By Robert A.LeVine and Donald .T Campbell

Origins and Purpose: The book originated from a 1958 seminar oninternational relations, highlighting the lack of cross-cultural data oninterethnic relations. It aims to address this gap by proposing acooperative research project on ethnocentrism.

Ethnocentrism Defined: Ethnocentrism is described as viewing one's own group as the center of everything, with other groups rated andscaled in reference to it. This includes attitudes, emotions, and collective actions that reinforce group solidarity and intergroup conflict.

Theoretical Framework: The book surveys various social science theories about ethnocentrism, focusing on cross-cultural variations in ethnocentric actions, institutions, ideologies, and attitudes. It aims to clarify contradictions and agreements among these theories.

Research Methodology: The authors developed a field manual for ethnographic research on ethnocentrism, emphasizing the importance of understanding both in group and out group dynamics.

John Wiley & Sons Inc., 1972, 310 pages

By Cyrus Harreld Karraker

Comparative Study: The document explores the role of the sheriff in 17th-century England and the Chesapeake colonies (Virginia and Maryland), highlighting similarities and differences.

Research Challenges: It discusses the difficulty in researching English and colonial records, noting the scattered and incomplete nature of sources.

Sheriff's Duties: The sheriff's responsibilities included court service, financial duties, and maintaining peace. The role was influenced by local conditions andevolved differently in the colonies.

Historical Context: The study emphasizes the importance of understanding the historical and institutional background to fully grasp the development of local government in the colonies.

University of North Carolina Press, 1930, 219 pages

By David Pozen

This book recovers a lost history of constitutional challenges to punitive drug laws. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, advocates argued that criminal bans on marijuana, cocaine, psychedelics, and other substances violate the U.S. Constitution’s guarantees of due process, equal protection, federalism, free speech, free exercise of religion, and humane punishment. Legal scholars and government commissions grappled with these arguments. State and federal courts endorsed them in pathbreaking rulings. By the 1980s, however, the movement for drug rights had collapsed, paving the way for the contemporary war on drugs and its disastrous consequences for racial justice, individual freedom, and public health. This study shows how constitutional law could have denied the drug war but instead became ever more defined by it—how a profoundly illiberal and paternalistic policy regime was assimilated into, and came to shape, an ostensibly liberal and pluralistic constitutional order. The book details the internal doctrinal dynamics and external cultural developments that first facilitated and then foreclosed challenges to drug prohibition. It explains how courts in other countries have curtailed punitive drug laws using a different approach to rights review. It evaluates the costs and benefits of the U.S. jurisprudence. And it considers potential constitutional paths still open to drug reformers today. In addition to offering a new perspective on the war on drugs, the book supplies a panoramic tour of many of the key features and failings, compromises and contradictions, of late twentieth-century American constitutionalism.

New York: Oxford University Press, 2024. 305p.

By Bart van der Sloot

Experts predict that in 5 years’ time, more than 90% of all digital content will be wholly or partially AI generated. In a synthetic society, it may no longer be possible to establish what is real and what is not. Central to this open access book are 4 technologies on the frontline of this trend: humanoid robots, deepfakes, augmented reality, and virtual reality. Although they are only in their relative infancy, these technologies can already produce content that is indistinguishable from authentic material. The impact of this new reality on democracy, the judicial system, the functioning of the press, as well as on personal relationships will be unprecedented. Van der Sloot describes the technological fundaments of each of those technologies and maps their positive uses for educational purposes as well as for the treatment of patients, for the entertainment and creative industries, and the retail and financial sectors. The book also conceptualises their negative uses for fraud, deception, exploitation, identity-theft and exploitation, and shows their deeper effects on the post-truth society, the privatisation of the public sphere, and the loss of individual autonomy and societal trust. The book evaluates how the current European legal paradigm applies to these technologies, focussing on the right to privacy and data protection, freedom of expression, procedural law, tort law, and the regulation of AI. It discusses regulatory alternatives to solve existing regulatory gaps and shows that there are no easy answers.

