Brent L Smith
Biographic Data
| ID | 3924393 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Brent L Smith |
| GIVEN NAMES | Brent L |
| FAMILY NAME | Smith |
| SIGNATURE | SMITH B L |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Alabama at Birmingham |
| VERIFIED | No |
| TOTAL WORKS | 16 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 127 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 16 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1980 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2016 |
| H-INDEX | 8 |
A Community-Level Comparison of Terrorism Movements in the United States
The aim of this article is to identify characteristics of communities where persons indicted under terrorism charges lived, planned, and prepared prior to carrying out a terrorist act. Guided by a model of community deterioration and using data from the Terrorism and Extremist Violence in the United States database, findings indicate: (1) half of all census tracts where terrorists planned and prepared for attacks were located in the western Unite…
Patterns of precursor behaviors in the life span of a U.S. environmental terrorist group
Research Summary This article discusses the paucity of data available for assessing the “life span” of a terrorist group. It introduces a new methodology that allows researchers to examine when terrorist groups perform their preincident activities. The findings suggest that differences exist in the temporal patterns of terrorist groups: environmental terrorist groups engage in a relatively short planning cycle compared with right‐wing and interna…
Geospatial and Temporal Patterns of Preparatory Conduct among American Terrorists
Although terrorism research has made significant strides during the past five years, even the most rudimentary patterns of terrorists’ behaviors remain unknown to scholars and analysts. In the current study, we analyze spatial and temporal patterns of criminal acts related to a variety of American terrorism cases and attempt to provide insight into these questions: 1) where do terrorists live in relation to the targets they select, 2) do they pla…
Victims, Punishment, and Parole: The Effect of Victim Participation on Parole Hearings
Research Summary: Past research has indicated that victim participation has had little impact on sentence outcomes. In contrast, the current study examined parole hearings in Alabama to determine if, and how, victim participation is related to parole decision making. Results indicate that victim and offender participation are significantly related to parole hearing outcomes. The findings of the current study indicate that victim influence, not in…
On Terrorism and Policing: Guest Editor's Comments
The Prosecution and Punishment of International Terrorists in Federal Courts: 1980–1998
Research Summary: This study reports findings from the American Terrorism Study. The data show that from 1980 to 1998, the U.S. government periodically tried accused domestic and international terrorists through the use of traditional criminal trials. The extent to which federal prosecutors “explicit politicized” these trials (and the success that the politicization had) varied among the types of terrorist groups. Explicit politically was not fou…
Terrorism, Politics, and Punishment: A Test of Structural‐contextual Theory and the “Liberation Hypothesis”
The sentencing literature generally has been characterized by an inability to explain Significant amounts of the variance in sentencing outcomes. Two major theoretical explanations have addressed this issue: structural‐contextual theory and the “liberation hypothesis.” Structural‐contextual theory suggests that the components of the justice system traditionally work somewhat independently of one another. This theory suggests that variance explain…
Punishing Political Offenders: The Effect of Political Motive on Federal Sentencing Decisions
Although political motive is frequently avoided as an issue in the prosecution of terrorists, previous research indicates that these offenders consistently receive longer sentences than nonterrorists convicted of similar offenses (Smith, 1994). This study assesses the ability of three theoretical models (consensus, conflict, and structural‐contextual) to explain these differences in sentencing patterns. Data on terrorists (N = 95), provided by th…
Terrorism in America: Pipe Bombs and Pipe Dreams
Terrorists right and left: Empirical issues in profiling American terrorists
Although recent efforts have been made to profile American terrorists, these efforts have been hampered by severe methodological difficulties, from the way in which terrorism was defined, to the identification of potential cases, to the methods used in sample selection. The current study utilizes a data base created from a list of persons indicted under the FBI's Counterterrorism Program from 1980 through 1989. This information was supplemented b…
From victim to political activist: An empirical examination of a statewide victims' rights movement
Maladaptive behaviors among military police personnel and implications for administrative policy
The Conceptualization of Discrimination in the Juvenile Justice Process: The Impact of Administrative Factors and Screening Decisions on Juvenile Court Dispositions
Research on race, sex, and social class discrimination in the juvenile justice process has yielded mixed results. These conflicting findings have been attributed to the use of diverse research strategies and various methodological shortcomings. There are, however, two potentially important issues that have not been previously addressed: the need to examine the juvenile justice system as a process, rather than as a series of separate and unrelated…
Antiterrorism legislation in the United States: Problems and implications
Crime in the country: The vulnerability and victimization of rural citizens
