Measuring the Impacts of Policing Among Arrestees in New York City: Veracity of Self-reports, Deterrence Effects of Quality-of-Life Policing, and Net-widening (Video)

• NCJ Number: 190638
• Author(s): Bruce D. Johnson; Andrew Golub
• Date Published: November 2001
• Length: 0 pages
• Sponsoring Agency: National Institute of Justice (NIJ)
• Sale Source: US Dept of Justice
• Publication Series: NIJ Research in Progress Seminars
• Publication Format: Film
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Color VHS video, 1 hr.

Annotation

This is a video of Bruce Johnson's and Andrew Golub's presentation of the methodology and findings of their 1999 research on the effects of "quality-of-life" policing on a sample of arrestees in the five boroughs of New York City.

Abstract

The term "quality-of-life" policing refers to a focus on arrests for public-order offenses such as fare-beating, littering, urinating in public, trespassing, and smoking marijuana in public. The current study focused on a 1999 study of 892 arrestees in the five boroughs of New York City. They were administered instruments designed to provide answers to the following questions: Can arrestee's self-reports be trusted? Are offenders getting the message in "quality-of-life" policing, and how are they responding? Does "quality-of-life" policing widen the net of persons involved in the criminal justice system? Regarding the reliability of arrestees' reports on drug use and previous contacts with the justice system, urine-testing and a review of official records were used to confirm arrestees' information. The study found that arrestees who provided reasonably accurate information on their prior criminal justice contacts could be trusted on the reliability of other information. Regarding the impact of "quality-of-life" policing, the arrestees were aware of an increased focus on the behaviors targeted in this police strategy. Half of the arrestees reported that they had reduced such behaviors, largely due to the increased police public presence and attention to public-order behaviors. Most of the arrestees had prior contacts with the criminal justice system, so there was no significant evidence of net-widening. There was evidence that "quality-of-life" policing has provided an additional opportunity for police to intervene in the behaviors of individuals at risk for developing serious criminal careers. Future research is described by the presenters. Questions from the audience to the presenters are included in the video presentation.