Papers by Lisa Stolzenberg
Using data drawn from the Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring Program, from the Drug Enforcement Admin... more Using data drawn from the Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring Program, from the Drug Enforcement Administration's System to Retrieve Information from Drug Evidence, and from the 1990 Census, this study examined whether an arrestee's probability of testing positive for cocaine use varied across aggregate levels of cocaine price. Results from a Hierarchical Generalized Linear Modeling analysis revealed that in cities where the price of cocaine was relatively high, arrestees had a lower probability of testing positive for cocaine use. Specifically, a 10 percent increase in the price of cocaine was associated with a 3 percent decrease in the odds that an arrestee would test positive for cocaine use. Findings also showed that individuals arrested for incomegenerating crimes did not have a higher probability of testing positive for cocaine when the price of cocaine was relatively high. Thus, it appeared that higher cocaine prices were not inducing users to amplify their criminal activity in order to finance a more costly drug addiction. Finally, results failed to furnish support for the hypothesis that individuals substituted opiates or marijuana when cocaine became more expensive.
Social Science Research, Jun 1, 2005
... The constitutional exemptions afforded private police concern many individuals and have ledBa... more ... The constitutional exemptions afforded private police concern many individuals and have ledBayley and Shearing (1996, p. 595) to write that, “private commercial policing and community-based private security, … are apt to be more intrusive, premonitory, and presumptive ...
Journal of Criminal Justice, Jul 1, 2022
Crime & Delinquency, Mar 31, 2009
On March 1, 2005, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the execution of offenders under the age of 1... more On March 1, 2005, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the execution of offenders under the age of 18 at the time of their criminal offense was unconstitutional. Although many welcomed this decision, some individuals still remain concerned that the elimination of the specter of capital punishment will inevitably increase homicidal behavior among juveniles by reducing the prospect of deterrence. Using monthly data from the Supplemental Homicide Reports and a multiple time-series research design, the authors investigate the impact of the Roper v. Simmons decision on homicides perpetrated by juveniles in the 20 states affected by the law. Maximum likelihood results reveal that the repeal of the juvenile death penalty has had no effect on juvenile homicidal behavior.
American Journal of Criminal Justice, Jun 16, 2016
We use National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) data and an AutoRegressive Integrative Mo... more We use National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) data and an AutoRegressive Integrative Moving Average (ARIMA) study design to investigate the effect of moon illumination on reported crime occurring outdoors between the hours of 10 pm to 2 am in 13 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. Prior research analyzed a confounded dependent variable that amalgamated indoor and outdoor crimes. This situation is problematic in that there is little reason to speculate a relationship between moon illumination and indoor crime because artificial illumination is used within dwellings. Findings show that while moon illumination has little influence on total crime and indoor crime, the intensity of moonlight does have a substantive positive effect on outdoor criminal activity. As moon illumination intensifies, outdoor crime increases markedly. Plausible explanations for this relationship are discussed.
Terrorism, 1990
Abstract The Jewish Sicarii, active during the Roman imperial period, are considered by many to b... more Abstract The Jewish Sicarii, active during the Roman imperial period, are considered by many to be the world's first political terrorists. The Sicarii rejected not only Roman dominance over Judea, but all mortally imposed authority. They effectively used assassination and kidnapping to incite a Jewish uprising against Rome. Once war was inevitable, the Sicarii vied against other extremist factions for sole leadership of the rebellion. When they proved unsuccessful, they fled Jerusalem and sought refuge at Masada, where eventually they died at their own hands.
Journal of Criminal Justice, Jul 1, 2010
... Tolerance among the population for unconventional behavior is also magnified in these situati... more ... Tolerance among the population for unconventional behavior is also magnified in these situations (Greenberg, Kessler, & Logan, 1979). ... it is capable of producing more detailed, accurate, and meaningful data than that generated by the UCR (see [D'Alessio and Stolzenberg ...
American Journal of Criminal Justice, Feb 10, 2012
Using yearly state-level data drawn from a variety of different sources and a pooled cross-sectio... more Using yearly state-level data drawn from a variety of different sources and a pooled cross-sectional time-series research design, we examine whether conjugal visitation attenuates sexual violence in prison. The determination of whether sexual violence in prison is less apt to transpire in states that allow conjugal visitation is theoretically relevant. Feminist theory argues that conjugal visitation has little if any influence on the occurrence of rape and other sexual offenses in prison, notwithstanding the gender of the offender and victim, because such offenses are crimes of power that are employed by the offender as an instrument to dominate and humiliate the victim. On the other hand, sexual gratification theory postulates that conjugal visitation provides inmates with a means of sexual release. Therefore, conjugal visitation should reduce sexual offending in prison. Results support sexual gratification theory by showing that states permitting conjugal visitation have significantly fewer instances of reported rape and other sexual offenses in their prisons. The policy implications of these findings are discussed.
Journal of Criminal Justice, Sep 1, 2004
... with that of males (Adler, 1975). Along similar lines, Hagan, Gillis, and Simpson (1985) adva... more ... with that of males (Adler, 1975). Along similar lines, Hagan, Gillis, and Simpson (1985) advanced the view that female crime levels were a product of class position and parental control. Specifically, they maintained that parents ...
Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, Sep 15, 2014
From January 1979 to December 2009, the Maoist insurgent Shining Path committed a total of 9,034 ... more From January 1979 to December 2009, the Maoist insurgent Shining Path committed a total of 9,034 violent acts in a concerted attempt to topple the Peruvian government. These acts of violence included bombings, armed assaults, and assassinations. The Shining Path's leader Abimael Guzmán was captured by the Peruvian government on 12 September 1992. Using quarterly data and an interrupted times-series AutoRegressive Integrative Moving Average (ARIMA) study design, we investigated the effect of Abimael Guzmán's capture on the ability of the Shining Path to wage its war against the Peruvian government. Maximum-likelihood results revealed that the frequency of terrorist acts committed by the Shining Path dropped by 143 incidents per quarter a short time after Guzmán was captured. The analysis also evinced a positive relationship between the lethality of attacks and the frequency of the Shining Path's terrorist activity. We conclude that targeted capture shows some promise as an effective counterterrorism strategy, at least for terrorist groups such as the Shining Path that have a top-down type of organizational structure.
Police Quarterly, Jun 27, 2020
A unique dataset is analyzed to investigate the effect of a criminal suspect's prior criminal rec... more A unique dataset is analyzed to investigate the effect of a criminal suspect's prior criminal record on the probability of arrest. Multivariate logistic regression results show that a criminal suspect with a prior criminal record is approximately 29 times more likely than a suspect without a criminal record to be arrested by police. While findings also reveal that Black suspects and Black suspects with a prior criminal record do not have an enhanced proclivity of arrest, Black suspects with a prior criminal record who target White victims are almost three times more apt to be arrested. When juxtaposed with the finding in the baseline model of a substantive relationship between a suspect's race and the likelihood of arrest absent the control for prior criminal record, our results suggest that any correlation evinced between a criminal suspect's race and the likelihood of arrest without controlling for the suspect's prior criminal history may be spurious due to omitted variable bias.
Journal of Criminal Justice, 1993
... J Crim Just 16:2533. Hills, SL (1971). Crime, power, and morality: The criminal law process i... more ... J Crim Just 16:2533. Hills, SL (1971). Crime, power, and morality: The criminal law process in the United States. New York: Chandler. 76 STEWART J. D'ALESSIO and LISA STOLZENBERG Holmes, MD; Daudistel, HC; and Farrell, RA (1987). ...
Race and Social Problems, Sep 13, 2020
Although research finds that police are more apt to employ force against black criminal suspects,... more Although research finds that police are more apt to employ force against black criminal suspects, empirical evidence for this relationship is derived entirely from analyses that only account for factors associated with the police-citizen encounter. If racial disparities exist in how citizens view the police prior to the citizen-police encounter, then any observed nexus between a criminal suspect's race and police use of force will suffer omitted variable bias. We indirectly test this thesis by examining whether a black criminal suspect has an enhanced proclivity to injure either a black or white police officer during an assault. Results show that black suspects are no more likely than white suspects to injure black or white police officers.
Crime & Delinquency, Oct 29, 2020
It is proffered that incarcerating offenders will not attenuate criminal activity because new off... more It is proffered that incarcerating offenders will not attenuate criminal activity because new offenders are readily available to supplant those who are imprisoned. This situation, referred to as offender replacement, is mostly applicable for drug selling crimes where a market for illegal drugs exists. We hypothesize that if the incarceration of established drug offenders attenuates competition and creates a fertile environment for novice drug dealers to enter the market, a rise in the drug incarceration rate should increase the likelihood of first-time drug selling behavior. Using a multilevel modeling procedure, we find that a one-unit increase in the drug incarceration rate results in a 15% rise in the odds of a first-time offender being prosecuted for a drug-selling crime.
