Journal of Peace Research Vol. 53, No. 1, 2016, Pp. 84-99
Department of Political Studies, Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas (CIDE)
The study of social violence in Latin America has stood at the periphery of cross-national research despite the region being one of the most violent in the contemporary world. This article provides a comprehensive review of theories of crime and presents an empirical analysis of social violence in Latin America from 1980 to 2010.
The literature often emphasizes one theoretical approach over others and existing explanations are seen as competitive rather than complementary. Yet, the empirical findings of this study support different explanations and illustrate how considering different theoretical approaches helps improve our knowledge on social violence phenomena.
The results from different estimation methods reveal that youth bulges, female workforce, and post-conflict states are positively associated with social violence, as measured by homicide rates. The results also show that states’ efforts to strengthen judicial system capacity and increase school attendance can promote peace. Moreover, while drug producers and/or transit countries are not systematically related to social violence, money-laundering countries experience higher homicide rates, suggesting that not all dimensions of drug-markets increase violence. Whereas Latin America as a whole has experienced few episodes of civil wars in the past decades, the findings suggest that several factors affecting the onset of civil wars also influence other forms of non-political violence such as social violence. This echoes earlier calls in the literature on the necessity of bridging conflict and criminology research.
(Quelle: http://jpr.sagepub.com/content/53/1/84.abstract?etoc)
Yphtach Lelkes, University of Amsterdam, Gaurav Sood, Independent Researcher and Shanto Iyengar, Stanford University
Article first published online: 23 DEC 2015
DOI: 10.1111/ajps.12237 ©2015, Midwest Political Science Association
Abstract
Over the last two decades, as the number of media choices available to consumers has exploded, so too have worries over self-selection into media audiences. Some fear greater apathy, others heightened polarization. In this article, we shed light on the latter possibility.
We identify the impact of access to broadband Internet on affective polarization by exploiting differences in broadband availability brought about by variation in state right-of-way regulations (ROW).
We merge state-level regulation data with county-level broadband penetration data and a large-N sample of survey data from 2004 to 2008 and find that access to broadband Internet increases partisan hostility. The effect occurs in both years and is stable across levels of political interest.
We also find that access to broadband Internet boosts partisans' consumption of partisan media, a likely cause of increased polarization.
Replication Materials: The data, code, and any additional materials required to replicate all analyses in this article are available on the American Journal of Political Science Dataverse within the Harvard Dataverse Network, at:
http://dx.doi.org/10.7910/DVN/LWED0F.
Source: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ajps.12237/abstract?campaign=...
Das aktuelle Vierteljahresheft zur Wirtschaftsforschung des Deutschen Instituts für Wirtschaftsforschung (DIW Berlin) widmet sich ökonomischen Aspekten von Kriminalität. Eine zentrale Fragestellung dabei lautet: Inwieweit entspricht die subjektiv empfundene Bedrohung durch Kriminalität dem tatsächlichen Kriminalitätsgeschehen in Deutschland, und zwar über das gesamte Bundesgebiet hinweg?
Grundlage sind, unter anderem, neue Daten aus dem am DIW Berlin entwickelten WISIND-Projekt – ein wirtschaftswissenschaftliches Indikatoren-System zur Messung von Sicherheit und Sicherheitswirtschaft in Deutschland. Der Indikator speist sich aus einer Vielzahl verschiedener Quellen, wie etwa der Polizeilichen Kriminalitätsstatistik, repräsentativen Bevölkerungsbefragungen und Experteninterviews sowie aus Nutzungsdaten sozialer Netzwerke.
