Gang members are entangled in a web of violence that leads the gunman of today to become the victim of tomorrow

While the media often portrays a stark line between the victims of crime and offenders the reality is much more blurred. New research from David Pyrooz, Richard K. Moule, and Scott H. Decker find that this is especially the case for gang members who find that they are twice as likely to be both victims and offenders as non-gang members. They argue that gang membership is a large risk factor in this victim-offender overlap, as single acts of violence between gang members often lead to acts of retribution between gangs as a whole

The COVID-19 pandemic and operational challenges, impacts, and lessons learned: a multi-methods study of U.S. prison systems

Background The purpose of this study was to examine how the COVID-19 pandemic changed U.S. prison operations and influenced the daily work of prison staff. Methods In collaboration with the National Institute of Corrections, we administered a survey to 31 state correctional agencies in April 2021 and conducted five focus groups with 62 correctional staff. Results Using a framework of bounded rationality, we find that daily operations were strained, particularly in the areas of staffing, implementing public health policy efforts, and sustaining correctional programming. While prison systems and staff were under-prepared to respond to the pandemic, they attempted to address complex problems with the limited resources they had. Conclusions Results underscore a need in corrections for prioritizing further developments and reviews of collaborative policies and practices for managing crisis situations. Seeking avenues for leveraging technological innovations to improve operations and facilitate enhanced communication are especially warranted. Finally, meaningful reductions in the prison population, changes in physical infrastructure, and expansions of hiring and retention initiatives are critical for positioning prisons to manage future emergencies. &nbsp;</p

Demographics, Trends, and Disparities in Colorado Felony Murder Cases: A Statistical Portrait

Between 1990 and 2021, for adult offenders, Colorado punished felony murder with a mandatory minimum sentence of life without parole. Felony murder was classified as a class 1 felony, along with other theories of first-degree murder, such as after-deliberation and extreme indifference murder, as well as first-degree kidnapping, until Governor Jared Polis signed Senate Bill 124, effective September 15, 2021, reclassifying the offense to a class 2 felony. As a result, felony murder is now punishable by a sentence of 16-48 years. The purpose of this study is to provide a statistical portrait of people who have been convicted of felony murder between 1990 and 2021. Data were acquired through open records requests from the Colorado Department of Corrections (“CDOC”) and the State Court Administrator’s Office (“SCAO”), along with public data from the Colorado State Demography Office. This study’s primary unit of analysis is a criminal case, meaning a criminal case identifiable by a single case number in which a person was found guilty. With respect to felony murder, a felony murder case means one with one or more felony murder convictions where no other theory of first-degree murder was proven with respect to that or those homicide(s). A series of analyses enumerating felony murder cases and incarceration and comparing them to various reference groups produced the following observations: 1. Sentences were imposed in 196 felony murder cases and for 215 felony murder convictions between 2000 and 2021 (per data from SCAO, which provides aggregate judicial records from 2000 onwards). 2. Felony murder constitutes a non-trivial share of the 877 cases (22%) and 1,102 convictions (20%) for class 1 felonies found in judicial records between 2000 and 2021. 3. Matching judicial (SCAO) records with corrections (CDOC) data, there are 176 people in the current CDOC population who were sentenced for a single-theory felony murder conviction between 2000 and 2021, including 16 juveniles. 4. Over half (53%) of felony murder cases sentenced between 2000 and 2021 involved defendants who were younger than age 26 at the time of offense, compared to 42% of cases where sentences for other class 1 felonies were imposed and 46% of people presently incarcerated for other class 1 felonies. 5. There were no differences between men and women in the likelihood of felony murder conviction or incarceration, as compared to their rate of conviction and incarceration for other class 1 felonies. 6. Among the current CDOC population, Black people compose 35% of those who were sentenced for at least one single-theory FM from 2000 to 2021, followed by White (33%) and Hispanic (28%) people. 7. Among those incarcerated for Class 1 felonies, Black people were 43% more likely than White people to be convicted of and presently incarcerated for felony murder. 8. No other statistically significant racial/ethnic disparities in felony murder conviction and incarceration rates were observed. 9. There was no temporal trend in felony murder cases observed between 2000 and 2021. 10. There were some geographic differences across judicial districts in felony murder convictions and incarcerations, which were mostly explained by case characteristics, such as the race and age of the defendant. The results support a conclusion that people convicted of felony murder constitute a distinctive class of prisoners owing to the reclassification of the offense and demographic disparities which mark that group, particularly around age and race

Absconding Among Juvenile Parolees in Arizona

Absconding refers to the active or passive avoidance of contact with correctional supervisory agencies by offenders. Absconders are problematic because their whereabouts are unknown and their threat to the public is elevated. The aim of this study was to construct and validate an actuarial instrument designed to assess risk for absconding among juvenile parolees that accounts for gendered differences. The data were gathered from 1,063 juveniles released from the Arizona Department of Juvenile Corrections into community settings in 2008 and 2009. Juveniles were randomly subdivided into construction and validation samples to assess the validity of the instrument. Twelve risk factors were identified to construct the instrument, three of which were found to operate differently for male and female juveniles. Upon application to the validation sample, the instrument correctly classified 70% of juvenile parolees, and a corresponding r value of .37 was observed. The author discusses the substantive and practical implications for assessing absconding risk and modeling gender differences when supervising offenders in community settings. </jats:p