International Journal of Criminology and Sociological Theory (IJCST - York University)
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143 research outputs found
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Assessing the Impact of Parental Drug Use, Family Structure, and Environmental Conditions on Adolescents’ Self-Reported Drug Use, Serious Delinquency, and Deviant Behaviors
Full text linkEmpirical studies have demonstrated that youths reared in homes with parental drug use have a high risk of exhibiting maladaptive social behaviors encompassing delinquency, deviance, and criminality. Family transitions, such as changes in the configuration of one’s family structure (i.e. single parent households due to divorce or separation) have shown to have a negative impact on the behavioral development of adolescents. Despite the axiomatic role of the home environment in engendering aberrant behaviors, key findings have also linked criminogenic forces at the neighborhood level to the outcomes of adolescents’ drug use, serious delinquency, and deviance. The current study explored the impact of parental drug use, family structure, and environmental conditions on youths’ self-reported drug use, serious delinquency, and deviance. The results of the study demonstrated that the outcome behaviors are impacted by both neighborhood and home conditions. However, the type of predictor variable mattered for the type of outcome behavior reported
Assessing Spatial Pattern of Crime in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico (2009): The Macrolevel, Mesolevel and Microlevel Approaches
Full text linkThe aim of this research is analyze the spatial relationship between aspects of place (socioeconomic, demographic, land use) and the clustering of crime activity in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua. The framework proposed in this analysis combines a macrolevel, mesolevel and microlevel approaches at the census block level to identify problem neighborhoods and associated characteristics to determine the relationship between crime incidents and site-specific physical features, socioeconomic, demographic and land use characteristics. The data that were collected by Population and Housing Census (Inegi, 2010) for the socioeconomic variables and the violence and property crimes statistics geocoded by the Municipal Observatory of Security and Citizenship at census tract and block level. The results show the pattern of violent crime at the macrolevel has remained concentrated in low socioeconomic status. Microlevel research emphasizes the analysis of crime at individual locations (hot spots). Findings are expected to enhance crime monitoring and policing capabilities across the urban size spectrum
Status Inconsistency, Narcissism, and Ego Bashing in the Workplace: A Theoretical Model
Full text linkAn intriguing form of aggressive behavior that targets the total ego of an individual can be typically observed in the work environment of certain societies that are undergoing rapid social change and consequent status challenges and rivalry. This behavior is explained in terms of the interaction between two variables: Status inconsistency and narcissism. Forms of status inconsistency produced at the structural level can lead to the experience of psychological strain. This strain provokes an aggressive reaction that may be displaced on others in the work place. The emphasis in some societies on the prestige of the position tends to further implicate individual narcissism in the reaction. The narcissistically bound reaction to status inconsistency results in aggression being lashed-out against the totality of an individual’s self rather than against extensions of the self. A search for convenient targets follows the hydraulic model that selectively targets persons occupying vulnerable positions
Folk devils without moral panics: discovering concepts in the sociology of evil
Full text linkIn this theoretical ‘think piece’, I question whether Stanley Cohen’s (1972) ‘folk devil’ and ‘moral panic’ concepts are as inseparable as current sociological and criminological research suggests. Thus far, the vast majority of crime and deviance scholars have treated the folk devil as just one sub-part of the moral panic concept, rather than considering it to be a distinct concept. Consequently, the social processes leading to the creation of folk devils have been largely under-theorized compared to the social processes underlying moral panics. I propose that folk devils and moral panics be conceptualized as two distinct social phenomena. I present evidence from news articles published in the Toronto Star, Canada’s largest circulated newspaper, which illustrates how individuals can be labeled as folk devils when moral panics are not taking place. I conclude by considering how a distinct, folk devil research program can contribute to studies in the sociology of ‘evil’
Executions and Public Support for Capital Punishment in the United States: A Durkheimian Perspective
