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Rick Ruddell

University of Regina, Justice Studies, Faculty Member

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Rick Ruddell , the Law Foundation of Saskatchewan Chair in Police Studies, joined the Department of Justice Studies at the University of Regina in September, 2010. Prior to this appointment he served as Director of Operational Research with the Correctional Service of Canada, and held faculty positions at Eastern Kentucky University and the California State University, Chico. Prior to his academic career, he served with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Corrections, Public Safety and Policing as a supervisor and manager. A graduate of the Ph.D. program in Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Missouri - St. Louis, Dr. Ruddell's research has focused upon policing, criminal justice policy, and juvenile justice.

Rick Ruddell has published nine books and over 80 peer-reviewed articles, technical reports, and articles in professional journals.

As Law Foundation of Saskatchewan Chair in Police Studies, Rick Ruddell is examining Aboriginal policing, policing rural communities, as well as examining gangs and gang management strategies.
Phone: (306) 337 8541 (Office)

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Books by Rick Ruddell

Rick Ruddell CV Sept 17 2020

Rick Ruddell CV Sept 1 2017

The Annual Review of Interdisciplinary Justice Research, Volume 6, Placing Justice, 2017

by Centre for Interdisciplinary Justice Studies, Steven Kohm, Richard Jochelson, James Gacek, Mandi Gray, Carolyn McKay, Kristi Brownfield, Rick Ruddell, Kevin Walby, Donald Sharpe, Joanne Struch, and Zana Lutfiyya

The Annual Review of Interdisciplinary Justice Research Volume 6, 2017

Making Sense of Criminal Justice (2nd Edition)

Addressing topics such as gun control, prison overcrowding, and the death penalty, this book enco... more Addressing topics such as gun control, prison overcrowding, and the death penalty, this book encourages students to think critically about criminal justice policy. Each chapter confronts a timely and contentious issue in the field. The text maintains an awareness of the effect of race and gender on interactions with the criminal justice system, and includes chapters that discuss race and gender directly. In each chapter, the authors consider the ways in which the examined issue impacts the criminal justice system, politics, and policy making. The authors have organized the book around the three main elements of the criminal justice system (police, courts, and corrections), and the issues they feature are relevant to both informed citizens and future criminal justice professionals.

http://www.oupcanada.com/catalog/9780199314133.html

Do the Crime, Do the Time: Juvenile Criminals and Adult Justice in the American Court System

"For more than 20 years now, the attitude in some jurisdictions has been "if you're old enough to... more "For more than 20 years now, the attitude in some jurisdictions has been "if you're old enough to do the crime, you're old enough to do the time." After two decades of applying this increasingly punitive mindset to juvenile offenders, it is possible to see the actual consequences of transferring more and younger offenders to adult courts.

In Do the Crime, Do the Time: Juvenile Criminals and Adult Justice in the American Court System, the authors apply their decades of experience, both in the practical world and from unique research perspectives, to shed light on the influence of public opinion and the political forces that shape juvenile justice policy in the United States. The book provides a fresh look at the way the United States is choosing to deal with some of the serious or persistent juvenile offenders, utilizing real-life examples and cases to draw connections between transfer policies and individual outcomes."

Making Sense of Criminal Justice

The book is arranged around the three major components of the criminal justice system (police, co... more The book is arranged around the three major components of the criminal justice system (police, courts, and corrections) but it uses a topical or issues-oriented approach to get readers to think critically about some of the major dilemmas that have continued to face actors in the criminal justice system – from issues of race and gender to the use of the death penalty.

Beginning with a framework of the crime control and due process models, Making Sense of Criminal Justice presents a balanced viewpoint in examining crime and justice issues and controversies. The book is organized around the assumption that criminal justice inherently is a political process, and it examines the strategies that do work, the ones that do not work, and those that represent the largely gray area between the two extremes. It provides a clear alternative to the “nothing works” perspective with which students often are confronted.

Rather than providing them with “the answers,” the text challenges readers to think about how we deal with situations like police use of force, and then it provides the framework for lively classroom discussions and debates.

