International Criminal Justice Review

Although shoplifting is one of the crimes with the smallest gender gap among all offense types, most studies still conclude that males steal from shops more frequently than females. The roots of the gendered distribution of shoplifting have not yet been satisfactorily explained. This work investigates whether situational action theory (SAT) can account for males’ greater involvement in shoplifting compared to females and if the propensity–exposure interaction that is at the heart of the theory applies to both genders. Results from a large-scale student survey conducted in Austria suggest that SAT generalizes to both genders and that it is well suited to explain why males are more likely to shoplift than females.

Using general strain theory (GST), this study examines negative stimuli (poor relationship with family, parental child abuse, and poor parenting), with the mediating effect of negative emotion (depression), on the deviant behavior of running away from home. The current study used data from a 2009 Korean survey of 9,750 adolescent students in a structural equation model, to examine the possible mediating role of negative emotions. The research results showed that a poor relationship with family and parental abuse increases the level of depression. Also, the level of depression that was experienced by juveniles influenced the likelihood of running away from home. Therefore, this study supported the GST hypothesis of negative stimuli impacting juvenile delinquency with a mediating effect of negative emotion. This study suggests that it is important to remove negative stimuli in the family environment to reduce depression and running away from home.

More than 100 municipalities across the United States have consolidated their police, fire, and emergency medical services into a single, consolidated agency. Typical reasons for such consolidation are to reduce costs or improve efficiency. As initial reasons to consolidate change or diminish, some agencies have deconsolidated, but many remained consolidated. In this work, we use perspectives of contingency theory and institutional theory of organizations to explore why agencies may remain consolidated. Using a mixed-methods approach, we first recruited two expert panels of consolidated agency leaders and others knowledgeable about consolidation and deconsolidation across the United States. From these experts, we gathered insight into a broad range of issues related to public-safety consolidation. We then conducted a series of seven case studies among communities chosen for their location and community features, interviewing agency executives and line staff as well as local officials. We found contingency theory helps explain why many of these agencies consolidate. We also found, as institutional theory would predict, that many conformed to standards of other bodies or even created their own “cultural” standards. This work highlights the importance of both theoretical perspectives in assessing the growth and persistence of these agencies.