Public Attitudes Toward the Police: Findings From a Dual-Frame Telephone Survey.

Using telephone survey data collected in Houston, Texas, this study explores the feasibility of a dual-frame (landline and cell-phone-only household samples) design survey in police studies and compares the corresponding characteristics of survey respondents and multiple measures of citizens' attitudes toward the police. It was found that a cell-phone interview with the same scope and length of a landline interview is indeed operationally feasible, albeit at higher cost and lower response rate. Compared with their landline counterparts, respondents in our cell-phone-only sample are younger, males, members of ethnic minority, renters, mobile, and less educated. No appreciable attitudinal differences among the respondents are observed between the two samples. In addition, substantive outcomes from multivariate regression models do not seem to be impacted by the types of phones used. Implications for future studies are included.

Testing For Measurement Invariance of Attachment Across Chinese and American Adolescent Samples.

Adolescent attachment to formal and informal institutions has emerged as a major focus of criminological theories since the publication of Hirschi's work in 1969. This study attempts to examine the psychometric equivalence of the factorial structure of attachment measures across nations reflecting Western and Eastern cultures. Twelve manifest variables are used tapping the concepts of adolescent attachment to parents, school, and neighborhood. Confirmatory factor analysis is used to conduct invariance test across approximately 3,000 Chinese and U.S. adolescents. Results provide strong support for a three-factor model; the multigroup invariance tests reveal mixed results. While the family attachment measure appears invariant between the two samples, significant differences in the coefficients of the factor loadings are detected in the school attachment and neighborhood attachment measures. The results of regression analyses lend support to the predictive validity of three types of attachment. Finally, the limitations of the study are discussed.

Criminal defense in Chinese courtrooms: an empirical inquiry.

Scholars in the field of Chinese criminal procedure law study have long decried the meager legal protection afforded to criminal defendants on trial and the hapless status of Chinese criminal defense attorneys in the courtroom. Unfortunately, very little empirical evidence was available to shed light on how criminal defense was carried out in Chinese courtrooms. Based on observations of 325 actual criminal trials from 55 District People's Courts in J province, this study provides an opportunity to understand the mundane work performed by Chinese criminal defense attorneys. In particular, this study describes how criminal defense attorneys prepare and present their cases (as measured in terms of bail request, overall trial preparation, examination of defendants and witnesses, presentation of evidence, and overall defense strategy), and analyzes the outcomes of their performance. In addition, this study examines the discernible impact of criminal defense work due to types of legal representation utilized (legal aid vs. privately retained attorneys), numbers of attorneys representing the client, and the gender composition of the attorneys.