Jessica M Craig
Biographic Data
| ID | 3797997 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Jessica M Craig |
| GIVEN NAMES | Jessica M |
| FAMILY NAME | Craig |
| SIGNATURE | CRAIG J M |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of North Texas |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-5418-0834 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 31 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 85 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 31 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2013 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 6 |
From ACEs to Action
Justice system prevention research has focused heavily on risk factors, overlooking how positive psychological assets may protect vulnerable youth. This study addresses that gap by testing whether optimism mediates the relationship between childhood adversity and arrest in emerging adulthood, and whether this pathway differs by sex. Using data from 2,990 participants in the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study, adversity was measured at a…
Gender-Based Violence Concerns, Trust in Police and Support for Defunding the Police
Public opinion research has yet to fully consider the various contexts in which people evaluate calls to defund the police and how those contexts may relate to or interact with popular constructs like trust in police. Because Americans are socialized to view police as the primary response to gender-based violence, people concerned about gender-based violence may perceive that defunding would negatively impact responses to this issue. Using a nati…
The Association Between Adverse Childhood Experiences and Different Types of Offending Behavior
Research has established a relationship between trauma exposure, often conceptualized as Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), and offending, with some evidence suggesting that both trauma and offending can be transmitted from one generation to the next. Further, while some evidence suggests that experiencing a high number of ACEs is associated with different types of offenses, it is not known whether these associations are similar across generat…
Legitimacy and Institutional Misconduct Among a Cohort of Serious and Violent Incarcerated Youth
In the current study, we examine the impact that perceptions of legitimacy of laws and authority have on the institutional misconduct behavior of a large cohort of serious and violent incarcerated youth. Negative binomial analyses examining the official misconduct of more than 4,000 incarcerated youth during their entire term of incarceration indicated that youth with higher legitimacy perceptions (as measured by the R-PACT) incurred a significan…
Examining the Impact of Empathy on the Recidivism of Serious Juvenile Offenders
This study investigated the relationship between empathy and felony recidivism among juvenile offenders, with a focus on sex differences. Utilizing a sample of 4,372 incarcerated juveniles, we analyzed four empathy measures derived from the PACT assessment. Our findings revealed that male violent offenders exhibited higher levels of empathy and responsibility acceptance compared to their female counterparts. Notably, male sex offenders who respec…
Justice Beyond Borders
Are More ACEs Always Worse? Exploring Nonlinear Associations with Youth Behavior”
The Prevalence of Trauma Among Participants in a Juvenile Mental Health Court
There is evidence that youth in the justice system are more likely to experience trauma and mental health problems than the general population. Trauma histories may exacerbate mental health problems, and mental health problems may increase the likelihood of continued offending. While prior research has examined the effects of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) on recidivism, it has yet to consider the prevalence of trauma among youth in a juven…
Empathy and Cognitive Distortions in Sex Offenders Participating in Community Based Treatment
This study examined the relationship between empathy as measured by the Empathy Index (EI) and the Cognitive Distortion Scale (CDS) among a sample ( N = 151) of individuals who committed sexual offenses who were receiving community-based sex offender treatment in a large southern state. The extent to which the relationships by age was also considered. The findings indicated a weak but significant positive correlation between total empathy and eac…
Bridging immigrant crime, acculturation, and the life course
Research generally supports that immigrants engage in less crime than the native-born; however, theory behind the immigrant-crime link has a foundation largely rooted in assimilationism. While this offers valuable insight, an immigrant-centered perspective focusing on individuals and crime has yet to be offered. We position the life course as a valuable lens to understand how immigrant socialization, largely informed by acculturation, serves to p…
Violent Institutional Misconduct in the Transition from Juvenile to Adult Correctional Facilities
This study examines patterns of violent institutional misconduct among a cohort of serious juvenile offenders who were incarcerated in state-level juvenile correctional facilities and then state adult prison institutions. Within the cohort, one group of offenders was immediately transferred to the adult prison system following their incarceration in a juvenile correctional facility. The other portion of the cohort was first released to the commun…
Childhood abuse, neglect, household dysfunction, and juvenile recidivism
Are the Effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences on Violent Recidivism Offense-Specific