Juvenile Corrections

On any given day, there are approximately 100,000 youthful offenders held in a variety of differe... more On any given day, there are approximately 100,000 youthful offenders held in a variety of different residential placements – from community-based wilderness experience programs or group homes to high security facilities that are indistinguishable from adult prisons. In addition, thousands of juveniles are placed in adult correctional facilities and some will serve the rest of their lives behind bars. Despite a 200-year history of placing juveniles in these settings, there is a gap in our knowledge about what actually occurs within these facilities. There are assaults, murders and suicides, as well as an array of staff and resident misconduct, medical misadventures, unintentional injuries and mismanagement. On the other hand, there are thousands of dedicated and professional staff members in these facilities who enthusiastically work toward rehabilitating these young people. The contributors to this volume examine some of the key issues of juvenile corrections, highlight promising practices, and identify a research agenda for the future.

Corrections and the Criminal Justice System

Corrections and the Criminal Justice System is designed to help students understand corrections i... more Corrections and the Criminal Justice System is designed to help students understand corrections in relation to the entire criminal justice system. This text begins with an overview of the field of criminal justice and covers the components of the criminal justice system that an offender must pass through prior to his/her corrections experience (police, courts, and sentencing). The second part of the text shows students how corrections is interconnected and related to the other aspects of the criminal justice system.

Issues in Correctional Health

This book focuses on the difficulties that medical and health care providers, correctional admini... more This book focuses on the difficulties that medical and health care providers, correctional administrators, and policy makers face in delivering care to incarcerated juveniles and adults. Sometimes the demands on these practitioners can be overwhelming: each year in the United States thousands of infants are born behind bars, and at least 3,000 inmates will die in state prisons. Practitioners confront an array of serious health care problems, from providing emergency care, preventing the spread of communicable diseases, managing chronic illnesses, and preparing for pandemics. A significant concern is that inmates with untreated health problems pose a significant challenge to community health. Over 14 million arrestees cycle through juvenile facilities or county jails, and some 650,000 persons are released from prison each year. As a result, there has been increased attention to the connections between correctional and community health. The contributors to this volume examine these challenges, highlight successful medical and health care programs, and outline an agenda for future research.

Understanding Correctional Violence

This book presents an extensive overview of the main issues surrounding violence in prisons, jail... more This book presents an extensive overview of the main issues surrounding violence in prisons, jails, and juvenile facilities. One in one hundred American adults are currently incarcerated and the threat of violence in these facilities affects not only the inmates who reside there but also the custodial and professional staff. Despite recent reductions in lethal violence over the past two decades, each year approximately 70 homicides occur in these facilities and tens of thousands of incidences of non-fatal violence occur. The threat of violence may, in many cases, force treatment and rehabilitation efforts to take a backseat to institutional and personal safety concerns. Further, the aftermath of violence for victims, perpetrators, and witnesses poses serious issues for the community as the overwhelming majority of inmates eventually return home. The contributors to this volume examine these issues, highlight promising violence prevention and reduction strategies, and outline an agenda for future research.

American Jails: A Retrospective Examination

This book draws upon the observations of contributors who wrote about American jails prior to the... more This book draws upon the observations of contributors who wrote about American jails prior to the 1940s. They provide readers with a comprehensive account of jail operations and conditions from the turn of the 20th century until the great depression. During this time, jails were labelled a “human dumping ground” and that description was accurate given the dismal conditions that many inmates endured: men, women, and juveniles were often held together in makeshift jails. Seldom was much thought given to their care and jails were often places of filth, depravity and deprivation. Some of the jailers who operated these facilities were as corrupt, violent, and immoral as the inmates they were responsible for supervising. Like today, most inmates had not been found guilty of a crime and many were in jail because they could not scrape together a few dollars for bail or a fine. Other jail inmates were witnesses, runaway juveniles, or other persons with mental illness who were held in the local jail because no other residential alternatives existed. Yet, despite this depressing appraisal of jail conditions, many of the contributors were optimistic about the possibility of jail reform. While local jail conditions are far more humane and professionally operated today, this book outlines how many still suffer from the same problems identified almost a century ago.

