Volume 4, Issue 1, December 2002
ISSN 1096-4886 http://www.westerncriminology.org/Western_Criminology_Review.htm
© 2002, The Western Criminology Review. All Rights Reserved.
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Volume 4, Issue 1, December 2002 ISSN 1096-4886 http://www.westerncriminology.org/Western_Criminology_Review.htm |
Since its inception, the Western Criminology Review has lead the field in establishing high quality, on-line forum for the publication of important criminological research and debate. With the growing importance of inter-net based communications and dissemination of information, this journal will continue to offer innovative formats to permit advanced modeling of social phenomena. The weaving together of text, advanced graphics and hypertext expands the scholarly discourse beyond the scope what conventional journals can achieve. In doing so, electronic media have the potential to reach a larger, more diverse audience, extending the impact of criminological research beyond the confines of our field.
Under the leadership of Patrick Jackson, the WCR achieved its goals of reflecting local, national and international concerns. Past issues included items that discuss theory, policy and practice from an interdisciplinary perspective. In March of this year, Stephen Tibbetts and I assumed editorial responsibility for the WCR. While the journal continues to be housed at Sonoma State University, the Department of Criminal Justice at California State University, San Bernardino pledged to support the journal by providing technological support where needed through the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences Technological Staff, as well as, administrative support.
Over the next three years, we will continue to incorporate innovative applications to extend the reach of this on-line journal. In keeping with the prior academic dialogue, there will be an emphasis on developing and substantive issues in the field. We intend to continue this diverse agenda and maintain the quality of articles published to date. It is also imperative to continue the professionalism and efficiency with which the journal is produced.
To assist us in maintaining the reputation and integrity of the journal Patrick Jackson was invited to continue his involvement as Editorial Consultant. This is essential to ensuring the smooth transition of editorial responsibilities and the continued quality of the manuscripts published.
We are pleased to introduce our first issue as the new co-editors of the journal. Our hope is that the readers will find the articles and commentary to be interesting as well as useful, and we believe all of the papers make a significant contribution toward understanding crime and justice.
The first article examines the influences of being employed during adolescence on criminal offending. In this paper, John Wright, Francis Cullen, and Nicolas Williams use a sophisticated analytical approach toward examining such effects, and the model is tested and then replicated in two samples of youth.
In the next paper, Daniel Mears and Samuel Field employ data from the National Youth Survey to examine interactive effects between age and peer associations on delinquency. This study demonstrates the need to further specify the age-peer relationship in our theoretical models and to go beyond simply looking at direct, linear effects.
Rebecca Katz presents an elaborate framework and test of an integrated social capital theory of crime in the third study. Using data from the National Educational Longitudinal Study, Katz examines the importance of including concepts from developmental psychology in improving the specification of existing social capital models of behavior.
The fourth study, by Olga Tsoudis, includes a series of estimated path models in order to examine the influence of empathy in mock jurors' reactions. Tsoudis uses a unique methodological approach by simulating trials to determine the factors that influence important decisions by jurors in criminal cases, and her findings demonstrate the need for Affect Control theory to take empathy into account in such situations.
In the last study, James Brunet presents a new, more sophisticated Routine Activities model of crime, which integrates concepts from several other theories with the original elements of this opportunity theory. Furthermore, Brunet applies this model to the use of civil remedies in preventing crime.
This issue also includes a Commentary section that contains two book reviews, which examine recent books on contemporary issues in criminal justice. The first review, written by Anthony Carona, discusses Robert Weidner's I Won't Do Manhattan: Causes and Consequences of a Decline in Street Prostitution. Carona's review is particularly insightful due to his own experiences in dealing with prostitution. Also, Eric McCord reviews Brent Turvey's Criminal Profiling: An Introduction to Behavior Evidence, which is one of the most widely used textbooks for the growing area of forensic profiling.
Also included in this issue are the proceedings of the 29th Annual Conference of the Western Society of Criminology, which took place in San Diego last February. Not only are the conference schedule and paper abstracts provided, but also a transcribed version of Paul Cromwell's Keynote Address entitled, "The Blind Men and the Elephant: A Parable for Crime and Justice." This presentation was very inspiring at the conference, and we are honored to have the opportunity to publish it here.
Importantly, we have also included a call for papers for the 30th Annual Conference of the Western Society of Criminology, which will be held in Vancouver, British Columbia. We strongly encourage readers to consider submitting manuscripts to present at the meeting.
Gisela
Bichler, Ph.D.
Stephen Tibbetts, Ph.D.
California State University, San Bernardino