Violence in America with Professor Byrne

Violence in America
44.327

TITLE DESCRIPTION

A Question of Evidence: A Critique of Risk Assessment Models Used in the Justice System.

Prologue: In 1972, I conducted my first “parole prediction”studies for the Illinois Department of Corrections. The purpose of these studies was simple—to identify groups of offenders with significantly different rates of recidivism. As others, including Burgess (1928) and Babst, Gottfredson, and Ballard (1968) had discovered,making clear distinctions between low, moderate, and high risk offenders is possible...

Term paper outline Make sure you are familiar with APA format before turning your outline in.

Reducing Gun Violence: Operation Ceasefire in Los Angeles Based on Boston's successful program, Operation Ceasefire in Los Angeles focused on an area of the city experiencing high rates of gun violence and homicide. Researchers joined with Federal, State, and local authorities and community groups to design an intervention targeting gangs involved in the violence. The intervention used intensive law enforcement ("sticks") to deter gun crime and offered prevention services ("carrots"). They also "retailed" the message that all gang members would be held accountable if any one of them engaged in violence. Results were mixed, partly because events precipitated the intervention before the services component was ready. This NIJ Research Report describes the program and how, despite implementation problems, government agencies, community groups, and researchers can form lasting partnerships to address violence.

How Goes the "War on Drugs"? For the past 15 years, the RAND Corporation’s Drug Policy Research Center (DPRC) has been analyzing trends in drug use and consequences in the United States and evaluating policies intended to respond to drug-related problems. This article is a recent summary of where we've been and where we stand now.

The Nature and Scope of the Problem of Sexual Abuse of Minors by Catholic Priests and Deacons in the United States In June 2002 the full body of Catholic bishops of the United States in their General Meeting in Dallas approved the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People. The Charter created a National Review Board, which was assigned responsibility to commission a descriptive study, with the full cooperation of the dioceses/eparchies, of the nature and scope of the problem of sexual abuse of minors by clergy. The National Review Board engaged the John Jay College of Criminal Justice of the City University of New York to conduct research, summarize the collected data and issue a summary report to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops of its findings.

Workplace Violence: Issues in Response The terrorist attacks that occurred in New York,Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania on September 11, 2001, were a tragic reminder to the Nation of the threat posed by international terrorism.With the exception of the attack on the Pentagon, the targets chosen by the terrorists were not military in nature, but were workplaces where thousands of people work every day to support their families and their country. Workplace violence was put in a new context that day. Prior to 9/11, this type of violence was viewed as perpetrated by disgruntled employees, customers, or a domestic violence/stalking relationship that surfaces at a workplace. Since that time, America’s workplaces have to be prepared not only to face the more traditional internal workplace threats, but now have to consider the external threat of terrorism.

The Final Report and Findings of the Safe School Initiative In June 1999, following the attack at Columbine High School, our two agencies--the U.S. Secret Service and the U.S. Department of Education--launched a collaborative effort to begin to answer these questions. The result was the Safe School Initiative, an extensive examination of 37 incidents of targeted school shootings and school attacks that have occurred in the United States beginning with the earliest identified incident in 1974 through June 2000. The focus of the Safe School Initiative was on examining the thinking, planning, and other behaviors engaged in by students who carried out school attacks. Particular attention was given to identifying pre-attack behaviors and communications that might be detectable--or "knowable"--and could help in preventing some future attacks.

Indicators of School Crime and Safety (2000) This is the third edition of Indicators of School Crime and Safety, a joint effort by the Bureau of Justice Statistics and the National Center for Education Statistics. The report provides detailed statistical information to inform the nation on the current nature of crime in schools, and is a companion document to the Annual Report on School Safety: 2000. The Annual Report is a joint publication of the Departments of Education and Justice that provides an overview of the nature and scope of school crime and describes actions schools and communities can take to address this critical issue. The two reports respond to a 1998 request by President Clinton for an annual report card on school violence.

E-Sites for Safe Schools Article is on p. 113 What works to prevent violence in schools? Where can you find information on the Internet? How can Educators use technology to create a positive school environment? We’re online searching for Web sites focused on school safety and violence prevention to alert you on what’s new and notable!