America Behind Bars

Studying the growth of imprisonment in the U.S., Ruddell discovers a complex interplay of cultura... more Studying the growth of imprisonment in the U.S., Ruddell discovers a complex interplay of cultural and political values as well as tough-on-crime policies.

Ruddell examines the political, cultural, and social factors that contributed to the growth in incarceration in the United States from 1952 to 2000. Controlling for the influences of economic stress, violent crime, unemployment, direct outlays for assistance, the percentage of population that is black, and the percentage of males aged 15 to 29 years, Ruddell studies the influences of political disaffection, civic disengagement, and social disruption on adult imprisonment trends. The findings provide evidence of the relationships between increases in the use of punishment and cultural or political values. The results also support the proposition that the use of punishment is an inherently complex and political process.

Papers by Rick Ruddell

Editorial Board / Californian Journal of Health Promotion

Oil, Gas, and Crime, 2017

Introduction: Boomtown Effects

The crime and disorder occurring in North American resource-based boomtowns has captured the publ... more The crime and disorder occurring in North American resource-based boomtowns has captured the public’s interest since the 1849 California gold rush. The rapid growth of communities that emerged in rural areas across the globe since the oil and gas boom started after 2000 has also drawn considerable media interest, especially in terms of the disorder that occurs in some of these places, which has been described by boomtown residents as a “human tornado.” This chapter introduces the book, and briefly describes boomtown effects, which are the social ills that accompany a boom, from an increase in sexually transmitted infections to crime. While conditions in the oil patch or mines are safer and more worker-friendly today, the social ills occurring in some boomtowns are very similar to their historical counterparts as newcomers travel from around the nation to grab their share of the American dream.

Criminal Justice Review, 2017

There has been recent interest in applying contemporary criminological theories to better underst... more There has been recent interest in applying contemporary criminological theories to better understand historical criminal behavior and events. Retrospective studies—much like case studies—can be a useful methodology to help us understand the justice system responses to crime and in particular what strategies “worked” or were ineffective. This study examined 241 train robberies that occurred between 1866 and 1930 and found that routine activities theory can explain the origins, growth, and eradication of this violent and often costly crime. Reducing offender motivation and target attractiveness as well as increasing capable guardianship of shipments of attractive goods explains the eradication of this form of crime. Implications for a criminology of public transportation are discussed.

Institutional misconduct and gang membership: An examination of female inmates

Security, Private

Encyclopedia of Street Crime in America

Gender Issues in Corrections

Contemporary Corrections, 2020

The changing context of Canadian policing: An examination of the public’s perceptions after 2020

Journal of Community Safety and Well-Being

The positive perceptions of Canadians towards their local police had been relatively stable betwe... more The positive perceptions of Canadians towards their local police had been relatively stable between 2000 and 2019, but survey results show those positive feelings dropped throughout the country after the start of the pandemic in March 2020 and the murder of George Floyd by an American police officer 2 months later. These changing perceptions have significant consequences for police services as lower levels of trust, confidence, and legitimacy reduce the public’s willingness to cooperate with them. While too soon to determine whether these decreased favourable perceptions will persist, they indicate the vulnerability of local police services to factors beyond their control. Implications for further research and policy are identified considering these findings.

Rick Ruddell CV Sept 17 2020

Rick Ruddell CV Sept 1 2017

The Annual Review of Interdisciplinary Justice Research, Volume 6, Placing Justice, 2017

by Centre for Interdisciplinary Justice Studies, Steven Kohm, Richard Jochelson, James Gacek, Mandi Gray, Carolyn McKay, Kristi Brownfield, Rick Ruddell, Kevin Walby, Donald Sharpe, Joanne Struch, and Zana Lutfiyya

The Annual Review of Interdisciplinary Justice Research Volume 6, 2017

Making Sense of Criminal Justice (2nd Edition)