A growing body of literature has found that exposure to child maltreatment and other forms of family dysfunction, often conceptualized as Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), are associated with delinquent and criminal behavior. Recent research has indicated that the effects of ACEs on offending may differ not only by offense type but also by sex and race/ethnicity. However, no study to-date has investigated the effects of ACEs on violent-specif…
Letter From Guest Editor
Evaluating RNR-Based Targeted Treatment and Intervention Dosage in the Context of Traumatic Exposure
Best practices in juvenile justice call for the individualized matching of services to assessed dynamic risk factors, with services delivered at sufficient dosage. However, prior work has largely ignored whether this recipe for recidivism reduction is as effective for adolescents with extensive traumatic exposure as it is for those without. The current study leverages a statewide sample of 1,666 juveniles released from residential placement (84.6…
All in the Family? Exploring the Intergenerational Transmission of Exposure to Adverse Childhood Experiences and Their Effect on Offending Behavior
Research indicates that individuals with Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are more likely to offend, and that some ACEs, such as offending and child maltreatment, are transmitted from one generation to the next. However, the extent to which ACEs are transferred across generations and its subsequent impact on offending has not been examined. Using data from the Cambridge Study in Delinquent Development, this study examined the intergenerationa…
Are Dual-System Offenders Different? An Examination of Prevalence and Specialization in Criminal Offending and Child Maltreatment Perpetration
Although most theoretical and policy approaches treat criminal behavior and child maltreatment as different issues, we examine the prevalence of those involved in both the criminal justice system and child protective services as perpetrators, assessing how several criminal career characteristics differ between dual-system and single-system offenders. Using longitudinal cohort data from the Queensland Cross-Sector Research Collaboration (QCRC), we…
Resilience in Context
Alongside the research on the impact of cumulative trauma on later outcomes, scholars have started to investigate how an accumulation of protective factors may buffer adverse outcomes. However, these studies have failed to consider how one’s social context, in particular the levels of social disorganization and immigrant concentration present, may be associated with the accumulation of protective factors. Using data from the Florida Department of…
Perceptions of Legal and Extralegal Punishments for Sexual Harassment in the 'MeToo' Era
The current study investigates a sample of American university students' (n = 304) perceptions of legal and extralegal punishments for Kevin Spacey, Matte Lauer, and Roy Moore in the initial days of the 'MeToo' movement. Specifically, we examine the impact of respondent gender to determine if the 'MeToo' movement has changed the discrepancy in perceived seriousness between males and females. Being female and having knowledge of the allegations ag…
Delinquent Youth Concentration and Juvenile Recidivism
Examining the environmental correlates of deviant behavior is a large area of interest that continues to promote much research in criminology. Recent attention has been given to understanding the effects of an elevated concentration of offenders on an individual’s likelihood of recidivism. To our knowledge, no study has explored whether an elevated delinquent youth concentration negatively affects the recidivism of a juvenile population. Using da…
The Impact of Adult Prison Transfer on the Recidivism Outcomes of Blended-Sentenced Juvenile Delinquents
Juvenile justice systems today have various methods to sanction serious, violent, and chronic delinquents. One of these methods is through blended sentencing. Broadly, blended sentencing processes allow for juvenile justice sanctioning first and then, if needed, criminal justice sanctioning—including placement in adult prisons. The current study examines the recidivism outcomes of blended-sentenced youth transferred to adult prisons following a p…
Student Perceptions of Team-Based Learning in the Criminal Justice Classroom
As instructors seek ways to increase student engagement and retention, several innovative pedagogical approaches have been developed that fosters critical thinking and quality group work. One of these approaches is Team-Based Learning (TBL), a flipped-classroom model that has been found to improve student outcomes and knowledge retention. While prior research has found students tend to have positive perceptions of TBL, these have been limited to …
Do Adverse Childhood Experiences Influence the Desistance Process
Prior work has found that Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) increase the likelihood of offending while turning points decrease the likelihood of offending. However, these two research areas are yet to be combined. The current study assesses how ACEs influence the effects of marriage and military on desistance using a nationally representative sample. Gender and racial differences are also considered. Marriage predicted desistance among those w…
Extending Situational Action Theory to White-Collar Crime
A theory that has started to receive increased empirical attention is Situational Action Theory. This theory argues that an individual's morality is the central individual-level variable in predicting offending. It also hypothesizes that low self-control will only predict offending among those with low morals. Although this theory has been applied to street crime, the current study represents the first time it has been applied to white-collar cri…
Do Social Bonds Buffer the Impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences on Reoffending?