London: Hart Publishing, 2024. 296p.

By Giulia Raimondo

What are the human rights obligations of Frontex and its member states at the borders of Europe? Who is responsible when the rights of people crossing those borders are breached? Those are the main questions that this open access book addresses while exploring the evolution of the European integrated border management (EIBM). The mode of administration of European borders has become a complex and polymorphous affair involving multiple actors working at different levels, with different competences and powers. In this context, borders are no longer lines on a map but enmeshed in a tapestry of different actors and technologies. This evolution not only puts to test the relationship between territory and public power, but it also requires a different understanding of the responsibility for the exercise of that power by a panoply of actors. This book addresses the challenges related to the implementation of the EIBM and the human rights responsibilities that it can trigger. It entwines two separate but interlaced discourses: the first being a reflection on the concept of EIBM and its human rights impact; the second being the question of the attribution of international responsibility for violations that occurred in the implementation of the EIBM

London: Hart Publishing, 2024. 344p.

Reimagining Law for People and Planet

   Edited by Helen Dancer Bonnie Holligan and Helena Howe   

This open access book collects 11 reimagined judgments from the UK and challenges anthropocentrism in legal decision-making across a range of legal areas. It draws from a range of Earth law approaches including rights of nature, animal rights, environmental human rights, well-being of future generations, ecocide, and reinterpretations of existing legal principles. There is an urgent need to transform our legal institutions and cultures to foster healthier relationships between people and planet. The book explores how relationships between people, place, and the more-than-human world are produced, transformed, and destroyed through law, the limits of current law and the potential for positive transformation. A paradigm shift towards planetary, ecological and multispecies approaches offers possibilities for envisioning what the future of legal decision-making could look like. Beyond the judgments, the book critically reflects on the developing field of Earth law and its potential for reshaping legal reasoning in the UK and beyond. It also offers possibilities for the future of Earth law from scholarly, educational, and policy perspectives within legal practice, training and education. The book is a must read for scholars, students, legal practitioners and activists questioning the role of law and courts as mechanisms for change.

London: Hart Publishing, 2024. 304p.

Lynette J Chua (Anthology Editor) , Jack Jin Gary Lee (Anthology Editor)

This open access book explores law, politics, and inequality in fights against infectious diseases. Guided by a theoretical framework called “governing through contagion”, the studies in this book analyse how past and present governments have tried to combat contagious diseases, such as the bubonic plague, cholera, HIV/AIDS, and COVID-19.

They examine how these governments used law and other technologies, including waste management, mask-wearing, quarantine stations, house inspections, and the burning of entire neighbourhoods, to achieve their aims of protecting populations and ensuring productivity.

Although the studies recognise the power of the state, they simultaneously emphasise the active roles of technologies and creatures, drawing attention to the often-taken-for-granted workings of the non-human in public health governance. They also consider the implications of strategies of control on marginalised communities and democratic politics. Collectively, the studies in this book bring attention to the connections between COVID-19 responses by governments and their historical antecedents, shedding light on the role of capitalism, colonialism, and geopolitics in circulating contagions and the strategies used to control them.

London: Hart Publishing, 2024. 232p.

By Kate Stevens

Centering on cases of sexual violence, this open access book illuminates the contested introduction of British and French colonial criminal justice in the Pacific Islands during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, focusing on Fiji, New Caledonia, and Vanuatu/New Hebrides. It foregrounds the experiences of Indigenous Islanders and indentured laborers in the colonial court system, a space in which marginalized voices entered the historical record. Rape and sexual assault trials reveal how hierarchies of race, gender and status all shaped the practice of colonial law in the courtroom and the gendered experiences of colonialism. Trials provided a space where men and women narrated their own story and at times challenged the operation of colonial law. Through these cases, Gender, Violence and Criminal Justice in the Colonial Pacific highlights the extent to which colonial bureaucracies engaged with and affected private lives, as well as the varied ways in which individuals and communities responded to such intrusions and themselves reshaped legal practices and institutions in the Pacific. With bureaucratic institutions unable to deal with the complex realities of colonial lives, Stevens reveals how the courtroom often became a theatrical space in which authority was performed, deliberately obscuring the more complex and violent practices that were central to both colonialism and colonial law-making. Exploring the intersections of legal pluralism and local pragmatism across British and French colonialization in the Pacific, this book shows how island communities and early colonial administrators adopted diverse and flexible approaches towards criminal justice, pursuing alternative forms of justice ranging from unofficial courts to punitive violence in order to deal with cases of sexual assault.