Chapter from Deadly Lessons May take a few minutes to load Reviewing the existing research on school rampages and related forms of violence was important to our panel's work for two reasons: first, to look for substantive findings about the causes of school shootings and, second, to consider whether theories or suggested analytic frameworks could help in understanding the panel's detailed case studies.

Assessing The Impact of Institutional Culture on Prison Violence and Disorder The National Institute of Corrections has embarked on an ambitious multistage, multimodal strategy to fundamentally change the "culture" of state and federal prisons in this country. In the following review, we examine the major problems facing state and federal prison administrators, and then provide an overview of NIC's response to the problem, which is grounded in the reform strategy used by advocates of problem-oriented policing to change police practices in this country (see, e.g. National Research Council, 2004). When applied to prisons, the problem-oriented perspective is based on the notion that we need to take proactive steps to address the underlying causes of negative prison culture, rather than continue to react to its consequences (e.g. violence, disorder, sexual assault). We conclude by reviewing the steps that need to be taken before NIC's culture change initiative can be fully implemented and its effects evaluated.

Examining the Impact of Institutional Culture (and Culture Change) on Prison Violence and Disorder: A Review of the Evidence on Both Causes and Solutions

Institutional culture is often cited as one of the primary causes of violence and disorder in prison (see, e.g. Bottoms, 1999 for a detailed review). However, there is actually little empirical research that specifically links negative (or positive) prison culture—however defined—to levels of prison violence and disorder. The authors provide a critical review of the research on this topic, and compare the adequacy of research on “culture” to the available research on other possible causes of prison violence and disorder, such as crowding, inadequate staffing, poorly designed classification systems, and ineffective management strategies (both staff and inmate-based). Based on this review, the authors identify and assess a number of possible solutions to the problem, including the National Institute of Corrections’ Institutional Culture Change Initiative, situational prison control strategies, and a variety of other approaches.

Sexual Assault of Young Children as Reported to Law Enforcement: Victim, Incident, and Offender Characteristics A publication by Howard Snyder of the National Center for Juvenile Justice. This is a statistical research report using data from the National-Incident Based Reporting System (NIBRS).

Professor Byrne's Assessment of Journal Quality A list of tier 1, tier 2, and tier 3 journal reviews and government research publications, to be used as references in research papers

Killer Cults A chapter from "Bad Men Do what Good Men Dream"

Reforming California's Juvenile Corrections System: An Evidence-Based Change Strategy A powerpoint presentation by Professor Byrne on using evidence-based practice and meta-analysis to assist in the reformation of California's Juvenile Corrections system

Research in School Shootings

Below are links to research and an overview of the VT massacre relating to school shootings

muschert_research_on_school_shootings.pdf: Research article that offers a typology, media dynamics, and causes (individual, community, social levels) of school shootings

appendix_L_school_shootings_in_us.pdf: A table of various school shootings in the United States 1966-2007

appendix_M_red_flags_warnings.pdf: Red flags and indicators that were present before the Virginia Tech Massacre

appendix_N_theoretical_profile.pdf: A forensic behavioral/threoretical profile of Seung Hui Cho, the shooter from the VT Massacre

Victims and Offenders: Myths and Realities of Prison Violence

Abstract: In order to distinguish prison myth from reality, the authors examine
both official and unofficial estimates of the violence and disorder in prison,

as well the dual issues of whether drug abuse and gang activity in prison can

be directly linked to the level of violence and disorder in correctional institutions.

Based on this review, current responses to prison violence and disorder

are examined; the authors argue that the key to reducing the current level of

prison violence and disorder is to determine the appropriate tipping point

between formal and informal social control mechanisms. The authors conclude

by highlighting three distinct strategies for reducing violent incidents in prisons:

(1) demand transparency, (2) require evidence-based practice, and (3)

implement innovative measures of prison performance and quality.