Research from multiple disciplines has reported that exposure to childhood traumatic events, often referred to as adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), increases an individual’s chances of experiencing a wide variety of negative consequences such as chronic disease, unemployment, and involvement in serious, violent, and chronic offending. The current study assesses how protective factors from social bonds may moderate the relationship between ACE…
Desistance in the Transition to Adulthood
Research is needed on desistance from crime comparatively by gender. This research uses a national longitudinal sample of youth transitioning to adulthood. Drawing on Sampson and Laub's Age-Graded Theory of Informal Social Control, social bonds found in marriage and military involvement are examined to determine if they decrease delinquency over time. The results for the full sample revealed that marriage but not military involvement led to desis…
Extending Situational Action Theory to White-Collar Crime
A theory that has started to receive increased empirical attention is Situational Action Theory. This theory argues that an individual's morality is the central individual-level variable in predicting offending. It also hypothesizes that low self-control will only predict offending among those with low morals. Although this theory has been applied to street crime, the current study represents the first time it has been applied to white-collar cri…
A little early risk goes a long bad way
The Effects of Low Self-Control and Desire-for-Control on White-Collar Offending
To further our understanding of the similarities and differences between street-level and white-collar offending, two personality traits were used to predict offending intentions. The independent and joint roles of low self-control and desire-for-control on intentions to engage in embezzlement, credit card fraud, and shoplifting were assessed. Findings suggested that while low self-control was predictive of intentions to offend, the impact of des…
The Effects of Social Concern on White-Collar Offending
This study tested Agnew's social concern theory by examining empathy's role on both street and white-collar offenses. As Agnew argued social concern elements would have both moderating and mediating effects with other causes of crime, how empathy interacted with low self-control was also assessed. Using an undergraduate sample, empathy was protective of credit card fraud, embezzlement, and shoplifting intentions. Although empathy did not interact…
The All-volunteer Force and Crime
Sampson and Laub's age-graded theory of informal social control posits that social bonds created through marriage, military, and employment lead to a decrease of criminal behavior or desistance. Most research has focused primarily on the roles of marriage and employment in this process, ignoring the impact of military service on future offending behavior. However, recent US military involvement in the Middle East suggests that the effects of mili…
Heavy drinking ensnares adolescents into crime in early adulthood
Perceptions of Legal and Extralegal Punishments for Sexual Harassment in the 'MeToo' Era
The current study investigates a sample of American university students' (n = 304) perceptions of legal and extralegal punishments for Kevin Spacey, Matte Lauer, and Roy Moore in the initial days of the 'MeToo' movement. Specifically, we examine the impact of respondent gender to determine if the 'MeToo' movement has changed the discrepancy in perceived seriousness between males and females. Being female and having knowledge of the allegations ag…
Do Adverse Childhood Experiences Influence the Desistance Process
Prior work has found that Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) increase the likelihood of offending while turning points decrease the likelihood of offending. However, these two research areas are yet to be combined. The current study assesses how ACEs influence the effects of marriage and military on desistance using a nationally representative sample. Gender and racial differences are also considered. Marriage predicted desistance among those w…
Desistance in the Transition to Adulthood
Research is needed on desistance from crime comparatively by gender. This research uses a national longitudinal sample of youth transitioning to adulthood. Drawing on Sampson and Laub's Age-Graded Theory of Informal Social Control, social bonds found in marriage and military involvement are examined to determine if they decrease delinquency over time. The results for the full sample revealed that marriage but not military involvement led to desis…
Heavy drinking ensnares adolescents into crime in early adulthood
The All-volunteer Force and Crime
Sampson and Laub's age-graded theory of informal social control posits that social bonds created through marriage, military, and employment lead to a decrease of criminal behavior or desistance. Most research has focused primarily on the roles of marriage and employment in this process, ignoring the impact of military service on future offending behavior. However, recent US military involvement in the Middle East suggests that the effects of mili…
The Effects of Low Self-Control and Desire-for-Control on White-Collar Offending
To further our understanding of the similarities and differences between street-level and white-collar offending, two personality traits were used to predict offending intentions. The independent and joint roles of low self-control and desire-for-control on intentions to engage in embezzlement, credit card fraud, and shoplifting were assessed. Findings suggested that while low self-control was predictive of intentions to offend, the impact of des…
Do Social Bonds Buffer the Impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences on Reoffending?