London: Bloomsbury Academic, 2022. 304p.

by A. G. R U S S E L.L

● Focus on Race and Colour: The document explores the social and economic implications of racial differentiation, particularly within the British Colonial Empire, emphasizing the practical importance of these issues over physical differences.

● Historical Context: It discusses the historical development of racial issues, including the impact of European expansion and the Industrial Revolution on race relations.

● Colonial Exploitation: The text highlights the economic exploitation of colonies, particularly in Africa, and the profits made by European companies at the expense of native labor.

● Educational Challenges: The document addresses the educational disparities faced by colonized peoples and critiques the Western educational system for its failure to adequately serve these populations.

London. Gollancz. 1944. 273p.

By EUGENE L. HOROWITZ

● Study Focus: The research investigates the development of attitudes toward African Americans in white children, aiming for objective, verifiable, and significant results.

● Historical Context: The study highlights the historical evolution of attitudes toward African Americans, noting legal and social discrimination dating back to the 17th century.

● Methodology: The research employs three tests involving pictorial materials to measure children's attitudes, focusing on ranking preferences and imagined social situations.

● Findings: The study finds that prejudice begins early in childhood and is influenced more by societal attitudes than direct contact with African Americans.

NY. ARCHIVES OF PSYCHOLOGY. R. S. WOODWORTH, EDITOR. No. 194. 1916. 48p.

By W.D. Weatherford,

Addresses the complex issue of racial adjustment and is introduced by James H. Dillard. It explores the history and progress of Black people from Africa to America, highlighting the struggles and achievements in the face of adversity. The author emphasizes the importance of mutual understanding and trust between races to overcome racial antipathy and achieve social justice. Historical Context: The book provides a detailed account of the African background, the impact of slavery, and the ongoing challenges faced by Black people in America.

NEGRO UNIVERSITIES PRESS. NEW YORK. 1924. 483p.

By Willard Price

THE BLACK GIRDLE. If an inhabitant of Mars could see the Earth according to the color of its peoples, he could observe a broad black sash about the World's waist. The belt of black, within which most of the 140,000,000 black people of the globe live, follows the equator and spreads about twenty degrees to the north and the same distance south. It is not quite broad enough to take in the United States ith its 11,000,000 Negroesbut all the other important groupings of blacks in the world are within this tropical belt. It includes the 11,000,000 Negroes of Central and South America and the 10,000,000 of the West Indies. Most of the 100,000,000 Negroes of Africa are found within these limits….

NY. George H. Doran Co. 1925. 69p.

by John Hall

Retail theft is a complex issue with conflicting narratives. Some people believe that the problem is exaggerated by authorities and retailers who are struggling to keep up with a changing marketplace. Others point to personal experiences of theft and stores being repeatedly targeted by chronic offenders and organized crews. Unfortunately, traditional crime data sources don’t give us a clear picture of the situation.

This report explores the limitations of existing data and suggests ways for policymakers to get a better understanding of the problem. It uses New York City as a case study and shows how its challenges are similar to those in other cities. This paper also draws upon examples from other major cities that provide retail-theft  to highlight the commonalities and variations in how retail theft operates throughout the country and discusses some general strategies that could be used to address retail theft in cities across the country.

New York: Manhattan Institute, 2024. 20p.