Crime in the Suburbs: A Structural Model
Structural models of suburban violent and property crime rates are developed, utilizing elements of both ecological and criminological theory. The analysis of the models is based on data for 645 suburbs for which official crime data were available. Major findings were: (1) the effects of age composition on crime rates were largely spurious; (2) the per centage of low-income population was a key variable in explaining both violent and property cri…
Terrorism, Politics, and Punishment: A Test of Structural‐contextual Theory and the “Liberation Hypothesis”
The sentencing literature generally has been characterized by an inability to explain Significant amounts of the variance in sentencing outcomes. Two major theoretical explanations have addressed this issue: structural‐contextual theory and the “liberation hypothesis.” Structural‐contextual theory suggests that the components of the justice system traditionally work somewhat independently of one another. This theory suggests that variance explain…
The Conceptualization of Discrimination in the Juvenile Justice Process: The Impact of Administrative Factors and Screening Decisions on Juvenile Court Dispositions
Research on race, sex, and social class discrimination in the juvenile justice process has yielded mixed results. These conflicting findings have been attributed to the use of diverse research strategies and various methodological shortcomings. There are, however, two potentially important issues that have not been previously addressed: the need to examine the juvenile justice system as a process, rather than as a series of separate and unrelated…
Punishing Political Offenders: The Effect of Political Motive on Federal Sentencing Decisions
Although political motive is frequently avoided as an issue in the prosecution of terrorists, previous research indicates that these offenders consistently receive longer sentences than nonterrorists convicted of similar offenses (Smith, 1994). This study assesses the ability of three theoretical models (consensus, conflict, and structural‐contextual) to explain these differences in sentencing patterns. Data on terrorists (N = 95), provided by th…
Terrorists right and left: Empirical issues in profiling American terrorists
Although recent efforts have been made to profile American terrorists, these efforts have been hampered by severe methodological difficulties, from the way in which terrorism was defined, to the identification of potential cases, to the methods used in sample selection. The current study utilizes a data base created from a list of persons indicted under the FBI's Counterterrorism Program from 1980 through 1989. This information was supplemented b…
The Prosecution and Punishment of International Terrorists in Federal Courts: 1980–1998
Research Summary: This study reports findings from the American Terrorism Study. The data show that from 1980 to 1998, the U.S. government periodically tried accused domestic and international terrorists through the use of traditional criminal trials. The extent to which federal prosecutors “explicit politicized” these trials (and the success that the politicization had) varied among the types of terrorist groups. Explicit politically was not fou…
Patterns of precursor behaviors in the life span of a U.S. environmental terrorist group
Research Summary This article discusses the paucity of data available for assessing the “life span” of a terrorist group. It introduces a new methodology that allows researchers to examine when terrorist groups perform their preincident activities. The findings suggest that differences exist in the temporal patterns of terrorist groups: environmental terrorist groups engage in a relatively short planning cycle compared with right‐wing and interna…
Victims, Punishment, and Parole: The Effect of Victim Participation on Parole Hearings
Research Summary: Past research has indicated that victim participation has had little impact on sentence outcomes. In contrast, the current study examined parole hearings in Alabama to determine if, and how, victim participation is related to parole decision making. Results indicate that victim and offender participation are significantly related to parole hearing outcomes. The findings of the current study indicate that victim influence, not in…
Crime in the country: The vulnerability and victimization of rural citizens
Antiterrorism legislation in the United States: Problems and implications
Geospatial and Temporal Patterns of Preparatory Conduct among American Terrorists
Although terrorism research has made significant strides during the past five years, even the most rudimentary patterns of terrorists’ behaviors remain unknown to scholars and analysts. In the current study, we analyze spatial and temporal patterns of criminal acts related to a variety of American terrorism cases and attempt to provide insight into these questions: 1) where do terrorists live in relation to the targets they select, 2) do they pla…
A Community-Level Comparison of Terrorism Movements in the United States
The aim of this article is to identify characteristics of communities where persons indicted under terrorism charges lived, planned, and prepared prior to carrying out a terrorist act. Guided by a model of community deterioration and using data from the Terrorism and Extremist Violence in the United States database, findings indicate: (1) half of all census tracts where terrorists planned and prepared for attacks were located in the western Unite…
Crime in the Suburbs: A Structural Model
Structural models of suburban violent and property crime rates are developed, utilizing elements of both ecological and criminological theory. The analysis of the models is based on data for 645 suburbs for which official crime data were available. Major findings were: (1) the effects of age composition on crime rates were largely spurious; (2) the per centage of low-income population was a key variable in explaining both violent and property cri…