Neben dem einführenden Beitrag bietet auch der Aufsatz von Mathias Bug einen Einblick in die Ergebnisse. Den Daten zufolge korrelieren Kriminalitätsgeschehen und Kriminalitätsfurcht in Deutschland stark. Horst Entorf und Johannes Rieckmann schauen sich auf dieser Datenbasis insbesondere das in den letzten Jahren angestiegene Phänomen der Wohnungseinbrüche genauer an. Ein weiterer Aspekt ist die Vermittlung von Kriminalitätsbedrohung durch Medien und Politik, denen oftmals ein Hang zur Skandalisierung und Einseitigkeit nachgesagt wird. So hat etwa das Thema Innere Sicherheit im Wahlkampf oder die Berichterstattung über Kriminalität in den Medien einen hohen Stellenwert für die subjektive Wahrnehmung von Bedrohung. Zwei Beiträge dieses Vierteljahresheftes legen entsprechend einen besonderen Fokus auf Politik und Medien.
Die Ergebnisse des Sicherheitsindikators aus dem WISIND-Projekt werden hier dynamisch präsentiert.
Quelle, mittelbar: Die täglichen Präventionsnews, Kalenderwoche 52.
Direkter Link zum Vierteljahrsheft zur Wirtschaftsforschung 2/2015
Cunningham, Mark D.; Reidy, Thomas J.; Sorensen, Jon R.
Psychology, Public Policy, and Law, Dec 28 , 2015, No Pagination Specified.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/law0000072
The confinement of capital punishment (death-sentenced) inmates nationwide is typified by marked interpersonal isolation and activity deprivation on segregated death rows.
These supermaximum security measures are ostensibly based on an assumption that capital punishment inmates are at high risk for violence. Supermaximum confinement on death row has high costs: fiscal, staffing, and psychological.
Prior research on capital punishment inmates mainstreamed in the general prison population or under conditions approximating this confinement has reported low violence rates.
This study provided a 25-year follow-up on the Missouri Department of Corrections unique policy of “mainstreaming” capital punishment inmates into the general population of the Potosi Correctional Center (PCC). Findings remained consistent in showing that mainstreamed capital punishment inmates (N = 85) had equivalent or lower rates of violent misconduct than inmates serving life-without-parole (N = 702) or term-sentences (N = 3,000).
The failure of assumptions of high violence risk undergirding death row has important public policy and correctional implications. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved)
The Evolution of Scientific Skepticism in the Media Violence “Debate”
Douglas A. Gentile Article first published online: 14 MAR 2016 | DOI: 10.1111/asap.12110
Media Violence Research Needs to Look Ahead, Not Back: Commentary on Anderson, Bushman, Donnerstein, Hummer, and Warburton (2016)
Mario Gollwitzer Article first published online: 14 MAR 2016 | DOI: 10.1111/asap.12111
Violent Media Effects on Aggression: A Commentary from a Cross-Cultural Perspective
Barbara Krahé Article first published online: 11 MAR 2016 | DOI: 10.1111/asap.12107
Journal of Youth and Adolescence April 2016, Volume 45, Issue 4, pp 730-745
Research on adolescent risk factors for delinquency has suggested that, due to genetic differences, youth may respond differently to risk factors, with some youth displaying resilience and others a heightened vulnerability.
Using a behavioral genetic design and data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, this study examines whether there are sex differences in the genetic and environmental factors that influence the ways in which adolescents respond to cumulative risk for violent, nonviolent, and overall delinquency in a sample of twins (152 MZ male, 155 MZ female, 140 DZ male, 130 DZ female, and 204 DZ opposite-sex twin pairs).
The results revealed that males tended to show greater vulnerability to risk for all types of delinquency, and females exhibited greater resilience.
Among males, additive genetic factors accounted for 41, 29, and 43 % of the variance in responses to risk for violent, nonviolent, and overall delinquency, respectively. The remaining proportion of variance in each model was attributed to unique environmental influences, with the exception of 11 % of the variance in nonviolent responses to risk being attributed to common environmental factors.
Among females, no significant genetic influences were observed; however, common environmental contributions to differences in the ways females respond to risk for violent, nonviolent, and overall delinquency were 44, 42, and 45 %, respectively. The remaining variance was attributed to unique environmental influences.
