Sungil Han

Purpose: While public trust in the police has been widely examined in the policing literature, relatively little attention has been paid to Caribbean countries. To address prevalent violence and national security issues, many Caribbean nations have implemented organizational and practical reforms in their policing strategies. Consequently, it is essential to explore both the levels of public trust in the police and the factors that influence this trust within the region. Design/methodology/approach: Using data from four Caribbean countries, this study examines the effects of various instrumental and expressive variables on public trust in the police using an ordinal regression analysis approach. Findings: The findings indicate that most expressive variables are significantly associated with public trust in the police. In particular, police corruption, satisfaction with democracy and social cohesion emerge as key predictors. The conclusions and discussions offer several contributions to the policing literature, particularly within the context of the Caribbean region. Originality/value: This study examines public trust in the police among residents of four Caribbean countries using two major models of confidence in the police. These countries have been understudied, and the political and practical implications of this study will help inform policing strategies in the region.

Police use of force continues to be a topic of much discussion in the community, media, and academia. Officer and citizen characteristics are commonly examined in use of force incidents; however, the impact of neighborhoods and structural factors are understudied. Using 7,858 use of force incidents reported by the Dallas Police Department from 2014 to 2016, this study examines the effects of individual, situational, and structural factors on use of force encounters. Results show that Black and Hispanic/Latino citizens are more likely to have more severe force used against them, even when controlling for other factors, while most situational factors showed significant associations with police use of force. Surprisingly, no structural variables showed a significant influence on police use of force.

While many studies suggest that poor academic performance predicts delinquency, others have argued that the relationship between academic performance and delinquency can be marginal, null, or even spurious. This study examines the relationship between academic performance and delinquent behavior among Korean youth within the general strain framework, utilizing data from the Korean Child and Youth Panel Survey. Using a sample of 2,378 students from 95 randomly selected schools in Korea, the KCYP survey examined students’ perceptions and experiences regarding relationships with parents, teachers, and peers, as well as their engagement in various delinquent behaviors. Group-based trajectory modeling identified two academic trajectory groups: consistently low academic grades and declining academic performance. Two dichotomous variables representing these academic trajectory groups were included in the negative binomial regression models. After accounting for the effects of other strain-related and social/self-control variables, the effects of low academic performance on delinquent behavior become spurious while a decline in academic performance is a consistent predictor of delinquent behavior across all models.

Crime victimization is one of the most stressful negative events and brings numerous adverse outcomes to victims. Victims suffer from physical damage, property loss, psychological trauma, and behavioral problems. Many studies have examined these adverse consequences of crime victimization, but a comprehensive approach for victims who are school-aged girls has been relatively under-documented. To fill the gap in the literature, this study analyzes data from a nationally representative sample of Korean school-aged girls (N = 3762). The results of the regression analyses indicate that previous victimization is associated with lower life satisfaction, increased negative emotions, and a fear of crime, and appears to elevate the risk of revictimization and delinquent behavior. It is concluded that victims should be treated with appropriate resources and support to reduce future adverse outcomes.

After 9/11, contemporary debates on security often place civil liberties and security at opposite ends of the same spectrum, requiring the loss of one for the maintenance of the other. In addition, public concerns about terrorism determine or at least color public perception about government counterterrorism activities. Thus, the current study empirically examines factors influencing the public’s perception of government activities that may infringe upon individual rights, focusing on the effects of concern about terrorism. For this study we use data collected in World Value Survey (WVS) pertaining to respondents from the U.S. The results of a series of regression analysis and structural equation modeling (SEM) indicate that public concern about terrorism is positively associated with support for counterterrorism activities. Moreover, other factors including satisfaction with democracy, community membership and trust in the government are found to play an important role in explaining public support for counterterrorism activities.

The negative impact of student-to-teacher victimization on teachers’ perceptions of the work environment and their well-being is supported by growing empirical literature. For instance, violence in the classroom can have a negative impact on teachers themselves and hinder teachers from playing crucial roles in students’ classroom experiences, resulting in adverse effects on student performance. However, the research field is limited in understanding the adverse effects on teachers’ perceptions more directly related to student learning, such as teacher neglect. To fill the gap in the literature, the current study analyzes data from a nationwide sample of 1,054 middle and high school teachers in South Korea where teachers are generally treated with high regard and social status, often exerting a strong influence and authority over students in both an educational and parental way. Specifically, we conduct propensity score matching to investigate potential influences that student-to-teacher victimization can have on the following three outcome variables: teacher neglect, commitment, and pride. Results of mean comparisons after accounting for other confounding factors show that when compared with nonvictims, victims of student-to-teacher victimization are more likely to neglect their students; these victims also tend to exhibit less pride as teachers. Yet, the results also showed no significant statistical difference in teacher commitment. The current findings highlight the importance of developing programs to prevent and intervene in students’ aggressive behaviors toward teachers. Particularly, administrators are recommended to consider providing training for teachers, specific to understanding student-to-teacher victimization in order to promote a more positive school environment and better student-to-teacher relationships in classrooms, including improving teachers’ job performance.

Suicide among women is a growing problem in Trinidad and Tobago. Despite efforts to reduce suicide, the etiology of suicidal behaviors in this region has rarely been examined. Using the National Women's Health Survey for Trinidad and Tobago in 2018 ( n = 1,079), this study examined the causes of suicidality through concepts contained in Agnew's general strain theory, such as negative stimuli (i.e., intimate partner violence [IPV]) and negative emotion (i.e., depression). By estimating structural equation models, this study found that IPV was strongly related to depression and suicidality. Particularly, depression mediated the effect of IPV on suicidality.

Objectives: Accumulating research finds that immigrants are less likely to offend compared to their native-born counterparts in the United States. Less understood are the factors that help account for this disparity in offending. Because there are reasons to believe that immigrants weigh the costs and benefits of crime differently than their U.S.-born peers, we explore the utility of a rational choice perspective to explain the disparity in offending across immigrant generations. Methods: Utilizing data from the Pathways to Desistance Study, multilevel mixed effects models are employed to assess if perceptions of rewards and costs of crime help explain differences in offending trajectories and desistance across immigrant status. Results: Rational choice-related variables emerge as significant predictors of offending and help to explain, in part, why first-generation immigrants are less likely to offend. In particular, the perceived risk of arrest appears to play a key role and interacts with immigrant status. Conclusions: The results from this research suggest that first-generation immigrants with a higher perceived risk of arrest reported lower offending compared to second- and third-plus-generation youth. We consider the theoretical implications of the rational choice perspective to explain the divergence in offending across immigrant generation groups.