By Alex Nowrasteh  

  Crime committed by illegal immigrants is an important and contentious public policy issue, but it is notoriously difficult to measure and compare their criminal conviction rates with those of other groups such as legal immigrants and native-born Americans. This policy analysis is the latest paper that attempts to resolve those data disputes by relying on detailed crime data from Texas. Over the 10-year period from 2013 to 2022, the homicide conviction rate in Texas for illegal immigrants was 2.2 per 100,000, compared to 3.0 per 100,000 for native-born Americans.  The homicide conviction rate for legal immigrants in Texas was 1.2 per 100,000. Illegal immigrants were 26 percent less likely than native-born Americans to be convicted of homicide, and legal immigrants were 61 percent less likely. Criminal conviction data for crimes other than homicide are included, but readers should interpret them with caution because the quality of the data is suspect. The conviction and arrest rates of illegal and legal immigrants, separately and together, were lower than those of native-born Americans for homicide and all crimes in Texas during the 2013–2022 period 

 Policy Analysis no. 977  

Washington, DC: Cato Institute, 2024. 12p. 

By Donald S. Kenkel, Alan D. Mathios, Revathy Suryanarayana, Hua Wang, Sen Zeng, & Grace N. Phillips

 After more than a decade of public discussion, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has proposed a prohibition on menthol cigarettes. Menthol cigarettes contain tobacco with natural menthol from mint or synthetic menthol added as a flavoring. Menthol and nonmenthol cigarettes contain similar amounts of nicotine and tar. A prohibition on menthol could have significant implications for public health policy. According to the FDA, almost 19 million people smoke menthol cigarettes, and if they continue to smoke, many of them will die from heart disease, lung cancer, or other smoking-related diseases. The FDA sees the prohibition of menthol cigarettes as a targeted step to prevent young people from smoking, help more current smokers quit, and address tobacco-related health disparities. However, there could be unintended consequences if illegal markets for menthol cigarettes emerge as a result of the prohibition. These illegal markets could not only undermine the intended goal of reducing smoking but also raise concerns about racial justice. Almost 85 percent of black smokers primarily use menthol cigarettes, compared with 30 percent of white smokers. The World Bank has cited a consensus estimate that 10 percent of global cigarette consumption comes from illegal trade, and a National Academy of Sciences study concludes that illicit sales make up between 8.5 percent and 21 percent of the total US cigarette market. In the United States, illicit cigarette sales reflect two significant forms of tax avoidance. First, smokers in states with high cigarette excise taxes purchase cigarettes in states with lower taxes or from Native American reservations that are exempt from state taxes. Second, smokers in some large cities purchase cigarettes from illegal retail or street markets, where most of the supply comes from jurisdictions with lower taxes. The existence of illegal cigarette markets has raised concerns that unequal enforcement will lead to racial injustice, especially after the death of Eric Garner, who was killed by police while being arrested for selling illegal single cigarettes. If a national prohibition of menthol is implemented, consumers will no longer be able to avoid the ban by purchasing cigarettes across state lines. The FDA, therefore, concluded in its preliminary regulatory impact analysis that the impact of menthol prohibition on the illicit   cigarette market would not be significant.  

Washington, DC: Cato Institute, 2024. 2p.

