Voices from Criminal Justice

What better way to introduce today's students and tomorrow's criminal justice practitioners to the world of criminal justice administration than through a set of well-constructed ethnographic reports detailing the lived experiences of the participants in the process? This is a welcome addition to the field. — Malcom M. Feeley, Professor of Jurisprudence and Sociology, University of California at BerkeleyVoices represents a robust effort to understand the lived experience of criminal justice system participants. The ethnographic selections are engaging, readable, and expose students to the broad array of players. The book's unique insider/outsider perspective provides probing and incisive accounts of key issues facing the field today. — Bruce Jacobs, Professor of Criminology, University of Texas, DallasThe book brings various practitioners in the criminal justice system to life through ethnographic research. The collection puts a human face on the system and will draw students to the subject. It will also remind academics why they entered the field. — Ralph Weisheit, Distinguished Professor of Criminology, Illinois State University

• TABLE OF CONTENTSPrefaceAcknowledgementsIntroduction: Thinking and Reflecting on Criminal Justice IssuesHeith Copes and Mark PogrebinI. POLICEA. Practitioners Reinventing the Matron: The Continued Importance of Gendered Images and Division of Labor in Modern PolicingDon L. Kurtz, Travis Linnemann and L. Susan WilliamsKurtz, Linnemann, and Williams examine the historical role of the police matron and how the legacy continues to define women’s status in the current police and correctional workforce. A Qualitative Assessment of Stress Perceptions among Members of Homicide Unit Dean A. Dabney, Heith Copes, Richard Tewksbury and Shila R. Hawk-TourtelotDabney and his co-authors conducted an ethnographic study of homicide investigations in a large urban police department and focused on those occupational factors that cause job related stress. Racialized Policing: Officers’ Voices on Policing Latino and African American NeighborhoodsVera Sanchez, Claudio & Dennis RosenbaumVera Sanchez and Rosenbaum examine how police officers socially construct race within Latino and African American neighborhoods Vice Isn’t Nice: A Look at the Effects of Working UndercoverMark R. Pogrebin and Eric PoolePogrebin and Poole explore the consequences of working undercover for police officers. They show that working undercover has a significant impact on how police interact with informants, criminals, other officers, and their families. Reflections of African American Women on their Careers in Urban Policing Mark R. Pogrebin, Mary Dodge, & Harold ChatmanPogrebin, Chatman, and Dodge analyze the social-organizational relationships and interactions that relegate African-American police women as outsiders within their own police department.B. Outsiders Procedural Justice and Order Maintenance PolicingJacinta Gau and Rod BrunsonGau and Brunson explore the tension between procedural justice and order maintenance policing as it affects the self-reported experiences with police by young inner-city minority youth. Urban Youth Encounters with Legitimately Oppressive Gang EnforcementRobert DuranDuran concentrates on the relationship between police and gangs in two cities where suspected gang members perceive being stopped by police as racial and ethnic profiling. Sense-making and secondary victimizationPaul Stretesky, Tara O’Connor Shelley, Michael J. Hogan, and N. Prabha UnnithanStretesky, Shelley, Hogan, and Unnithan examine the perceptions of the families of cold-case homicide victims to determine their interactions and relationship with law enforcement detectives assigned to their case. Victims’ Voices: Domestic Assault Victims’ Perceptions of Police DemeanorJoyce Stephens and Peter G. SindenStephens and Sinden present the voices of domestic assault victims by eliciting their perspectives about and experiences with the mandatory arrest policy and police demeanor. We Trust You, But Not That Much: Examining Police-Black Clergy Partnerships to Reduce Youth ViolenceRod K. Brunson, Anthony Braga, David Hureau, and Kashea PegramBrunson and colleagues offer an understanding of the role police and black clergy play in formulation partnership in an attempt to improve community based crime prevention. II. JUDICIALA. Practitioners Representing the Underdog: The Righteous Development of Death Penalty Defense AttorneysSarah Goodrum, Mark Pogrebin, and Matthew W. GreifeGoodrum, Pogrebin and Greife explore the development and motivations of death penalty defense lawyers and the life experiences that lead them to this professional calling. How can you Prosecute those People? Paul ButlerButler, a former federal prosecutor discusses the debate about the ethics of defense work with that of prosecutor’s work and examines the problematic aspects of the prosecution role. 3. Calling Your Bluff: How Prosecutors and Defense Attorneys Adapt Plea Bargaining Strategies to Increased Formalization.Deidra BowenIn this article, Rowen focuses on new types of plea-bargaining models as compared to the more traditional models in the past.4. Examining the Death Penalty Insiders Perspective: Capital Bench and Bar Interviews Sherri DioGuardiDioGuardi examines experienced capital judicial participants (defense lawyers, prosecutors and judges) thoughts concerning the existence and use of the death penalty. 