Overall, genetic factors moderately influenced males’ responses to risk while environmental factors fully explain variation in females’ responses to risk. The implications of these findings are discussed in the context of improving the understanding of relationships between risks and outcomes, as well as informing policy and practice with adolescent offenders.
September 2015, Volume 21, Issue 3, pp 425-446, First online: 10 May 2015
Free Download during March 2015
This article examines the evolution of prison populations in Western Europe from 1982 to 2011 and its relation with recorded crime trends in the region. Data are taken mainly from the Council of Europe Annual Penal Statistics in the case of prison statistics and the European Sourcebook of Crime and Criminal Justice Statistics in the case of police and conviction statistics, both complemented with the Nordic Criminal Statistics and Eurostat Crime Statistics. The results show that prison populations rates (stock) rose constantly until 2005 and seem relatively stable since then. On the contrary, the annual flow of entries into penal institutions has decreased almost continuously since 1987. This apparent paradox is explained by the fact that the average length of detention has steadily increased during the whole period under study. In brief, less people are sent to prison each year, but they remain in prison for longer periods of time. The upward trend in the average length of detention is related to the development of tough on crime policies across Western Europe and to the increase of drug offences and non-lethal violent crime until the mid-2000s. In that context, an analysis by offence shows similar trends in police, conviction, and prison statistics. These results falsify the hypothesis of total independence between crime trends and imprisonment rates. They also suggest that the deterrent effect of imprisonment has often been overestimated, and they cast a shadow on the validity of criminological theories that place property as the main cause of crime.
DOI: 10.1080/14043858.2015.1046640
Matti Näsi, Atte Oksanen, Teo Keipi & Pekka Räsänen
Journal of Scandinavian Studies in Criminology and Crime Prevention Volume 16, Issue 2, 2015, pages 203-2010
Short Report
This study examines cybercrime victimization, what some of the common characteristics of such crimes are and some of the general predictors of cybercrime victimization among teenagers and young adults. A combined four-country sample (Finland, US, Germany and UK; n = 3,506) is constructed from participants aged between 15 and 30 years old.
According to the findings, online crime victimization is relatively uncommon (aggregate 6.5% of participants were victims). Slander and threat of violence were the most common forms of victimization and sexual harassment the least common. Male gender, younger age, immigrant background, urban residence, not living with parents, unemployment and less active offline social life were significant predictors for cybercrime victimization.
Mehr unter: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14043858.2015.1046640
Philipp Eisnecker & Jürgen Schupp
DIW Wochenbericht 8 / 2016 158-164
Abstract:
Der Zustrom von Flüchtlingen nach Deutschland bestimmt seit Monaten die öffentliche Debatte. Nach der im Januar dieses Jahres durchgeführten Umfrage „Stimmungsbarometer zu Flüchtlingen in Deutschland“ sieht etwas weniger als ein Drittel der Erwachsenen in Deutschland in der Flüchtlingswanderung langfristig eher Chancen als Risiken, mehr als die Hälfte ist der gegenteiligen Ansicht. Knapp ein Drittel der Befragten gab an, seit dem vergangenen Jahr Flüchtlinge mit Geld- oder Sachspenden unterstützt zu haben; den Absichtsbekundungen der Umfrageteilnehmer zufolge könnte dieser Anteil künftig noch etwas steigen. Etwa ein Zehntel der Befragten beteiligt sich nach eigener Aussage an der praktischen Arbeit mit Flüchtlingen vor Ort. Unter den Personen, die Hilfsbereitschaft gegenüber Flüchtlingen zeigen, sind nicht nur solche, die den Flüchtlingsstrom positiv sehen, sondern auch viele mit einer ambivalenten oder eher kritischen Einstellung
EUROPOL Info 25.02.2015
ECTS is an information hub for counter terrorism, it fights terrorists and violent online content, offers operational support, coordination and expertise, has a strategic support capability and direct and immediate on-the-spot support.
For an infographic about ECTS and a case study regarding the Paris attacks on 13 November 2015, click here.