Research from multiple disciplines has reported that exposure to childhood traumatic events, often referred to as adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), increases an individual’s chances of experiencing a wide variety of negative consequences such as chronic disease, unemployment, and involvement in serious, violent, and chronic offending. The current study assesses how protective factors from social bonds may moderate the relationship between ACE…
A little early risk goes a long bad way
The Effects of Social Concern on White-Collar Offending
This study tested Agnew's social concern theory by examining empathy's role on both street and white-collar offenses. As Agnew argued social concern elements would have both moderating and mediating effects with other causes of crime, how empathy interacted with low self-control was also assessed. Using an undergraduate sample, empathy was protective of credit card fraud, embezzlement, and shoplifting intentions. Although empathy did not interact…
Extending Situational Action Theory to White-Collar Crime
A theory that has started to receive increased empirical attention is Situational Action Theory. This theory argues that an individual's morality is the central individual-level variable in predicting offending. It also hypothesizes that low self-control will only predict offending among those with low morals. Although this theory has been applied to street crime, the current study represents the first time it has been applied to white-collar cri…
The Impact of Adult Prison Transfer on the Recidivism Outcomes of Blended-Sentenced Juvenile Delinquents
Juvenile justice systems today have various methods to sanction serious, violent, and chronic delinquents. One of these methods is through blended sentencing. Broadly, blended sentencing processes allow for juvenile justice sanctioning first and then, if needed, criminal justice sanctioning—including placement in adult prisons. The current study examines the recidivism outcomes of blended-sentenced youth transferred to adult prisons following a p…
Student Perceptions of Team-Based Learning in the Criminal Justice Classroom
As instructors seek ways to increase student engagement and retention, several innovative pedagogical approaches have been developed that fosters critical thinking and quality group work. One of these approaches is Team-Based Learning (TBL), a flipped-classroom model that has been found to improve student outcomes and knowledge retention. While prior research has found students tend to have positive perceptions of TBL, these have been limited to …
Do Adverse Childhood Experiences Influence the Desistance Process
Prior work has found that Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) increase the likelihood of offending while turning points decrease the likelihood of offending. However, these two research areas are yet to be combined. The current study assesses how ACEs influence the effects of marriage and military on desistance using a nationally representative sample. Gender and racial differences are also considered. Marriage predicted desistance among those w…
Are the Effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences on Violent Recidivism Offense-Specific
A growing body of literature has found that exposure to child maltreatment and other forms of family dysfunction, often conceptualized as Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), are associated with delinquent and criminal behavior. Recent research has indicated that the effects of ACEs on offending may differ not only by offense type but also by sex and race/ethnicity. However, no study to-date has investigated the effects of ACEs on violent-specif…
Letter From Guest Editor
Evaluating RNR-Based Targeted Treatment and Intervention Dosage in the Context of Traumatic Exposure
Best practices in juvenile justice call for the individualized matching of services to assessed dynamic risk factors, with services delivered at sufficient dosage. However, prior work has largely ignored whether this recipe for recidivism reduction is as effective for adolescents with extensive traumatic exposure as it is for those without. The current study leverages a statewide sample of 1,666 juveniles released from residential placement (84.6…
All in the Family? Exploring the Intergenerational Transmission of Exposure to Adverse Childhood Experiences and Their Effect on Offending Behavior
Research indicates that individuals with Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are more likely to offend, and that some ACEs, such as offending and child maltreatment, are transmitted from one generation to the next. However, the extent to which ACEs are transferred across generations and its subsequent impact on offending has not been examined. Using data from the Cambridge Study in Delinquent Development, this study examined the intergenerationa…
Are Dual-System Offenders Different? An Examination of Prevalence and Specialization in Criminal Offending and Child Maltreatment Perpetration
