I'm Aaron Jacklin, and this is Explaining Crime, an independent newsletter that helps you explain crime to your audience.
Your First Five is a daily series (M-F) that publishes a curated selection of recent research related to crime and justice. Each post is more a tip sheet than an article and contains links to new studies (each related to a single topic) that I hope will enhance your work explaining crime. The publication schedule is in flux for the moment. (Still. Sigh.)
These new studies related to criminology and criminal justice were published recently by journals I monitor.
1. Do progressive prosecutors increase crime? A quasi‐experimental analysis of crime rates in the 100 largest counties, 2000–2020, published in Criminology & Public Policy.
Results show that the inauguration of progressive prosecutors led to statistically higher index property (∼7%) and total crime rates (driven by rising property crimes), and these effects were strongest since 2013—a period with an increasing number of progressive prosecutors. However, violent crime rates generally were not higher after a progressive prosecutor assumed control.
2. Is Boomtown Growth Associated with Crime in Suburban Areas?: Examining the Importance of Rapid Population Growth and Neighborhood Change for Crime in Frisco, Texas, published in American Journal of Criminal Justice.
The results indicate rapid population growth was not associated with changes in crime at the city level, but neighborhood level analyses suggest crime may became more concentrated in certain areas.
3. Intimate Partner Violence During a Public Health Crisis: Variations in Conflict and Post Conflict Contexts, published in Crime & Delinquency.
[Our analysis] revealed that experiencing pandemic stress (e.g., fears of the virus, vaccine issues, and health care concerns) and daily hassles (e.g., family issues, financial problems, and prejudice) increased the risk of physical and verbal abuse victimization in both countries.
4. Procedural Justice Spill-Over and Recidivism After Release From Prison, published in Crime & Delinquency.
Findings indicate that detainees who felt treated fairly by prison staff, perceived their probation officer to be fairer, and, subsequently, they had a lower likelihood of getting reconvicted. How prison staff are perceived by people in prison may impact those people’s perceptions of their probation officers which in turn may affect their offending behavior.
5. Health Crisis or Crime Surge? Assessing the Asymmetric Nexus Between Pandemic Uncertainty and Drug-Related Crimes, published in Crime & Delinquency.
The findings demonstrate that pandemic uncertainty decreases drug-related crimes in the Philippines, Venezuela, Peru, and Russia. Conversely, it showcases an increase in such crimes in Colombia, the USA, Nigeria, and South Africa.
I might cover some of these studies further in Understanding Crime. If one sounds interesting or important, let me know in the comments.
If you’ve seen a few of these posts and are wondering: Yes, I use a template. As I’ve mentioned elsewhere, these posts are intended more as tip sheets than articles. “These posts” and the directories (next coming Monday!) are the output of my research discovery system, which I’ve been working on and streamlining. That system is intended to furnish a wide variety of crime research and facilitate choices of what new research to actually report on, both for myself and for the journalists out there. I hope others will find these tip sheets interesting and useful for reasons that I haven’t even thought of.
I'd love to know if and how you've used Your First Five.