MANSFIELD, PA—Mansfield University Assistant Professor Justin Crowl and Associate Professor and Department Chair Joshua Battin of the Criminal Justice Administration Department (CJA) co-presented research at the annual Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (ACJS) conference held in Denver, CO March 29-April 02.
The first session, “Urban Sprawl, Population Density and Crime,” which was part of a crime prevention and law enforcement panel, examined the effects of urban sprawl and population density in suburban and rural municipalities. Three models were created using data from the 2000 and 2010 U.S. Census and Uniformed Crime Reports for 142 municipalities, measuring the effect of municipal characteristics and population density on violent and property crimes. The results show that the traditional neighborhood characteristics measured in social disorganization research provide significant explanatory power for both measures of crime at the municipal level.
The second presentation, “Police Legitimacy and Student Fear of Crime: Do Lifestyle Activities Matter?,” examined the role of police perceptions and lifestyle activities on student fear of crime, utilizing lifestyle exposure theory as a guide. Research participants included undergraduate students at two state-funded major Midwestern universities. A comparative analysis was undertaken, whereby student fear of crime levels at both universities were examined to ascertain what factors influence this emotion-laden phenomenon. Results reveal support for several contextual and demographic fear of crime correlates. Implications and future research considerations were offered to conclude.
Also at the conference, Crowl served as a discussant for the roundtable “Trends in Policing: Interviews with Police Leaders across the Globe.”
Battin, as a member of the National ACJS Membership Committee, attended the annual meeting discussing strategies to market the organization and increase future annual conference participation.
To learn about studying CJA at Mansfield, go to cja.mansfield.edu