Full text linkThis paper examines executions and capital punishment in the United States using the theoretical principles of Emile Durkheim. Durkheim’s notion that executions are “repressive” (or designed to exact retribution), rather than “restitutive” (or designed to deter other criminal acts), explains why most citizens of the United States support capital punishment even though most research suggests that executions do not act as a deterrent against future homicides
The Deviance of the Zookeepers
Full text linkIn May 1968 Alvin Gouldner published his attack on the ‘Becker School’ of sociology (‘The Sociologist as Partisan’). The essay was a sometimes sarcastic and brutal but characteristically insightful and sharp critique of what he called the ‘Becker School’ of sociology – especially as it related to law-breaking and norm-transgressing outsiders. In attacking the failure of ‘sceptical deviancy theory’ to confront the wider structural sources of power and authority, its seeming inability to address gross social divisions of wealth and status, and its lack of attention to the larger political and economic interests that were embedded in departments of State and industrial and financial corporations alike, Gouldner pinpointed with some accuracy the radical motivations of the soon-to-emerge ‘new criminology’ – in both its ‘left idealist’ and ‘left realist’ guises. What Gouldner’s essay really exposed was a certain kind of ‘deviant imagination’ (c.f., Pearson, 1975) prevalent in the emerging critical criminologies of 1960s America (and then the UK, see Young, 1969). In this paper I use Gouldner’s essay as a lens to investigate the ‘deviant imagination’ of contemporary critical criminologies and ask: who are the zookeepers of contemporary criminology and what is their deviant imagination
Administering Steroid Drugs to Minor Girls for Flesh Trade in India
Full text linkThousands of women and children are trafficked every day. Girls are mostly fall prey to the prostitution rackets and land in the brothels or end-up being sex slaves. The study attempts to look at the extent, causes, manifestation and the interventions made on trafficking of children at Mandsour district at Madhya Pradesh in India. Total 59 cases were taken for the study. The method of content analysis has been adopted for the research work. The study reveals that rescued girls are found mostly between the age group of one to eight year old. Kidnapped minor girls are being administered steroid drugs to hasten their physical growth for early initiation into the flesh trade in the camp of Banchra tribe people. Now government and social workers are taking initiative to reform and rehabilitate the Banchra tribe women
Victim Travel–To-Crime Areas: The Experience from Nigerian International Tourist Attraction Site
Full text linkThe study examined the socio-economic characteristics and types of criminal activities experienced by tourists during festive and non-festive period at Ikogusi Warm and Cold Spring, Nigeria. Data for the study were collected through administration of questionnaire. Systematic sampling method was adopted in selecting respondents for this study. It was revealed that 24% of the tourists were female and 59.3% were between 19-36 years. Furthermore, approximately 89% of the tourists were from places within Nigeria while the remaining 12% came from places outside Nigeria. Rate of criminal activities was measured through an index of 5 and tagged “Crime Occurrence Index” reveled pick pocketing as crime type with highest magnitude of threat (COI= 4.86 and 4.35) during festive and non-festive period respectively. Origin of tourist (β=0.781) was found to have highest correlation value with prevailing crime. Next to this was gender of the tourists (β=0.781). This further revealed that the odd of a woman being a victim of prevalent crime was approximately 4(3.61) times higher than that of a man while the odds of non-Nigerian being a victim of the prevalent crime was approximately 5(5.41) times higher than those who were Nigerians. Similarly, that of Nigerian who came from outside the locality was approximately 2(2.35) times that of those who resides within this locality. The study concluded therefore that rate of victimization differ significantly as reflected by the socio-economic characteristics of the tourists and that the approach to make tourists feel more secured should be guided by those variation
Emerging Challenges for Criminology: Drawing the Margins of Crimes against Humanity
Full text linkThis paper analyses the provisions of crimes against humanity, by pooling primary and secondary sources. The history of the term is traced through antiquity and the legacy of Nuremberg, followed by an analysis of contemporary law. Further analysis deals with the elements and the enumerated acts that are currently recognized internationally as crimes against humanity. Philosophical, socio-legal and criminological aspects are discussed, followed by a critical evaluation and conclusions regarding the future of Crimes against Humanity