The Prevention of Childhood Sexual Abuse By David Finkelhor

Mass Shootings at VA Tech: Addendum to the Report of the Review Panel

Serious (Violent or Chronic)
Juvenile Offenders: A
Systematic Review of
Treatment Effectiveness in
Secure Corrections
By:
Vicente Garrido, Luz Anyela Morales
SERIOUS (VIOLENT OR CHRONIC) JUVENILE OFFENDERS:
A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF TREATMENT EFFECTIVENESS IN SECURE
CORRECTIONS

Sniper's imprint, faded, remains indelible
D.C. Sniper case

John Lee Malvo:

Smuggled Into This Country, A Transient Life in Shelters
Profile of the D.C. Sniper accomplice, John Lee Malvo, from the Washington Post.

John Allen Muhammad: A Failed Businessman And Frustrated Father
Profile of the D.C. Sniper, Muhammad, from the Washington Post.

Rap Sheet: Why is American history so murderous?
New Yorker article on history of murder in America.

Northern Illinois University Shooting Report

Texas Tough: An Interview with Robert Perkinson A Soros Justice Fellow talks about his new book on "Texas-style" incarceration, based on hard labor, corporal punishment, and racial debasement. Criminal justice, he argues, should be the civil rights arena of the 21st century.

Risks of Violence in Major Daily Activities: United States, 2003-2005 This dissertation quantifies the risk of violence for different activities and types of place.

Violence Prevention 2011 Report Violence Prevention 2011 Report

State of Recidivism The Pew Center on the States report on recidivism, April 2011.

Reinventing the Criminal Justice System YouTube video, Sentencing and Corrections Challenge: Reinventing the Criminal Justice System

Potential of Redemption in Criminal Background Checks Background checking is increasing in the United States. This is due to information technology and growing concern of employer liability. This may make it difficult for someone who made a youthful transgression and has since been a law-abiding citizen to gain employment.

Dead Men Waiting
James Fox

editorial on death row inmates.

Sandusky-Grand-Jury-Presentment PENN STATE COACH GRAND JURY PRESENTMENT

Studying Violence in Children Kathleen Heidi Criminology Professor at University of South Florida teaches students about violent youth

Graphics & Design by: Thomas Pimental & Michelle Christman
In Association with: CLASS Connections

