Body-worn cameras (BWCs) are expanding into corrections, yet prison-based evidence remains limited. This mixed-methods study examined an early BWC implementation in a high-security prison in a southeastern state prison system, integrating administrative incident data from the pilot and three comparison facilities with frontline officer surveys and specialized emergency response interviews. During the BWC active period, the pilot facility’s documented critical incident rate declined from 19.4 to 8.0 per 1,000 average daily population per month, and use of force declined from 8.0 to 3.7; comparable reductions were not observed in comparison facilities. Frontline officers reported ambivalence, citing documentation benefits alongside workload, discretion, surveillance, and reliability concerns. Emergency response officers moved from reluctance to support when BWCs aligned with tactical documentation, after-action review, training, and staff protection. Findings highlight the role-contingent nature of correctional BWC implementation.
Forensic DNA databases are designed to identify repeat offenders by matching crime-scene evidence to profiles of individuals who have previously entered the criminal justice system. If they operate as intended, expanding the enrolled population should increase the share of arrested defendants with prior felony records. We test this proposition using Arizona’s January 2004 law requiring DNA collection from all convicted felons. The analysis includes 8,296 felony defendants prosecuted in Maricopa and Pima Counties across eight waves of the State Court Processing Statistics program from 1994 to 2009, along with 107,639 defendants from 65 comparison counties. While a conventional pre-post comparison suggests a 71
Early childhood behavioral issues have been identified as a robust risk factor for chronic offending outcomes. However, there remains a dearth of research examining how specific patterns and combinations of these behavior issues may contribute to differential overall seriousness of such behavior. This study provided an examination of how latent childhood behavior issue severity predicts offending risk in emerging adulthood. The Pathways to Desistance data were analyzed. An item response theory model was used to identify a latent continuum of childhood behavioral issue seriousness comprised of five distinct behavioral indicators: cheating, fighting, disturbing class, getting drunk/stoned, and stealing. Logistic regression examined how seriousness scores predicted risk for general offending and violent offending in emerging adulthood. A two-parameter item response theory model was estimated. Disturbing class provided the greatest capacity for discriminating between low and high seriousness behavioral issues, whereas getting drunk/stoned was identified as the most serious behavioral issue. Greater childhood behavioral issue seriousness significantly predicted greater general offending risk in emerging adulthood, but not violent offending. Disturbing class best distinguished between justice-involved youth who reported higher vs. lower seriousness behavioral issues in childhood, but this was likely discriminating mainly between participants who reported any vs. no childhood behavioral issues.
Graffiti research shows that writers seek visible locations, but less is known about whether the graffiti already present at a location shapes the spatial distribution of different graffiti types. This study extends spot theory by examining whether graffiti types with contrasting levels of visual complexity are sorted across street segments, a micro-geographic unit commonly used in crime-and-place research. We treat visible urban surface and audience attention as contested resources and test whether masterpieces, tags, and intermediate graffiti types show less co-presence than expected under spatial indifference. Using systematic social observation data on 13,097 graffiti instances across 1,640 street segments in Ghent, Belgium, we measure similarity in the types’ normalized, log-transformed count distributions with the Morisita-Horn Index and compare observed values with a Fixed-Fixed null model. All three type pairs show significantly lower co-presence than expected. Separation is strongest between masterpieces and tags, the most visually contrasting types, and weakest between tags and intermediate forms. Among graffiti-active street segments in Ghent, the observed co-presence patterns are consistent with graffiti location choice depending not only on visible places but also on the competitive visual composition of those places. The results support an extension of spot theory from absolute exposure to relative visual positioning.
Sports and physical activities are common behind bars and may be linked to health benefits and positive behavioral changes. As many people with criminal records carry on their training after release and start sport-related small businesses, it is important to examine what may influence potential consumers’ choices. Drawing on existing research on prison sport and recent interest in entrepreneurship among people with criminal records, we administered a novel survey with an embedded conjoint experiment to a national sample of 1,100 U.S. adults in 2025 to determine what factors shape choices for personal trainers and whether factors driving overall preferences—such as trainer credentials and references, mode of instruction (in-person vs. online), session price, and trainer race—operate differently when the trainer is presented as having a prison record. Consistent with prior research on reentry, employment, and prison stigma, respondents preferred trainers with other workout backgrounds (as an after-work gym member, former college athlete, or member of the military) over those who began their training in prison. Respondents also generally preferred Black trainers and training sessions that were less expensive, in-person, and from qualified trainers. However, when assessing trainers with criminal records, the positive effects of in-person classes and cheaper instruction were attenuated. Our results suggest that barriers still remain for formerly incarcerated individuals who would like to work as personal trainers. Prison educational and vocational training should include courses on sports and fitness as well as developing, marketing, and managing small businesses.
