

Although a sizable number of studies have gathered information from college students regarding their varying degrees of support for capital punishment, few have explored the underlying rationales behind these students' death penalty support or opposition. In addition, although criminal justice majors have frequently been used as study…

The prediction of dangerousness and the insanity defense are two areas where psychologists provide research-based expertise to the courts. Teachers of psychology can use these topics to capture the attention of students and to show how psychological research and theory can inform and influence the legal system. Specifically, teachers can use the…

Research in legal decision making has demonstrated the tendency to blame the victim and exonerate the perpetrator of sexual assault. This study examined the hypothesis of a special leniency bias in rape cases by comparing them to cases of robbery. N = 288 participants received descriptions of rape and robbery of a female victim by a male…

This article presents a commentary on "Making the Most of Information-Gathering Interviews With Children," in which, according to Jones, Larsson and Lamb provided a helpful overview on memory retrieval and communicative ability and on ways these may be fostered in interviews with children. They explored three interview protocols that have been…

Elizabeth Scott and Laurence Steinberg explore the dramatic changes in the law's conception of young offenders between the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twenty-first. At the dawn of the juvenile court era, they note, most youths were tried and punished as if they were adults. Early juvenile court reformers argued strongly…

This article analyzes the civil commitment models for treating sexually violent predators (SVPs) and analyzes recent civil commitment laws. SVPs are commonly defined as sex offenders who are particularly predatory and repetitive in their sexually violent behavior. Data from policy literature, a survey to all states, and a review of law review…

Emphasis on winning, instead of sportsmanship, and a surge in spectator demand for brute force are factors used to explain why sports are becoming increasingly violent. Legal questions are identified related to sports violence that have emerged from criminal and civil court cases. (SR)

Parents have the right to their children, but their children have a right to live. The Criminal Code should be amended to oblige parents to prove their innocence. If the Crown can establish that the child was beaten when only parents were present, parents should prove they were not responsible. (Author)

Argues that the perception of increasing youth violence is based on fiction rather than fact. Provides the facts involved in the juvenile justice policy focusing on the differences between juvenile and adult violence, youth violence trends, population trends, and three legal policy issues toward adolescent violence. Offers juvenile crime…

According to research that examined how U.S. cities responded to criminal activity, the growth of crime is the result of changes in American life-style. Not so, says the author. Crime is due to a lack of respect for laws and the belief that there is no penalty for breaking laws. (RM)

Using a quota sampling procedure, 514 Indiana citizens were asked about specific circumstances surrounding capital punishment and about their support for various goals of sentencing. Results suggest that although general favorability toward capital punishment is quite high, such a result is misleading with only nine percent supporting it under all…

Data from an observational study of police behavior are used to test the thesis that arrest is less likely for spousal violence. Findings indicate that although officers are unlikely to arrest in spousal assault cases, they are equally unlikely to arrest in other types of violence. (JBJ)

Investigates whether the victim-offender relationship plays a role in determining the original charge, crime conviction, and sentence length of inmates in prison for violent crimes. Results indicate the victim-offender relationship is related to the legal processing in paradoxical ways. Thus, although nonstranger offenders are charged with and…

Examines issues posed by cases involving murder of children by children, including the Bulger case in England and the Redergard case in Norway, which, though not typical, articulate how changes in notions of childhood mesh with change in major social institutions. Addresses concerns about pursuit of justice for children and analyzes relationships…