K-9 Demonstration at Lander a Success!

Lander University held its first major criminal justice themed event on-campus November 6th when it invited the Greenville County Sheriff's K-9 Services Unit to visit the University. Thank you to Sgt. Osborne and Sgt. Wannemacher for making the event such a success. Between 200-300 students, faculty, and staff witnessed the K-9 Services Unit display how their dogs can locate illegal narcotics as well as help with locating people and lost items. Master Deputy Jim Leathers and "Hondo" were definitely the stars of the show as their chemistry and partnership were on full display at the event. This event was held to celebrate Lander University's new B.S. in Criminology program. Lander University is the only public university in South Carolina to offer such a degree. Special thanks go to Chief Eddie Briggs of the Lander University Police Department for all of their help in organizing the event. Read more about the event at GWDToday's website.

New Labeling Theory Research

New Labeling Theory Research 

Kroska, A., Lee, J. D., & Carr, N. T. (2017). Juvenile delinquency and self‐sentiments: Exploring a labeling theory proposition. Social Science Quarterly, 98(1), 73-88.

Lee, J. (2017). Contextualizing Informal Labeling Effect on Adolescent Recidivism in South Korea. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 0306624X17722785.

Crank, B. R. (2016). Accepting deviant identities: the impact of self-labeling on intentions to desist from crime. Journal of Crime and Justice, 1-18.

Lee, J. S., Tajima, E. A., Herrenkohl, T. I., & Hong, S. (2017). Effects of Formal and Informal Deviant Labels in Adolescence on Crime in Adulthood. Social Work Research, 41(2), 97-110. 

Besemer, S., Farrington, D. P., & Bijleveld, C. C. (2017). Labeling and intergenerational transmission of crime: The interaction between criminal justice intervention and a convicted parent. PloS one, 12(3), e0172419.

Chavez, J. M., & Rocheleau, G. C. (2017). Formal Labeling, Deviant Peers, and Race/Ethnicity: An Examination of Racial and Ethnic Differences in the Process of Secondary Deviance. Race and Justice, 2153368717727122.
 

Kavish, D. R. (2017). Book Review of "Labeling theory: empirical tests." Contemporary Justice Review, 20(3), 395-397.

Kavish, D. R. (2017). Policy Implications of Contemporary Labeling Theory Research. Critical Issues in Justice and Politics, 10(1), p. 45-54.

Caudill, J. W., Diamond, B., Karas, S., & DeLisi, M. (2017). Decoupling the Labeling Tradition: Exploring Gang Affiliation and the Application of Law. Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice, 15(4), 343-358.
 

Andress, M. B. (2017). The Impact of Court Ordered Sobriety: A Test of Labeling Theory. Honors Research Projects. 503.

Mesters, G., van der Geest, V., & Bijleveld, C. (2016). Crime, employment and social welfare: an individual-level study on disadvantaged males. Journal of quantitative criminology, 32(2), 159-190.

Cellphones, Internet, and the Classroom

I was one of seven experts recently asked to provide advice on how to balance time spent online and offline. I think this is important topic because many students are unable to even put their phones away for the entirety of a one hour class. Cell phones have increasingly become a distraction in my classrooms. For students that do not read as diligently as they are supposed to, the lecture might be the only chance they get to absorb material or have readings reinforced in another manner. However, if students are online while I am lecturing, then they will not adequately absorb and process the material being taught. Anyways, click the following link so you can read the 7 tips for balancing time spent online and offline.

• Thank you to the Safe Smart Social Team for publishing the original tips and story, Do Your Students Know How to Balance Time Spent Online & Offline, on April 6, 2017 in the Social Media Safety Blog.

 

The Importance of Attending Professional Conferences

The Importance of Attending Professional Conferences

There are many types of professional conferences in the fields of criminology and criminal justice. These conferences are sponsored by professional organizations. Two of the biggest organizations are the American Society of Criminology (ASC) and the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (ACJS). These are both international conferences with members from all over the world. ACJS is further organized into five different regions: Midwestern Criminal Justice Association, Northeastern Association of Criminal Justice Sciences, Southern Criminal Justice Association, Southwestern Association of Criminal Justice, and the Western Association of Criminal Justice. These regional organizations also host smaller regional conferences. ASC does not have regional conferences, but they do have interest-specific divisions within the organization that helps students and faculty members better network with other scholars that share similar research interests. Other organizations that host professional conferences for students and faculty to attend are the National Association of Blacks in Criminal Justice, Alpha Phi Sigma (The National Criminal Justice Honor Society), and the Western Society of Criminology.

