The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and measures taken to mitigate its spread have presented numerous challenges for academia. Conferences are one challenge for academia in a COVID-19 environment. The present study discusses the purpose of academic conferences and provides a case study of a virtual conference in criminology and criminal justice (CCJ) that occurred in November 2020. We extracted data from the virtual conference program, from data publicly available through CrimCon, and from a sample of 53 of the 96 panels that occurred. Using these data, we present information about conference attendance and participation. We found that there were 558 unique presenters across 318 presentations and roundtable discussions, and a total of 1,629 unique attendees over the course of the three conference days. While virtual conferencing solves some problems, it presents unique others. Important comparisons between virtual conferencing and in-person conferencing are provided.
This study investigates the risks and causes of fatal officer involved shootings (OIS) following ineffective applications of TASER conducted energy weapons (CEWs). Content analysis of open-source records resulted in quantitative and qualitative characteristics and conditions associated with the ineffective application of CEWs resulting in fatal OIS. Research and field-use data indicate that CEWs were ineffective in as many as 47% of applications. From 1985 through 2020, 1349 fatal OIS followed ineffective applications of CEWs in the United States. Officers were more likely first to use CEWs to subdue minority suspects before fatally shooting them than they were with White suspects. In 14 instances since 2004, suspects shot and killed 16 law enforcement officers following ineffective applications of CEWs. The policy implications of the findings are articulated. This is the first study to examine the use of deadly force following the ineffective use of TASER technology.
Panhandling income has not been well reviewed, though doing so would be beneficial for several reasons. Understanding beggar income may aid in addressing misconceptions about the activity, clarify the financial motivation for organized or forced begging, and allow for clearer comparisons to other kinds of shadow work like prostitution, binning, or selling drugs. This study presents a systematic review of panhandling income by using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis and PROSPERO guidelines to aid in identifying, screening, assessing, and including research that provides quantitative income information about panhandling. Income is adjusted for inflation, and international studies are converted to USD via standard exchange rate and via purchasing power parity values. Ultimately, 38 studies are included for final analysis. The 38 studies are divided into United States specific ( n = 15) and all other countries ( n = 23). In adjusted 2020 USD, the economic yield from panhandling is most often $2–$16 per hour, $20–$60 per day, and $200–$500 per month, substantial variation exists. Economic comparisons to other forms of shadow work and future research directions are provided.
Urban parks present difficult environments in which to analyze crime and disorder problems. We describe data collection and analysis of a limited evaluation of an intervention meant to reduce crime and disorder in an urban park through increasing park use. The case study uses an urban park in the municipality of Anchorage, AK. The research method took into account differing activity spaces within the small (one-city block) park by dividing the park into a dozen distinct zones based on the built environment and how people used the space. Consistent with prior research, we found that increasing park usage decreased crime and disorder and that disorder was associated with a lack of natural surveillance. Moreover, research shows urban parks are frequently the site used by many groups-parks are contested space.
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