By Julia Laskorunsky, Lily Hanrath, and Kelly Lyn Mitchell 

This research memo provides an overview of the findings from the examination of alignment between supervision conditions and risk and needs for individuals released on parole in Iowa. This work was done as part of the Aligning Supervision Conditions with Risk and Needs (ASCRN) project, which aims to identify opportunities for improving the effectiveness of parole by aligning conditions with individuals' criminogenic needs and risk level. The goal was to evaluate whether condition setting in Iowa reflected a Robina-developed model for setting conditions with Risk-Needs-Responsivity (RNR) principles, which includes incorporating risk level and using conditions to target criminogenic needs.1 In addition, this report summarizes the changes made by the Iowa Board of Parole to their conditions in 2023. The analysis in Iowa revealed several key findings: 1. The overwhelming majority of parole conditions given in Iowa are made up of standard conditions that are applied to all individuals on parole, regardless of their risk level. Standard conditions fail to reflect the variations in risk and needs among individuals, and they often do not provide targeted support for behavioral change. 2. In line with RNR principles, individuals with higher risk levels tend to receive a greater number of additional conditions in the regular parole group. However, this was not the case with the special sentence (i.e., sex offender supervision) parole group. 3. Though most individuals released on parole in Iowa had a risk assessment, the majority were not given a needs assessment. Thus, most individuals on parole had their conditions set without the consideration of their criminogenic needs in an actuarial format. 4. There is a lack of alignment between conditions and needs in certain areas, such as substance abuse, impulse control, problem-solving skills, and employment. Some individuals receive targeted conditions they don't need, according to their assessments, while others who show a high need in these areas don't receive the necessary targeted conditions. 5. A significant portion of revocations are due to technical violations of conditions rather than new criminal behavior. Based on these findings, recommendations are made to improve the alignment between supervision conditions and risk and needs factors. These recommendations include minimizing standard conditions, individualizing additional conditions based on criminogenic needs, utilizing evidence-based approaches to address needs, ensuring access to comprehensive needs assessment information for parole board members, and keeping conditions to the minimum necessary to ensure compliance and assist with rehabilitation. In 2023, partially as a result of our work together, the Iowa Board of Parole removed low-value conditions that did not assist with public safety and rehabilitation and shifted several targeting conditions from the standard conditions list to the special conditions list to allow for better individualization.  

Minneapolis: Robina Institute of Criminal Law and Criminal Justice , 2024. 32p.

By Kelly Lyn Mitchell and Ebony L. Ruhland 

Study Purpose This report is one in a series of reports for the Aligning Supervision Conditions with Risk and Needs (ASCRN) project, the goal of which was to reduce probation and parole revocations and reorient community supervision toward promoting success by changing the way probation and parole conditions are imposed. The hypothesis for this project was that if probation and parole conditions targeted individuals’ criminogenic needs and were based upon risk level, individuals on supervision would be more successful.1 To learn about the condition-setting process for probation and parole, we worked with three sites: the Iowa Board of Parole, the Connecticut Board of Pardons and Paroles, and the Kansas Department of Corrections and Johnson County Court Services. This report sets forth our findings across all three sites. Conclusions 1. Parole Boards and Judges Played a Less Significant Role in Setting Conditions Than Expected As we started this project, our hypothesis was that parole boards and judges would be key actors in setting conditions. However, this proved not to be the case in the three sites included in this study. The parole boards relied heavily on standard conditions, so most parole conditions were passively rather than actively imposed. The judges relied on plea negotiations, which are initiated by prosecutors; therefore, prosecutors rather than judges played a key role in setting probation conditions. 2. Most Conditions are Set by Rote In both Connecticut and Iowa, the parole boards relied heavily on standard conditions, which were imposed automatically. Moreover, standard conditions made up the majority of conditions imposed; therefore, most parole conditions were set by rote rather than being individualized to the person being granted parole. In the Kansas probation site, most interviewees described standard conditions as the conditions that are fre quently imposed based on offense type or routine. Kansas has a unique law allowing any conditions to be adjusted by the judge, and there was evidence that this authority was sometimes used. But the overall driving factor in setting conditions appeared to be routine, indicating that conditions are not individualized to the person. 3. Conditions Reassure Authorities When Making Decisions that Involve Risk Interviewees across all three sites, in the contexts of parole and probation, saw supervision conditions as a way to mitigate the risk of reoffense and reassure themselves that they were making good decisions. Within the context of the parole release decision, parole board members felt pressure to make good release decisions. Conditions helped to bolster parole board members’ confidence that they were making good release decisions by placing additional restrictions and limits on parolees’ behavior. Within the context of plea negotiations, prosecutors were seeking to resolve the case, but in a way that imposed adequate punishment and accountability for the offense. In cases where probation seems riskier than incarceration, including conditions as part of the plea negotiation helps reassure prosecutors by placing limits or requirements on the person’s behavior. 4. Parole Boards, Prosecutors, and Judges Lacked a Feedback Loop for Understanding the Effects of Their Decisions Though everyone that participated in the interviews for this project had clear ideas about what they perceived conditions should do, most had little to no idea if the conditions they imposed or recommended actually accomplished those purposes. Instead, interviewees in every jurisdiction indicated that they lacked a feedback mechanism to understand whether parole or probation has positive or negative effects, or more specifically, whether the conditions they imposed had such effects. Because these individuals did not receive any feedback, there was nothing to challenge or inform their professional judgment about which conditions to impose in different situations. Thus, as noted in the second finding, conditions continue to be assigned by routine, with little attention being paid to whether they are effective. 

