Hazardous Duty: Investigating Resistance to Police at the Point of Arrest Among Incarcerated Military Veterans

The link between military service and crime has been a subject of investigation for several decades. Although research has examined the likelihood of arrest, incarceration, and recidivism across military cohorts, relatively little is known about the circumstances surrounding police contact and suspect behavior at the exact moment of arrest. This is a critical oversight given that what transpires during an arrest can have a marked impact on downstream criminal justice outcomes, including access to diversionary programming like veterans treatment courts. Using a nationally representative survey of prison inmates, this study analyzes veteran and nonveteran self-reports of their arrest controlling for a host of relevant demographic, mental health, and criminal history variables. Findings indicate that veterans are significantly less likely to resist the police at arrest. These results provide further support to the sentiment that military culture and training can have a lasting behavioral influence on those who experience it.

Amerikanische Drug Treatment Courts – Eine sinnvolle Ergänzung für den Umgang mit betäubungsmittelabhängigen Straftätern in Deutschland?

Seitdem im Jahr 1989 der erste Drug Treatment Court in Miami gegründet wurde, haben sich Drug Treatment Courts nahezu flächendeckend über die Vereinigten Staaten von Amerika verbreitet. Das Phänomen der Drug Treatment Courts wurde auch international erfolgreich exportiert. In Deutschland sind die "Drogengerichte" in der kriminologischen sowie strafrechtlichen Literatur hingegen bislang kaum rezipiert worden. Drug Treatment Courts sind spezielle Justizprogramme, die betäubungsmittelabhängigen Straftätern alternativ zum traditionellen Strafverfahren die Teilnahme an einer justiziell überwachten Therapie anbieten. Drug Treatment Courts gelten damit als Unterfall der Problem-Solving-Courts. Während Drug Treatment Courts von Praktikern entwickelt wurden, bietet die Theorie der Therapeutischen Jurisprudenz ein wissenschaftliches Fundament. Der Beitrag beleuchtet die Institution der U.S.-amerikanischen Drug Treatment Courts und diskutiert das Konzept als Ergänzung deutscher Regelungen zum Umgang mit betäubungsmittelabhängigen Straftätern.

Veteran Treatment Court Clients’ Perceptions of Procedural Justice and Recidivism

Studies surrounding the effectiveness of veterans’ treatment courts (VTCs) are now emerging. Absent from this scholarship is an examination of the presence of procedural justice within VTCs and the influence of procedural justice on future criminal behavior of VTC clients. To begin this dialogue, this study surveys 41 clients enrolled in two VTCs in a Southern state. We explore client perceptions of procedurally just treatment by their judge and assigned supervision officer. Using an average follow-up time of 20 months, this study also examines the effects of perceptions of procedural justice on recidivism of court clients. Results find VTC clients perceive their judge and supervision officer treat them in a procedurally just manner. Interestingly, perceptions of procedural justice during interactions did not result in reduced recidivism among the current sample. Policy and program implications along with recommendations for future research are provided.