Duration-Weighted Exposure to Neighborhood Disadvantage and Racial-Ethnic Differences in Adolescent Sexual Behavior.

Racial-ethnic disparities in adolescent sexual risk behavior are associated with health disparities during adulthood and are therefore important to understand. Some scholars argue that neighborhood disadvantage induces disparities, yet prior research is mixed. We extend neighborhood-effects research by addressing long-term exposure to neighborhood disadvantage and estimation bias resulting from inclusion of time-varying covariates.

Assessing the Delivery of the Thinking for a Change Program in Modified Formats: An Experimental Approach.

This paper evaluates whether participation in the Thinking for a Change cognitive behavioral program produces improvement in social problemsolving skills in a prison context. Data are derived from a randomized experiment, with a focus on whether improvement in social problemsolving skills varies across modified delivery formats, and whether improvements are attributable to program completion or program dosage. We find that there are significant improvements in social problem solving between the pre- and post-test, and that delivery of the curriculum using video conferencing technology or inmate co-facilitated formats produces equivalent outcomes relative to traditional classroom administration.

Prisoners' Personal Networks in the Months Preceding Prison: A Descriptive Portrayal.

This study examined personal networks of adult male prisoners ( N = 250) during a high-risk period prior to their incarceration. We present a descriptive portrait of network size, density, and relational type, and we then document the nature of ties within that network, focusing specifically on alters' criminal involvement, criminal opportunity, and reinforcement of criminal behavior. We found that prisoners' networks were large and dense, and that they were composed primarily of family and romantic partners.

Frequent Drug Use and Negative Employment Outcomes among the Criminally Active.

Background: Employment is a central component of economic independence and is widely viewed as an essential element of social control. Whether frequent drug use reduces the likelihood of employment or obstructs hours worked, wages, and job commitment is therefore an important question about which there remains uncertainty.

Methods: We improve on shortcomings of prior research through a monthly within-person analysis of a population at high-risk of both drug use and poor employment outcomes.

Verbal Ability and Persistent Offending: A Race-Specific Test of Moffitt's Theory.

Theoretical questions linger over the applicability of the verbal ability model to African Americans and the social control theory hypothesis that educational failure mediates the effect of verbal ability on offending patterns. Accordingly, this paper investigates whether verbal ability distinguishes between offending groups within the context of Moffitt's developmental taxonomy. Questions are addressed with longitudinal data spanning childhood through young-adulthood from an ongoing national panel, and multinomial and hierarchical Poisson models (over-dispersed).

Neighborhoods and racial/ethnic disparities in adolescent sexual risk behavior.

Understanding the determinants of racial/ethnic disparities in adolescent sexual risk behavior is important given its links to the differential risk of teen pregnancy, childbearing, and sexually transmitted infections. This article tests a contextual model that emphasizes the concentration of neighborhood disadvantage in shaping racial/ethnic disparities in sexual risk behavior. We focus on two risk behaviors that are prevalent among Black and Hispanic youth: the initiation of sexual activity in adolescence and the number of sex partners.

Reliability and Validity of Prisoner Self-Reports Gathered Using the Life Event Calendar Method.

Data collection using the life event calendar method is growing, but reliability is not well established. We examine test-retest reliability of monthly self-reports of criminal behavior collected using a life event calendar from a random sample of minimum and medium security prisoners. Tabular analysis indicates substantial agreement between self-reports of drug dealing, property, and violent crime during a baseline interview (test) and a follow-up (retest) approximately three weeks later.

Tobacco use by male prisoners under an indoor smoking ban.

Introduction: Most correctional facilities have implemented tobacco restrictions in an effort to reduce costs and improve prisoner health, but little has been done to evaluate the impact of these policy changes. Patterns of tobacco use among prisoners were explored to determine the impact of incarceration in a facility with an indoor smoking ban on tobacco use behaviors.

Methods: Recently incarcerated male inmates (n = 200) were surveyed about their tobacco use prior to and during incarceration.

Measuring tobacco use in a prison population.

Introduction: Widespread tobacco use and high interest in quitting make prisons an ideal environment for smoking cessation interventions; however, little has been done to assist prisoners in their efforts to quit. Valid measurement of tobacco use is a prerequisite to evaluation of cessation programs, yet there has been only one published examination of tobacco use measures among prisoners.

Methods: Tobacco use interviews were conducted with 200 male prisoners.

Gang Membership, Drug Selling, and Violence in Neighborhood Context.

A prominent perspective in the gang literature suggests that gang member involvement in drug selling does not necessarily increase violent behavior. In addition it is unclear from previous research whether neighborhood disadvantage strengthens that relationship. We address those issues by testing hypotheses regarding the confluence of neighborhood disadvantage, gang membership, drug selling, and violent behavior.