Although most theoretical and policy approaches treat criminal behavior and child maltreatment as different issues, we examine the prevalence of those involved in both the criminal justice system and child protective services as perpetrators, assessing how several criminal career characteristics differ between dual-system and single-system offenders. Using longitudinal cohort data from the Queensland Cross-Sector Research Collaboration (QCRC), we…
Resilience in Context
Alongside the research on the impact of cumulative trauma on later outcomes, scholars have started to investigate how an accumulation of protective factors may buffer adverse outcomes. However, these studies have failed to consider how one’s social context, in particular the levels of social disorganization and immigrant concentration present, may be associated with the accumulation of protective factors. Using data from the Florida Department of…
Perceptions of Legal and Extralegal Punishments for Sexual Harassment in the 'MeToo' Era
The current study investigates a sample of American university students' (n = 304) perceptions of legal and extralegal punishments for Kevin Spacey, Matte Lauer, and Roy Moore in the initial days of the 'MeToo' movement. Specifically, we examine the impact of respondent gender to determine if the 'MeToo' movement has changed the discrepancy in perceived seriousness between males and females. Being female and having knowledge of the allegations ag…
Delinquent Youth Concentration and Juvenile Recidivism
Examining the environmental correlates of deviant behavior is a large area of interest that continues to promote much research in criminology. Recent attention has been given to understanding the effects of an elevated concentration of offenders on an individual’s likelihood of recidivism. To our knowledge, no study has explored whether an elevated delinquent youth concentration negatively affects the recidivism of a juvenile population. Using da…
Violent Institutional Misconduct in the Transition from Juvenile to Adult Correctional Facilities
This study examines patterns of violent institutional misconduct among a cohort of serious juvenile offenders who were incarcerated in state-level juvenile correctional facilities and then state adult prison institutions. Within the cohort, one group of offenders was immediately transferred to the adult prison system following their incarceration in a juvenile correctional facility. The other portion of the cohort was first released to the commun…
Childhood abuse, neglect, household dysfunction, and juvenile recidivism
Empathy and Cognitive Distortions in Sex Offenders Participating in Community Based Treatment
This study examined the relationship between empathy as measured by the Empathy Index (EI) and the Cognitive Distortion Scale (CDS) among a sample ( N = 151) of individuals who committed sexual offenses who were receiving community-based sex offender treatment in a large southern state. The extent to which the relationships by age was also considered. The findings indicated a weak but significant positive correlation between total empathy and eac…
Bridging immigrant crime, acculturation, and the life course
Research generally supports that immigrants engage in less crime than the native-born; however, theory behind the immigrant-crime link has a foundation largely rooted in assimilationism. While this offers valuable insight, an immigrant-centered perspective focusing on individuals and crime has yet to be offered. We position the life course as a valuable lens to understand how immigrant socialization, largely informed by acculturation, serves to p…
The Prevalence of Trauma Among Participants in a Juvenile Mental Health Court
There is evidence that youth in the justice system are more likely to experience trauma and mental health problems than the general population. Trauma histories may exacerbate mental health problems, and mental health problems may increase the likelihood of continued offending. While prior research has examined the effects of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) on recidivism, it has yet to consider the prevalence of trauma among youth in a juven…
The Association Between Adverse Childhood Experiences and Different Types of Offending Behavior
Research has established a relationship between trauma exposure, often conceptualized as Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), and offending, with some evidence suggesting that both trauma and offending can be transmitted from one generation to the next. Further, while some evidence suggests that experiencing a high number of ACEs is associated with different types of offenses, it is not known whether these associations are similar across generat…
Psychology (27 works) · Criminology (18 works) · Medicine (17 works) · Political science (15 works) · Child Abuse and Trauma (13 works) · Psychiatry (13 works) · Developmental psychology (11 works) · Poison control (11 works) · Crime Patterns and Interventions (10 works) · Criminal Justice and Corrections Analysis (10 works)