International Journal of Drug Policy, Dec 1, 2019
Background: Many Americans rely on opioids at varying dosages to help ameliorate their suffering.... more Background: Many Americans rely on opioids at varying dosages to help ameliorate their suffering. However, empirical evidence is mounting that opioids are ineffective at controlling non-cancer related chronic pain, and many argue the strategies meant to relieve patient suffering are contributing to the growing opioid epidemic. Concurrently, several states now allow the use of medical cannabis to treat a variety of medical conditions, including chronic pain. Needing more exploration is the impact of cannabis laws on general opioid reliance and whether chronic pain sufferers are opting to use cannabis medicinally instead of opioids. Methods: This study investigates the effect of Medical Marijuana Laws (MML)s on opioid use and misuse controlling for a number of relevant factors using data from several years of the National Survey on Drug Use and Health and multivariate logistic regression and longitudinal analysis strategies. Results: Results provide evidence that MMLs may be effective at reducing opioid reliance as survey respondents living in states with medical cannabis legislation are much less apt to report using opioid analgesics than people living in states without such laws, net other factors. Results further indicate that the presence of medicinal cannabis legislation appears to have no influence over opioid misuse. Conclusion: MMLs may ultimately serve to attenuate the consequences of opioid overreliance. Background While numbers vary, it is estimated that up to 116 million Americans suffer from chronic pain (Institute of Medicine, 2011; Reuben et al., 2015), with concentration in the older adult population (> 40%) (Johannes, Le, Zhou, Johnston & Dworkin, 2010; Volkow & McLellan, 2016). Of this group, an estimated 5 to 8 million Americans needing long-term pain management (Reuben et al., 2015), or roughly between 8% to 30%, rely on opioids at varying dosage levels (Nuckols et al., 2014). Although opioids were originally reserved for patients with cancer-related pain, post-operative pain, and for patients needing palliative care, state medical boards over the past two decades have eased laws regulating the granting of opioid prescriptions. This loosening of opioid prescription laws has contributed to a dramatic rise in the public's use of opioids making it the most often prescribed analgesic in the U.S. (Volkow & McLellan, 2016). To illustrate, the issuance of opioid prescriptions increased from 76 million in 1991 to 219 million by 2011 (Reuben et al., 2015), and by 2014, 245 million prescriptions for opioids were dispensed from U.S. pharmacies not accounting for refills (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2015; Volkow & McLellen, 2016). This trend clearly parallels the movement by the medical community to manage chronic pain and lessen patient suffering. Further contributing to the widespread use of opioids is that there are few alternatives to deal with chronic pain, the recognition that patients have an endemic right to pain relief, advocacy by support organizations to use opioids, and the aggressive marketing by pharmaceutical companies (Manchikanti et al., 2012; Volkow & McLellan, 2016). Reliance on opioids is not without detriment. Opioid use has an associated cost of $560-635 billion in reduced work productivity, sick time, medication expenses, and medical care (Institute of Medicine, 2011; Reuben et al., 2015). Hospital visits for problematic opioid use are now quite common. Between the years of 2005 to 2014, opioid related emergency room visits increased 117% and associated
American Sociological Review, Jun 1, 1995
... The argument implicitly made in prior research that convicted felony offenders accurately rep... more ... The argument implicitly made in prior research that convicted felony offenders accurately represent the labor surplus seems theoreti-cally unconvincing in ... it is considered a more flexible and robust statis-tical procedure than regression time-series analysis (McCleary and Hay ...
Journal of Criminal Justice, 1997
The strong positive association between available capacity and incarceration rates has been inter... more The strong positive association between available capacity and incarceration rates has been interpreted by social scientists as consistent with one of two competing hypotheses: (1) that available capacity affects rates of incarceration or (2) that capacity levels respond to variations in confinement populations. Although these two alternative hypotheses imply different causal mechanisms, it has been difficult to adjudicate between them,
American Journal of Criminal Justice, Jun 24, 2014
The social stigma accompanying an official criminal record hinders the ability of an individual t... more The social stigma accompanying an official criminal record hinders the ability of an individual to acquire quality and stable employment, which is problematic because of the often reported nexus between unemployment and criminal behavior. Ban the box laws that limit an employer's use of criminal background checks during the hiring process are being established across the country to help integrate ex-offenders into the labor force. The current study investigates whether Hawaii's 1998 ban the box law reduced repeat offending in Honolulu County. Logistic regression results show that a criminal defendant prosecuted in Honolulu for a felony crime was 57 % less likely to have a prior criminal conviction after the implementation of Hawaii's ban the box law. By mollifying the social stigma attached to a criminal record during the hiring process, Hawaii's ban the box law proved to be extremely successful in attenuating repeat felony offending. Keywords Ban the box laws. Criminal record. Social stigma. Labeling theory The Stigma of a Criminal Record and Labor Force Participation Over 14 million arrests are made every year in the U.S. (U.S. Department of Justice, 2010). Criminal record histories often result from these arrests, with about two-thirds of all felony arrests resulting in a criminal conviction (Cohen & Kyckelhahn, 2010). It is estimated that more than one in four Americans currently has a criminal record (Rodriguez & Emsellem, 2011) and a large percentage of these individuals are black reflecting their much higher arrest rate as compared to whites. These criminal records can be readily accessed for a nominal fee by the general public, including employers, landlords and insurance companies among others via computer databases (Connerley, Arvey, & Bernardy, 2001). Millions of criminal background checks are conducted each year in the U.S.
Journal of Criminal Law & Criminology, 2004
Punishment is not inflicted by a rational man for the sake of the crime that has been committed-a... more Punishment is not inflicted by a rational man for the sake of the crime that has been committed-after all one cannot undo what is past-but for the sake of the future, to prevent either the same man or, by the spectacle of his punishment, someone else, from doing wrong again.-Plato, Protagoras I. INTRODUCTION Healthy debate persists as to the deterrent effect of capital punishment. Although an expansive and diverse body of research has accumulated that examines the effect of executions or execution publicity on murder rates, this research affords few definitive conclusions. On one hand, there is evidence that executions reduce murder levels. Empirical work by Ehrlich, Phillips, and Stack supports this view.' On the other hand, several studies fail to discern convincing evidence of a relationship. 2 Still others find a positive association.' These inconsistencies in the literature raise
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Papers by Lisa Stolzenberg