TITLE	DESCRIPTION
A Question of Evidence: A Critique of Risk Assessment Models Used in the Justice System.	Prologue: In 1972, I conducted my first “parole prediction”studies for the Illinois Department of Corrections. The purpose of these studies was simple—to identify groups of offenders with significantly different rates of recidivism. As others, including Burgess (1928) and Babst, Gottfredson, and Ballard (1968) had discovered,making clear distinctions between low, moderate, and high risk offenders is possible...
Term paper outline	Make sure you are familiar with APA format before turning your outline in.
Reducing Gun Violence: Operation Ceasefire in Los Angeles	Based on Boston's successful program, Operation Ceasefire in Los Angeles focused on an area of the city experiencing high rates of gun violence and homicide. Researchers joined with Federal, State, and local authorities and community groups to design an intervention targeting gangs involved in the violence. The intervention used intensive law enforcement ("sticks") to deter gun crime and offered prevention services ("carrots"). They also "retailed" the message that all gang members would be held accountable if any one of them engaged in violence. Results were mixed, partly because events precipitated the intervention before the services component was ready. This NIJ Research Report describes the program and how, despite implementation problems, government agencies, community groups, and researchers can form lasting partnerships to address violence.
How Goes the "War on Drugs"?	For the past 15 years, the RAND Corporation’s Drug Policy Research Center (DPRC) has been analyzing trends in drug use and consequences in the United States and evaluating policies intended to respond to drug-related problems. This article is a recent summary of where we've been and where we stand now.
The Nature and Scope of the Problem of Sexual Abuse of Minors by Catholic Priests and Deacons in the United States	In June 2002 the full body of Catholic bishops of the United States in their General Meeting in Dallas approved the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People. The Charter created a National Review Board, which was assigned responsibility to commission a descriptive study, with the full cooperation of the dioceses/eparchies, of the nature and scope of the problem of sexual abuse of minors by clergy. The National Review Board engaged the John Jay College of Criminal Justice of the City University of New York to conduct research, summarize the collected data and issue a summary report to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops of its findings.
Workplace Violence: Issues in Response	The terrorist attacks that occurred in New York,Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania on September 11, 2001, were a tragic reminder to the Nation of the threat posed by international terrorism.With the exception of the attack on the Pentagon, the targets chosen by the terrorists were not military in nature, but were workplaces where thousands of people work every day to support their families and their country. Workplace violence was put in a new context that day. Prior to 9/11, this type of violence was viewed as perpetrated by disgruntled employees, customers, or a domestic violence/stalking relationship that surfaces at a workplace. Since that time, America’s workplaces have to be prepared not only to face the more traditional internal workplace threats, but now have to consider the external threat of terrorism.
The Final Report and Findings of the Safe School Initiative	In June 1999, following the attack at Columbine High School, our two agencies--the U.S. Secret Service and the U.S. Department of Education--launched a collaborative effort to begin to answer these questions. The result was the Safe School Initiative, an extensive examination of 37 incidents of targeted school shootings and school attacks that have occurred in the United States beginning with the earliest identified incident in 1974 through June 2000. The focus of the Safe School Initiative was on examining the thinking, planning, and other behaviors engaged in by students who carried out school attacks. Particular attention was given to identifying pre-attack behaviors and communications that might be detectable--or "knowable"--and could help in preventing some future attacks.
Indicators of School Crime and Safety (2000)	This is the third edition of Indicators of School Crime and Safety, a joint effort by the Bureau of Justice Statistics and the National Center for Education Statistics. The report provides detailed statistical information to inform the nation on the current nature of crime in schools, and is a companion document to the Annual Report on School Safety: 2000. The Annual Report is a joint publication of the Departments of Education and Justice that provides an overview of the nature and scope of school crime and describes actions schools and communities can take to address this critical issue. The two reports respond to a 1998 request by President Clinton for an annual report card on school violence.
E-Sites for Safe Schools	Article is on p. 113 What works to prevent violence in schools? Where can you find information on the Internet? How can Educators use technology to create a positive school environment? We’re online searching for Web sites focused on school safety and violence prevention to alert you on what’s new and notable!
Chapter from Deadly Lessons	May take a few minutes to load Reviewing the existing research on school rampages and related forms of violence was important to our panel's work for two reasons: first, to look for substantive findings about the causes of school shootings and, second, to consider whether theories or suggested analytic frameworks could help in understanding the panel's detailed case studies.