Crime in the country: The vulnerability and victimization of rural citizens
Antiterrorism legislation in the United States: Problems and implications
Maladaptive behaviors among military police personnel and implications for administrative policy
The Conceptualization of Discrimination in the Juvenile Justice Process: The Impact of Administrative Factors and Screening Decisions on Juvenile Court Dispositions
Research on race, sex, and social class discrimination in the juvenile justice process has yielded mixed results. These conflicting findings have been attributed to the use of diverse research strategies and various methodological shortcomings. There are, however, two potentially important issues that have not been previously addressed: the need to examine the juvenile justice system as a process, rather than as a series of separate and unrelated…
From victim to political activist: An empirical examination of a statewide victims' rights movement
Terrorists right and left: Empirical issues in profiling American terrorists
Although recent efforts have been made to profile American terrorists, these efforts have been hampered by severe methodological difficulties, from the way in which terrorism was defined, to the identification of potential cases, to the methods used in sample selection. The current study utilizes a data base created from a list of persons indicted under the FBI's Counterterrorism Program from 1980 through 1989. This information was supplemented b…
Terrorism in America: Pipe Bombs and Pipe Dreams
Punishing Political Offenders: The Effect of Political Motive on Federal Sentencing Decisions
Although political motive is frequently avoided as an issue in the prosecution of terrorists, previous research indicates that these offenders consistently receive longer sentences than nonterrorists convicted of similar offenses (Smith, 1994). This study assesses the ability of three theoretical models (consensus, conflict, and structural‐contextual) to explain these differences in sentencing patterns. Data on terrorists (N = 95), provided by th…
Terrorism, Politics, and Punishment: A Test of Structural‐contextual Theory and the “Liberation Hypothesis”
The sentencing literature generally has been characterized by an inability to explain Significant amounts of the variance in sentencing outcomes. Two major theoretical explanations have addressed this issue: structural‐contextual theory and the “liberation hypothesis.” Structural‐contextual theory suggests that the components of the justice system traditionally work somewhat independently of one another. This theory suggests that variance explain…
On Terrorism and Policing: Guest Editor's Comments
The Prosecution and Punishment of International Terrorists in Federal Courts: 1980–1998
Research Summary: This study reports findings from the American Terrorism Study. The data show that from 1980 to 1998, the U.S. government periodically tried accused domestic and international terrorists through the use of traditional criminal trials. The extent to which federal prosecutors “explicit politicized” these trials (and the success that the politicization had) varied among the types of terrorist groups. Explicit politically was not fou…
Victims, Punishment, and Parole: The Effect of Victim Participation on Parole Hearings
Research Summary: Past research has indicated that victim participation has had little impact on sentence outcomes. In contrast, the current study examined parole hearings in Alabama to determine if, and how, victim participation is related to parole decision making. Results indicate that victim and offender participation are significantly related to parole hearing outcomes. The findings of the current study indicate that victim influence, not in…
Geospatial and Temporal Patterns of Preparatory Conduct among American Terrorists
Although terrorism research has made significant strides during the past five years, even the most rudimentary patterns of terrorists’ behaviors remain unknown to scholars and analysts. In the current study, we analyze spatial and temporal patterns of criminal acts related to a variety of American terrorism cases and attempt to provide insight into these questions: 1) where do terrorists live in relation to the targets they select, 2) do they pla…
Patterns of precursor behaviors in the life span of a U.S. environmental terrorist group
Research Summary This article discusses the paucity of data available for assessing the “life span” of a terrorist group. It introduces a new methodology that allows researchers to examine when terrorist groups perform their preincident activities. The findings suggest that differences exist in the temporal patterns of terrorist groups: environmental terrorist groups engage in a relatively short planning cycle compared with right‐wing and interna…
A Community-Level Comparison of Terrorism Movements in the United States
The aim of this article is to identify characteristics of communities where persons indicted under terrorism charges lived, planned, and prepared prior to carrying out a terrorist act. Guided by a model of community deterioration and using data from the Terrorism and Extremist Violence in the United States database, findings indicate: (1) half of all census tracts where terrorists planned and prepared for attacks were located in the western Unite…
Criminology (15 works) · Law (15 works) · Political science (15 works) · Law (12 works) · Psychology (12 works) · Crime Patterns and Interventions (11 works) · Sociology (9 works) · Terrorism (9 works) · Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and Political Violence (7 works) · Criminal Justice and Corrections Analysis (6 works)