Study: Incarcerated people placed in solitary confinement differ significantly from others in prison population

Concern has grown about prison systems’ use of extended solitary confinement as a way to manage violent and disruptive incarcerated people. A new study identified groups that are more likely to be placed in extended solitary management (ESM). The study…

Study highlights need to replace ‘ancestry’ in forensics with something more accurate

A new study finds forensics researchers use terms related to ancestry and race in inconsistent ways, and calls for the discipline to adopt a new approach to better account for both the fluidity of populations and how historical events have…

Interactive police line-ups improve eyewitness accuracy – study

Eyewitnesses can identify perpetrators more accurately when they are able to manipulate 3D images of suspects, according to a new study. A team of researchers in the University of Birmingham’s School of Psychology developed and tested new interactive lineup software…

Foreign-born status, but not acquired US citizenship, protects many immigrants from criminal victimization

Until recently, data on criminal victimization did not include information on the status–immigrant or citizen–of respondents. In a recent study, researchers used new data that include respondents’ status to explore the association between citizenship status and risk of victimization. They…

Parental monitoring and consistency in adolescence can reduce young Black men’s likelihood of criminal behavior

New research examined the effect of different parenting styles during adolescence on crime among African American men. The study found that parenting styles characterized by little behavioral control placed youth at significant risk for adult crime, even though some of…

Study: Removing ‘bad apples’ from police forces unlikely to significantly reduce use-of-force complaints

The idea that a small number of “bad apples” are responsible for an outsized share of complaints against police officers has gained considerable traction over the last four decades. A new study considered the extent to which police misconduct is…

Economic crime is going uninvestgated as Police hide behind the veil of Action Fraud

Fraud is going uninvestigated by police who are “hiding behind the veil” of the Action Fraud national crime reporting agency. In his paper published this week in Policing , Professor Mark Button, director of the Centre for Counter Fraud Studies…

Cincinnati children’s awarded grant to develop AI system for preventing school violence

CINCINNATI – Scientists at Cincinnati Children’s have been awarded a five-year grant totaling $2.8 million from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development to develop an automated risk assessment (ARIA) system, which is designed to detect and prevent…

Orphans and exiles: Research shows the impact of family separation

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. — New research from Binghamton University, State University of New York shows the human trauma and family separation that resulted from the Trump Administration’s zero tolerance policy on undocumented immigration. The news reports surrounding the Trump Administration’s “zero…

In Oregon, new gun violence restraining orders appear to be used as intended, but could be used more proactively

Extreme risk protection orders (ERPOs), also known as gun violence restraining orders, are civil court orders that grant temporary restrictions on purchasing and possessing firearms for individuals determined by a civil court judge to be at extreme risk of committing…

Study on intermittency in gang membership underscores value of preventing youth from rejoining gangs

Research has shown that joining a gang is associated with increased criminal behavior. A new study examined whether the intermittent nature of gang membership affects offending. Researchers sought to determine whether the association with increased offending was a consistent attribute…

Tool to predict recidivism in federal inmates could make more prisoners eligible for early release

Passed in 2018, the First Step Act sought to address re-entry challenges for inmates in the federal prison system. The legislation called for developing an assessment tool to identify inmates for release who had the lowest likelihood of recidivism. A…

Illuminating invisible bloody fingerprints with a fluorescent polymer

Careful criminals usually clean a scene, wiping away visible blood and fingerprints. However, prints made with trace amounts of blood, invisible to the naked eye, could remain. Dyes can detect these hidden prints, but the dyes don’t work well on…

Studying the health and wellbeing of police officers during the global pandemic

The University’s Professor Jason Roach will work alongside the National Police Wellbeing Service on a research project that will study to what extent the health and wellbeing of the nation’s police officers has been affected by the pandemic POLICE officers…

Study: Seattle’s minimum wage increase did not change crime or employment rates

Between 2015 and 2017, Seattle, Washington, became the first U.S. city to increase its hourly minimum wage to $15, more than double the federal minimum wage and 60 percent higher than Seattle’s previous minimum wage. A new study examined the…

Study: Men of color avoid public places out of fear of involvement with criminal justice agents

The U.S. criminal legal system has expanded at a rapid pace, even as crime rates have declined since the 1990s. As a result, individuals’ interactions with and surveillance by law enforcement are now commonplace. But citizens experience different interactions, with…

harp reductions in costs of producing cannabis, fentanyl likely to spur widespread changes in use, dependence

The legalization of cannabis and the arrival of nonmedical fentanyl are fundamentally changing drug markets in North America. A large part of these changes relates to the ability to produce large quantities of the drugs at low costs, which has…

Study: Political, economic, social factors affect local decisions about death penalty

Broad political, economic, and social factors influence disciplinary punishment. In particular, over the last half century, such considerations have shaped jurisdictions’ use of the death penalty, which has declined considerably since the 1990s. A new study examined the factors associated…

Study: Prisoners with mental illness much more likely to be placed in solitary confinement

Past studies on whether incarcerated people with mental illness are more likely to be placed in solitary confinement have yielded mixed results. A new study examined the issue in one state’s prisons, taking into account factors related to incarcerated men…

Lifting the lid on how domestic abusers use technology

New research into how domestic abusers are using computers and other digital technology to monitor, threaten and humiliate their victims will help guide future police investigations. The increased availability of new technology has given perpetrators even more opportunities and methods…

DiZinno & Falsetti receive funding for national center to increase numbers of medical examiners & coroners

Joseph DiZinno, Associate Professor, Forensic Science Program, and Anthony Falsetti, Associate Professor, Forensic Science Program, received $2,000,000 from the U.S. Department of Justice for a project aimed at: Providing medico-legal learning opportunities for medical students to train as deputy medical…

The Lancet: USA failing to reach populations most in need of HIV prevention and treatment services as epidemic grows in the South and rural areas

People who are racial, sexual, and gender minorities continue to be affected by HIV at significantly higher rates than white people, a disparity also reflected in the COVID-19 pandemic

COVID-19 pandemic as opportunity to ensure more successful future for science, public health

What The Viewpoint Says: The missteps and miscommunications that have stymied a more effective U.S. and global response to the COVID-19 pandemic bring into sharp focus the deficiencies in governance systems of the U.S. public health and scientific institutions. Authors:…

Study finds consensus for arming school resource officers, division on arming teachers and other staff

In the wake of repeated school shootings across the United States, today’s youth have been called the mass shooting generation. A new study examined public support for arming school employees. The study found consensus for arming school resource officers, but…

Rescheduling drugs to lower risk of abuse can reduce use, dangers

Many nations place drugs into various schedules or categories according to their risk of being abused and their medical value. At times, drugs are rescheduled to a more restrictive category to reduce misuse by constricting supply. A new study examined…

Study: Sudden police layoffs in one US city associated with increases in crime

Amid a sharp economic downturn in 2008, police departments around the United States experienced budget shortfalls that required them to enact cutbacks. A new study examined the effects on crime of budget shortfalls in two New Jersey cities–one of which…

Adverse childhood experiences are linked to justice system contact

A new paper released by Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health reports a strong association between a high number of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and contact with the U.S. justice system. Analyzing data from eleven studies, the researchers found…

Colorful, magnetic Janus balls could help foil counterfeiters (video)

Counterfeiters who sell knockoffs of popular shoes, handbags and other items are becoming increasingly sophisticated, forcing manufacturers to find new technologies to stay one step ahead. Now, researchers reporting in ACS Nano have developed tiny “Janus balls” that show their…