Recommendations 1. Authorities that Set Supervision Conditions Should Review Existing Research on Supervision Conditions and Create Demand for Expanded Research As noted above, the authorities in the three sites we studied had no idea whether parole or probation has positive or negative effects, or more specifically, whether the conditions they imposed had such effects. The fact is, there is very little research on the effectiveness of specific parole and probation conditions. Though there have been some efforts to catalogue the research that does exist,2 efforts are only now beginning to make this information broadly available in the criminal justice field. To advance the effectiveness of parole and probation it is important that the authorities who set supervision conditions seek out and review existing research. Equally important is for more research to be done to guide decision makers so their practices can be more effective at promoting behavioral change to increase success and reduce recidivism. Parole boards, judges, and prosecutors can create demand for such research by insisting that their practices be evidence-based, seeking funding for research and evaluation, and partnering with researchers to test the effectiveness of their conditions. 2. Individualize Condition Setting Probation and parole are periods of community supervision during which individuals are subject to supervision conditions, which are requirements they must complete or follow. As shown in this report, most conditions are set by routine rather than being individualized to the needs of the individual. Interviewees utilized many different types of information to assist them in condition setting, and there was little consistency in their approach. The standard conditions also largely drove how interviewees set conditions, and thus were broad in scope rather than targeting individuals’ risks. However, conditions have the potential to be more effective if they are individualized to meet the needs of the individual. Conditions can serve as a mechanism for targeting a person’s criminogenic needs (factors that lead to criminal offending that can be changed with intervention) and promoting behavioral change to reduce reoffending. One way to accomplish this is to utilize risk-and-needs assessment tools to identify a person’s criminogenic needs, and to impose conditions that provide programming to target and address those needs.3 This method has greater potential to reduce an individual’s risk of reoffending than imposing a long list of conditions to reassure decisionmakers that they are making the right decision because it is aimed at addressing the behavior that places a person at a higher risk to reoffend. However, it is critical to provide adequate training to assist judges and parole boards in understanding how to translate assessment results to aid in condition setting and to evaluate the approach. 3. Establish a Feedback Loop Sentencing and parole release are decision points that may involve some risk. There is a risk that the person will reoffend. Authorities might be more confident in their decisions if they received regular feedback about outcomes, such as how the person did on supervision and what conditions helped them. Frequently, the authorities that set conditions only saw the failures—that is, those individuals who were returned for violations or reoffense. Regular information about the success of individuals on parole and probation, as well as more detail about the reasons other individuals failed parole and probation, could engender more confidence in their decision making, and potentially reduce their reliance on a multitude of rote supervision conditions. 

Minneapolis; Robina Institute of Criminal Law and Criminal Justice , 2024.  43p.

Kenneth Little

● This book emphasizes that history and social context are more influential than biological race in shaping cultural differences and racial attitudes. Racial prejudice is not innate but learned through socialization, often during early childhood.

● Global Examples: The book provides case studies from various countries, including South Africa, Brazil, Hawaii, and the United States, to illustrate different racial dynamics and policies.

● References: The document includes numerous references to works by various authors on race and society, providing a comprehensive bibliography for further reading.

UNESCO. 1958. 54Pp.

 By Fernando G. Cafferata, Patricio Domínguez, and Carlos Scartascini.

