Violence in America 44.624

TITLE	DESCRIPTION
Actuarial Risk Assessment, part 1	Review of the use of actuarial risk assessment instruments in sex offender civil commitment proceedings.
Actuarial Risk Assessment, part 2	Commentary by Stephen Hart on the previous article.
Bibliography of Risk Assessment	Bibliography of Published Works Relative to Risk Assessment for Sexual Offenders, and a meta-analysis of predictors of sexual recidivism.
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.
Killer Cults	May take a few minutes to load Chapter from "Bad Men do What God Men Dream."
Understanding Why Crime Rates Fell in the 1990s	In this paper, Steven Levitt attempts to sort out why crime declined in the 1990s. Levitt begins with a review of the facts. The author then analyze the leading explanations for why crime fell,looking at possible determinants that changed in some substantial way in the 1990s.
Reconsidering Incarceration	This report from Don Stemen, director of research in Vera's Center on Sentencing and Corrections, seeks to make sense of the current body of research literature on the relationship between crime and incarceration. As a comparison and analysis of what we now know about the relationship between crime and incarceration, it should help policy makers and others understand information that is complex, and sometimes seemingly contradictory.
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
New Directions in Offender Typology Design, Development, and   Implementation: Can we Balance Risk, Treatment and Control?	This article provides a “state of the art” discussion of the key issues that must be addressed by policymakers, practitioners, and ultimately, the public, vis-à-vis the design, development, and implementation of typologies for these targeted groups of offenders.  This is followed by our assessment of the lessons learned from the great prison classification experiment.
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.
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.
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 lived a law-abiding life to gain employment.
The Prevention of Childhood Sexual Abuse	By David Finkelhor
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.
Mass Shootings at VA Tech:  Addendum to the Report of the Review Panel
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
Violence Prevention	Violence Prevention 2011 Report
Is Urban Violence A Virus?	Gang killing persists like a terrible infectious disease in our cities.  Maybe it should be treated like a disease.