Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: This paper examines the question of refugees' security in camps by looking at the processing of violent disputes in Buduburam refugee camp in Ghana. Because of what Cuellar termed "the grand compromise of refugee protection" legal responsibility for the protection of refugees' safety while they are in camps is not clearly defined under international law. As a result, the UNHCR and the host state often deflect responsibility for protection to one another, and encourage the refugees to contend with their "brainless" security concerns internally. In Buduburam "private" institutions for dispute processing emerged in response to pressures from the "public" order, i.e., the Ghanaian government and the UNHCR on the refugees to avoid the Ghanaian legal system. However, Buduburam's large (40,000), transient, and ethnically divided community lacks the hierarchical social structure that provides "private" institutions with enforcement mechanisms in other contexts. Traditional power structures crumble in Buduburam due to living conditions in the camp and the UNHCR's educational efforts to promote human rights consciousness and individualistic attitudes. With a dysfunctional public order and mildly effective private institutions, Buduburam refugee camp is a site characterized by "private disorder" that invites a re-examination of theories about "private" orders.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: In recent years, it has been proposed that active police response to disorder has impacts on crime rates, especially in regards to violent crime (Kelling and Sousa, 2001; Sampson and Raudenbush, 1999; Sampson and Cohen, 1988). Some studies have shown that there is a relationship between crime and disorder; however, the direction of the relationship is still debatable (see Kelling and Sousa, 2001 and Sampson and Raudenbush, 1999 for opposite views). Additionally, the lack of evidence from longitudinal studies severely challenges the causal claim made by the Broken Windows thesis. The current study utilizes longitudinal methods to examine the relationship between police response to disorder and violent crime incidents across 16 years in the city of Seattle. The availability of longitudinal data will help to differentiate whether the relationship between disorder policing and violent crime is causal or spurious. Some criminological theories predict causal link between violent crime and disorder (i.e., Broken Windows thesis) and others suggest that this relationship is spurious (i.e., Social Disorganization by Sampson, 2002). In this study, I test the validity of some major criminological theories based on their predictions regarding the relationship between crime and disorder trends.

Publication Type: Symposium Paper
Abstract: Antisocial Personality Disorder (APD) requires a retrospective diagnosis of conduct disorder before age 15; however, many adults with antisocial behavior do not meet these criteria, leaving these individuals in “diagnostic limbo.” Using data on 1353 juvenile detainees assessed at baseline and 6.8 years later, this study examines differences between those with APD, adult antisocial behavior without a retrospective conduct disorder diagnosis (AAB), and neither APD nor AAB (“None”). In general, significant differences between the groups were found for prevalence of mental and substance use disorders, functional impairment, and self-reported crimes. The findings argue for changes to APD in the DSM-V.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: While worries about increased violence and disorder in U.S. schools seem to be based upon media hype and misperceptions as much as upon actual events, it is a fact that many students, parents, educators, policymakers, and researchers are concerned about school climate and the safety of students and teachers (Anderson 1998; Arum 2003; Edwards 2001). When a school environment is characterized by social disorder and/or physical risk, basic educational goals and processes are jeopardized and, in fact, are likely to become secondary concerns of students and educators. This paper builds upon theories and insights into social order and disorder that have come from studies of neighborhoods, as well as studies of school climate. With survey data from 33 public schools serving grades six through eight in a large mid-Atlantic city, quantitative models are estimated to shed light on the relationships (arguably causal, in many instances) among physical disorder (e.g., broken windows and poor building conditions), fear, collective efficacy, and social disorder. Our interest is in better understanding the conditions and/or social processes that may lead to high or low levels of perceived social disorder in schools.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: In neighborhoods, disorder is what residents, non-residents, police officers, and lawmakers use to gage quality, safety, and neighborhood potential. Unfortunately, not all individuals see disorder in the same way—some disorder cues may be more salient to certain people (Sampson and Raudenbush 2004; Taylor 2001). Current research in sociology and criminology disagrees as to how important these differences are (Skogan 1995; Taylor 2001; Sampson and Raudenbush 2004), which provides little understanding as to why differences in perception occur. The “fear of crime” literature also suggests individuals most fearful of crime should also be the most concerned about disorder. Using data from Taylor’s (1996) study, this paper investigates the individual demographic and socioeconomic predictors of disorder perceptions while accounting for neighborhood qualities. While neighborhood characteristics strongly predict disorder, they do not eliminate significant individual effects. Results show that Blacks, homeowners and those in larger households perceive less disorder. On the contrary, younger, married, and college-educated individuals, as well as victims of burglary, perceive more disorder. These results suggest that the theoretical conceptions of who should perceive disorder does not cleanly map onto the characteristics of who actually does, even when taking into account the neighborhood context of individual perceptions.