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)

This report of the Congressional Committee on the Judiciary, comments favorably on the bill H.R. 3351, an amendment to the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968. H.R. 3351 is intended to assist the States and local governments in developing alternatives to traditional modes of probation and incarceration for certain young offenders.…

This review of the empirical literature reveals that violence is vastly over predicted, regardless of who is doing the predicting or how the predictions are made-yet much current social policy in the areas of mental health and criminal justice assumes that psychologists and psychiatrists can accurately predict who will be physically violent.…

The accelerating growth of restitution as an institutionalized program in juvenile courts throughout the country is documented. According to studies, the number of formal restitution programs has increased from approximately 15 in 1977 to more than 400 in 1989. Program components include financial restitution, community service, victim-offender…

It was hypothesized that adjudged severity of rape depends on sexual/social history of the victim, even when non-consent is established. Ss (N=650) recommended sentences for rapists for five types of victim when victim testimony was corroborated vs. non-corroborated. "Victim" effect was significant, "corroboration" effect was not. Sex differences…

Traditionally, rape has been defined as "carnal knowledge of a woman by force and against her will." The test of force has been crucial, and consent deduced. Victims were assumed to be consenting parties unless criminal circumstances could be proved. Victims were oftened questioned about past sexual behavior. Current reform efforts have attempted…

This thesaurus contains listings of descriptors or terms used to index the literature in the National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS) documentation data base and to store and retrieve information about the literature for users of the service. Term selection is based largely on the vocabulary of the authors of the documents entering the…

The purpose of this paper was to increase awareness of some of the ways that we, as individuals and as a society, are encouraging the crime of rape. The paper examines our ideals about sexuality, appropriate sexual roles for women and men, the relationship between sex and aggression and how these contribute to rape. Laws, court procedures and…

An overview of addiction and crime is presented. Crimes of violence and sex crimes are contrasted with non-violent criminal behavior when drug-connected. It is suggested that alternative methods of dealing with drug abuse and criminal behavior be explored, and that several previously discarded methods be re-examined. (Author)

This book reviews the history of academic criminal justice--the studying and teaching of crime, police, law and legal processes, and corrections--from 1870 to the present. The nine chapters have the following titles: (1) "Introduction: Academic Politics and Professionalism, 1870-1930"; (2) "Progressivism and Police Education,…

Forensic science provides scientific and foundational information for investigators and courts, and thus plays a crucial role in the criminal justice system. This guide was developed through the work of the Technical Working Group on Education and Training in Forensic Science (TWGED) to serve as a reference on best education and training practices…

The Attorney General's Task Force on Violent Crime recommends more incarceration to combat rising crime. These recommendations will negatively affect Blacks, who suffer from a criminal justice system designed to treat them unfairly. Approaches to the crime problem should begin by addressing the social causes of rising crime. (Author/MJL)

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…