NIJ Research Review Volume 4, Issue 2

• NCJ Number: 199619
• Date Published: September 2003
• Length: 6 pages
• Agencies: NIJ
• Publication Type: Report (Annual/Periodic)

Annotation

This National Institute of Justice (NIJ) Review contains short summaries of significant research findings from NIJ-funded projects and a listing of titles from other recent funded projects.

Abstract

The selected summaries of recent NIJ-funded research findings include studies of homicide, violence against women, civil remedies for drugs and crime, gun purchases by felons, and delinquency prevention in schools. One of the studies on domestic violence found that abused women who lived in neighborhoods characterized by strong social cohesion were no more likely to seek help or leave the violent relationship than abused women who lived in neighborhoods with weak social cohesion. As such, community crime prevention techniques may reduce street crimes but do little to reduce domestic violence. Another study entitled, “Diffusion Processes in Homicide,” found that greater availability of guns to youths was the primary variable in the increase in youth homicides in the mid-1980’s. Other direct and indirect factors contributing to the increase in youth homicides included the crack markets and youth gangs. Another study on felons who attempt to purchase guns discovered that offenders who tried to buy guns had an average of four arrests and one in seven offenders were arrested within 1 year of the attempted gun purchase. An evaluation of the Safe Streets Now! Campaign, which focused on civil remedies for drugs and nuisance problems, found that most of the cases were resolved without legal action. Through negotiation with property owners, most cases were won with little or none of the retaliation that had been feared. Another study assessed the role of law enforcement and community partnerships in helping children who have been exposed to domestic violence. Police officers, especially through community policing programs, play a pivotal role in seeking help for children in this situation; proactive responses from police and community service providers is essential. A study on the link between job accessibility and crime patterns indicates that when job accessibility is low, economic crime, violent crime, and drug offenses increase. Following the research summaries is a listing of other research projects. The title of the research, grant number, page numbers, author, and NCJ numbers are all listed. Finally, journal articles from 2002 of NIJ-funded studies are listed.