5. Maintaining the Myth of Individualized Justice: Probation Presentence Reports John RosecranceIn this article, Rosecrance argues that probation pre-sentence reports emphasize some offender characteristics more than others. He explains how a stereotyping process is used by officers who write these reports and how current offense and prior criminal history determine a pre-scripted sentencing recommendation.B. Outsiders Preparing to Testify: Rape Survivors Negotiating the Criminal Justice Process Amanda KonradiKonradi focuses on how victims of sexual assault prepare themselves for court appearances. She also discusses survivors’ views of the criminal justice process. Expecting an Ally and Getting a ProsecutorSarah GoodrumGoodrum explores, through an interactionist perspective, the families of homicide victims’ experiences with prosecutors and the criminal court system. Female Recidivists Speak about their Experience in Drug Courts while Engaging in Appreciative InquiryMichael Fischer, Brenda Geiger, and Mary Ellen HughesFischer, Geiger, and Hughes study woman drug-court program participants’ perceptions and evaluations of their current and past experiences while in the program. Jurors’ Views of Civil Lawyers: Implications for Courtroom CommunicationValerie P. Hans and Krista SweigertHans and Sweigert’s focus on the decision-making process of jurors serving on civil court trials and their opinions of trial lawyers’ courtroom behavior and communication skills. Engaging with Criminal Prosecution: The Victim’s PerspectiveMelissa E. Dichter, Catherine Cerulli, Catherine L. Kothari, Francis K. Barg, and Karin V. RhodesThese authors examine the barriers women who are victims of intimate partner violence face when participating with the prosecution as the most important witness in the court in their case. III. CORRECTIONSA. Practitioners Accounts of Prison WorkStan StojkovicIn his field study of prison correctional officers and their working environments, Stojkovic explores the accounts provided by officers when discussing their relations with prisoners, administrators and their officer peers. Sense-making in Prison: Inmate Identity as a Working UnderstandingJohn RileyRiley’s study observes the ways correctional officers in a maximum security prison formulate, communicate, and justify a shared understanding of the identity of inmates under their supervision. Gender and Occupational Culture Conflict: A Study of Women Jail OfficersEric Poole and Mark R. PogrebinPoole and Pogrebin offer a female perspective of sheriffs’ deputy corrections work in county jails. They discuss the various work-related issues that woman jailers face in their occupational role in a male dominated organization. Criers, Liars, and Manipulators: Probation Officers’ Views of GirlsEmily Gaarder, Nancy Rodriguez & Marjorie S. ZatzIn this study, the authors analyze the perceptions on female juveniles held by professionals involved in the juvenile court decision-making process. Construction of Meaning During Training for Probation and ParoleJohn CrankCrank examines the ideological changes in the training environment of probation and parole officers when a more punitive model of treatment for offenders was instituted in a peace officer training program in one state.B. Outsiders Denial of Parole: An Inmate PerspectiveMary West-Smith, Mark R. Pogrebin and Eric D. PooleWest-Smith, Pogrebin, and Poole examine parole decision-making from the point of view of those inmates who have been denied an early release by the parole board. How Registered Sex Offenders View RegistriesRichard TewksburyTewksbury assess the perceptions of sex offender registrants regarding the value of having these registries as a method of deterring future sex offense and maintaining public safety. Keeping Families Together: The Importance of Maintaining Mother-Child Contact for Incarcerated WomenZoann K. SnyderSnyder’s research examines incarcerated mothers’ attempts at maintaining relationships with their children through a visitation program. Employment Isn’t Enough: Financial Obstacles Experienced by Ex-Prisoners During the Reentry ProcessMark R. Pogrebin, Mary West-Smith, Alexandra Walker, and N. Prabha UnnithanOnce released to the community ex-prisoners face monetary debts incurred prior to their incarceration together with their mandated fees required by parole, which place them in an untenable financial situation. Navigating the Job Search after Incarceration: The Experiences of Work-Release ParticipantsAndrea CantoraCantora examines women who are residing in a community corrections facility and focused her observation on the difficulties they experience during their job search.