Amidst increasing gun violence and debates around gun control, understanding the psychological factors influencing gun ownership is crucial. Countries in the Americas differ significantly in terms of gun violence rates, gun control laws, and cultural attitudes towards firearms, providing a varied setting for exploring how individual biases interact with societal norms and regulatory frameworks to influence 

This study probes the intersection of overcon f idence—a cognitive bias where individuals overestimate their knowledge or capabilities— and attitudes towards gun ownership and use. A novel online survey of over 7,000 individuals in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and the United States was undertaken to measure overconfidence using both overestimation and overplacement indices, comparing subjects’ perceived abilities against actual performance and societal averages. The survey probed respondents' stances on who should carry weapons and their likely reactions in various crime scenarios, offering insights into the psychological factors influencing gun-related attitudes and preferences. 

The results indicate a strong correlation between overconfidence and the propensity to accept and use guns. Overconfidence, quantified through overestimation and overplacement, was found to be significantly associated with a greater likelihood of endorsing gun ownership and carrying. Statistically, an increase in over confidence indices corresponded to heightened approval for weapon carrying among different societal roles, including police, private guards, and ordinary citizens. As shown in the figure, an increase of one standard deviation on the overestimation index is associated with an average increase of between 0.03 and 0.06 standard deviations in the four outcome variables related to weapons carrying (police, security guards, citizens at home, and citizens in the street). These increments are all statistically significant. In other words, the higher a person overestimates his or her performance in answering general knowledge questions, the more he or she agrees that police, private guards, and citizens should carry weapons. Similarly, the principal component of overplacement is always positively correlated and statistically significant. A one standard deviation increase in overplacement increases between 0.04 and 0.07 standard deviations in all four outcome variables related to carrying weapons. This means that people who overplace themselves are more prone to accept gun own ership and carrying. The analysis additionally revealed that individu als with higher overconfidence are more inclined to declare that they would use guns when con fronting criminals and more likely to resist bur glary or robbery attempts. The findings under score that overconfidence is not just a personal Trait but significantly shapes societal attitudes to wards gun handling, ownership, and usage. This behavioral trait’s correlation with gun-related attitudes suggests that overconfidence could lead to preferences for less regulation and great er gun prevalence, potentially impacting public safety and legislative processes. The study’s ro bust results held across various analytical specifi cations, highlighting the strong predictive pow er of overconfidence on gun preferences.       

Washington, DC: Inter-American Development Bank

Corey Whichard, Heather Grob, Paige Wanner, Nathan Adams

The Reentry Community Services Program (RCSP) provides support services for adults leaving prison who have complex mental illness and who pose a danger to themselves or others. Individuals are eligible to receive up to 60 months of mental health services and housing assistance.

In this second and final report, we describe our findings that RCSP is associated with positive outcomes for participants, as well as positive monetary benefits for participants and others in society. We also find that the monetary costs of RCSP are higher than the expected long-term benefits. We found no evidence for promising features to add to the program that might increase its effectiveness.

We evaluated the RCSP by examining differences in reentry outcomes for a group of program participants and a comparison group of similar non-participants. We found that program participation is associated with improved outcomes, primarily during the first 6-12 months after prison release. During this period, RCSP participants were more likely to experience positive outcomes (e.g., mental health treatment and receipt of financial assistance) and less likely to experience negative outcomes (e.g., recidivism and homeless shelter use).

We conducted a benefit-cost analysis and found that relative to the comparison group, the RCSP returns $0.57 per dollar spent. In other words, the cost of the RCSP exceeds the benefits we can estimate, in part because program success leads to increased state expenditures. We were unable to monetize a reduction in homeless shelter use. We found limited evidence that extension of the RCSP to other populations would result in net monetary benefits to society.

Finally, we explored which components of reentry programs in the research literature are linked to reduced recidivism and could be modified in the current RCSP. Among the analyzed components, only medication assistance, already available in the RCSP, was associated with reductions in recidivism

Olympia: Washington State Institute for Public Policy.2024. 76p.