These conferences provide many opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students. The most obvious advantage these conferences provide for students are the networking opportunities they provide. Conferences provide opportunities for students to interview for jobs or graduate school. I strongly encourage students to attend regional conferences to present their research papers, especially if they have conducted original research. I have noticed that students are often hesitant to attend or present at these conferences. This intimidation possibly stems from their own expectations of who will be at theses conferences, their perceptions of the high quality of work that others will be presenting at the conferences (students can be their own worst enemies), and sometimes simply because of their fear of public speaking. However, these are all perfect reasons why students should attend professional conferences. In my experience, especially at regional conferences, faculty and practitioners are largely supportive of student presenters and do their best to support and motivate students. I have personally attended some spectacular student presentations at ASC, MCJA, and the Southern Sociological Society (SSS). I was extremely nervous at my first presentation as a graduate student, and it was far from perfect, but I learned a great deal from that experience and it greatly boosted my confidence for future presentations. I firmly believe that students will quickly overcome their fears of public speaking after a student presents for the first time.

Professional conferences also look great on a CV for students about to enter the job market or for undergraduates thinking about applying for graduate school. Graduate schools consider many things when evaluating applicants for their programs. Most students think about GRE scores and their GPA. However, membership with a few of the aforementioned professional organizations, a record of presenting at professional conferences, or a scholarly publication will make you significantly stand out among other applicants because these things show professional engagement and highlight that you are capable of independent original research. If you start presenting at conferences early, then your CV will be stronger than many of your peers when you enter the job market (Yes, graduate school does eventually end, believe it or not). These professional memberships can even allow you to stand out among other applicants when applying for positions immediately after completing your undergraduate studies.

I strongly suggest looking into attending or presenting at a regional conference because these are often located within driving distance of the colleges students attend and are more financially feasible for students living on a typical graduate student budget. Many universities will even provide funding for students to present original research. I am proud to say that the Political and Social Sciences Department at Lander University has provided exceptional undergraduate students with opportunities to present their original research at various regional research symposiums and conferences sponsored by SSS. The great news is that we are not alone. Check with your dean, department chair, or faculty advisor to inquire about any potential funding opportunities that may exist for students to present or attend these conferences. In conclusion, students, push past your fears and go attend a conference near you. You will not regret it, and you will likely have a lot of fun. What can be more fun than a gathering of deviants that all study deviance?

APA Citation

APA CITATION AND WHERE TO GO FOR HELP

One of the most common issues I deal with as a teacher is students needing help with APA citation. APA is the citation style used by the American Psychological Association. APA citation is commonly required in many undergraduate and graduate social science programs. I was lucky and had professors that taught me APA early, and they regularly reinforced the importance of properly citing sources. Truly, APA citation is not as difficult as it appears. All it really takes, is practice and repetition. Occasionally, there will be some harder to cite sources that you come across (citing court cases immediately comes to mind), but those are rare and there are resources to help give you quick answers. I will review those resources shortly.

First, I want to warn against using websites or applications that cite material for you. I will not provide links to these sites because they are unreliable and consistently have errors. Plus, any little change in APA style might not be quickly reflected in these applications. In fact, there are some applications that have easy to spot problems that "out" the students using them when I am reading their papers. Plus, you go to college to learn, so you might as well learn APA citation.

So, where can you go for help?

• The best overall source for help with APA citation is without a doubt, the APA Purdue OWL (Purdue Online Writing Lab). I consider the Purdue OWL to be the best source of help for APA citation questions. They provide a user-friendly menu to find solutions for your problems, and also provide a "sample APA paper" that is very useful for comparing to your own research paper.

• Another decent source for help is the APA Style Help page. They also have their own blog.

• A third resource I have found is provided at Baker College's website. They have a useful APA Guide that includes links to APA tutorials and other resources. Again, I warn against using the links they provide for automatic citation applications.

 To conclude, APA may seem difficult to learn, but it is not ac scary as it may initially seem. While you may not ever truly master the citation style, you can easily learn the basics. As always, practice makes perfect. Thank you for reading.

For more information on my education, research interests, and publications, please check out Daniel Kavish on the web. you can also check out a short biography page for Daniel Kavish here.