Assessing The Impact of Institutional Culture on Prison Violence and Disorder	The National Institute of Corrections has embarked on an ambitious multistage, multimodal strategy to fundamentally change the "culture" of state and federal prisons in this country. In the following review, we examine the major problems facing state and federal prison administrators, and then provide an overview of NIC's response to the problem, which is grounded in the reform strategy used by advocates of problem-oriented policing to change police practices in this country (see, e.g. National Research Council, 2004). When applied to prisons, the problem-oriented perspective is based on the notion that we need to take proactive steps to address the underlying causes of negative prison culture, rather than continue to react to its consequences (e.g. violence, disorder, sexual assault). We conclude by reviewing the steps that need to be taken before NIC's culture change initiative can be fully implemented and its effects evaluated.
Examining the Impact of Institutional Culture (and Culture Change) on Prison Violence and Disorder: A Review of the Evidence on Both Causes and Solutions	Institutional culture is often cited as one of the primary causes of violence and disorder in prison (see, e.g. Bottoms, 1999 for a detailed review). However, there is actually little empirical research that specifically links negative (or positive) prison culture—however defined—to levels of prison violence and disorder. The authors provide a critical review of the research on this topic, and compare the adequacy of research on “culture” to the available research on other possible causes of prison violence and disorder, such as crowding, inadequate staffing, poorly designed classification systems, and ineffective management strategies (both staff and inmate-based). Based on this review, the authors identify and assess a number of possible solutions to the problem, including the National Institute of Corrections’ Institutional Culture Change Initiative, situational prison control strategies, and a variety of other approaches.
Sexual Assault of Young Children as Reported to Law Enforcement: Victim, Incident, and Offender Characteristics	A publication by Howard Snyder of the National Center for Juvenile Justice. This is a statistical research report using data from the National-Incident Based Reporting System (NIBRS).
Professor Byrne's Assessment of Journal Quality	A list of tier 1, tier 2, and tier 3 journal reviews and government research publications, to be used as references in research papers
Killer Cults	A chapter from "Bad Men Do what Good Men Dream"
Reforming California's Juvenile Corrections System: An Evidence-Based Change Strategy	A powerpoint presentation by Professor Byrne on using evidence-based practice and meta-analysis to assist in the reformation of California's Juvenile Corrections system
Research in School Shootings	Below are links to research and an overview of the VT massacre relating to school shootings muschert_research_on_school_shootings.pdf: Research article that offers a typology, media dynamics, and causes (individual, community, social levels) of school shootings appendix_L_school_shootings_in_us.pdf: A table of various school shootings in the United States 1966-2007 appendix_M_red_flags_warnings.pdf: Red flags and indicators that were present before the Virginia Tech Massacre appendix_N_theoretical_profile.pdf: A forensic behavioral/threoretical profile of Seung Hui Cho, the shooter from the VT Massacre
Victims and Offenders: Myths and Realities of Prison Violence	Abstract: In order to distinguish prison myth from reality, the authors examine both official and unofficial estimates of the violence and disorder in prison, as well the dual issues of whether drug abuse and gang activity in prison can be directly linked to the level of violence and disorder in correctional institutions. Based on this review, current responses to prison violence and disorder are examined; the authors argue that the key to reducing the current level of prison violence and disorder is to determine the appropriate tipping point between formal and informal social control mechanisms. The authors conclude by highlighting three distinct strategies for reducing violent incidents in prisons: (1) demand transparency, (2) require evidence-based practice, and (3) implement innovative measures of prison performance and quality.
The Prevention of Childhood Sexual Abuse	By David Finkelhor
Mass Shootings at VA Tech: Addendum to the Report of the Review Panel
Serious (Violent or Chronic) Juvenile Offenders: A Systematic Review of Treatment Effectiveness in Secure Corrections By: Vicente Garrido, Luz Anyela Morales	SERIOUS (VIOLENT OR CHRONIC) JUVENILE OFFENDERS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF TREATMENT EFFECTIVENESS IN SECURE CORRECTIONS
Sniper's imprint, faded, remains indelible	D.C. Sniper case
John Lee Malvo: Smuggled Into This Country, A Transient Life in Shelters	Profile of the D.C. Sniper accomplice, John Lee Malvo, from the Washington Post.
John Allen Muhammad: A Failed Businessman And Frustrated Father	Profile of the D.C. Sniper, Muhammad, from the Washington Post.
Rap Sheet: Why is American history so murderous?	New Yorker article on history of murder in America.
Northern Illinois University Shooting Report
Texas Tough: An Interview with Robert Perkinson	A Soros Justice Fellow talks about his new book on "Texas-style" incarceration, based on hard labor, corporal punishment, and racial debasement. Criminal justice, he argues, should be the civil rights arena of the 21st century.
Risks of Violence in Major Daily Activities: United States, 2003-2005	This dissertation quantifies the risk of violence for different activities and types of place.
Violence Prevention 2011 Report	Violence Prevention 2011 Report
State of Recidivism	The Pew Center on the States report on recidivism, April 2011.
Reinventing the Criminal Justice System	YouTube video, Sentencing and Corrections Challenge: Reinventing the Criminal Justice System
Potential of Redemption in Criminal Background Checks	Background checking is increasing in the United States. This is due to information technology and growing concern of employer liability. This may make it difficult for someone who made a youthful transgression and has since been a law-abiding citizen to gain employment.
Dead Men Waiting	James Fox editorial on death row inmates.
Sandusky-Grand-Jury-Presentment	PENN STATE COACH GRAND JURY PRESENTMENT
Studying Violence in Children	Kathleen Heidi Criminology Professor at University of South Florida teaches students about violent youth