Addressing topics such as gun control, prison overcrowding, and the death penalty, this book enco... more Addressing topics such as gun control, prison overcrowding, and the death penalty, this book encourages students to think critically about criminal justice policy. Each chapter confronts a timely and contentious issue in the field. The text maintains an awareness of the effect of race and gender on interactions with the criminal justice system, and includes chapters that discuss race and gender directly. In each chapter, the authors consider the ways in which the examined issue impacts the criminal justice system, politics, and policy making. The authors have organized the book around the three main elements of the criminal justice system (police, courts, and corrections), and the issues they feature are relevant to both informed citizens and future criminal justice professionals.

http://www.oupcanada.com/catalog/9780199314133.html

Do the Crime, Do the Time: Juvenile Criminals and Adult Justice in the American Court System

"For more than 20 years now, the attitude in some jurisdictions has been "if you're old enough to... more "For more than 20 years now, the attitude in some jurisdictions has been "if you're old enough to do the crime, you're old enough to do the time." After two decades of applying this increasingly punitive mindset to juvenile offenders, it is possible to see the actual consequences of transferring more and younger offenders to adult courts.

In Do the Crime, Do the Time: Juvenile Criminals and Adult Justice in the American Court System, the authors apply their decades of experience, both in the practical world and from unique research perspectives, to shed light on the influence of public opinion and the political forces that shape juvenile justice policy in the United States. The book provides a fresh look at the way the United States is choosing to deal with some of the serious or persistent juvenile offenders, utilizing real-life examples and cases to draw connections between transfer policies and individual outcomes."

Making Sense of Criminal Justice

The book is arranged around the three major components of the criminal justice system (police, co... more The book is arranged around the three major components of the criminal justice system (police, courts, and corrections) but it uses a topical or issues-oriented approach to get readers to think critically about some of the major dilemmas that have continued to face actors in the criminal justice system – from issues of race and gender to the use of the death penalty.

Beginning with a framework of the crime control and due process models, Making Sense of Criminal Justice presents a balanced viewpoint in examining crime and justice issues and controversies. The book is organized around the assumption that criminal justice inherently is a political process, and it examines the strategies that do work, the ones that do not work, and those that represent the largely gray area between the two extremes. It provides a clear alternative to the “nothing works” perspective with which students often are confronted.

Rather than providing them with “the answers,” the text challenges readers to think about how we deal with situations like police use of force, and then it provides the framework for lively classroom discussions and debates.

Juvenile Corrections

On any given day, there are approximately 100,000 youthful offenders held in a variety of differe... more On any given day, there are approximately 100,000 youthful offenders held in a variety of different residential placements – from community-based wilderness experience programs or group homes to high security facilities that are indistinguishable from adult prisons. In addition, thousands of juveniles are placed in adult correctional facilities and some will serve the rest of their lives behind bars. Despite a 200-year history of placing juveniles in these settings, there is a gap in our knowledge about what actually occurs within these facilities. There are assaults, murders and suicides, as well as an array of staff and resident misconduct, medical misadventures, unintentional injuries and mismanagement. On the other hand, there are thousands of dedicated and professional staff members in these facilities who enthusiastically work toward rehabilitating these young people. The contributors to this volume examine some of the key issues of juvenile corrections, highlight promising practices, and identify a research agenda for the future.

Corrections and the Criminal Justice System

Corrections and the Criminal Justice System is designed to help students understand corrections i... more Corrections and the Criminal Justice System is designed to help students understand corrections in relation to the entire criminal justice system. This text begins with an overview of the field of criminal justice and covers the components of the criminal justice system that an offender must pass through prior to his/her corrections experience (police, courts, and sentencing). The second part of the text shows students how corrections is interconnected and related to the other aspects of the criminal justice system.

Issues in Correctional Health

This book focuses on the difficulties that medical and health care providers, correctional admini... more This book focuses on the difficulties that medical and health care providers, correctional administrators, and policy makers face in delivering care to incarcerated juveniles and adults. Sometimes the demands on these practitioners can be overwhelming: each year in the United States thousands of infants are born behind bars, and at least 3,000 inmates will die in state prisons. Practitioners confront an array of serious health care problems, from providing emergency care, preventing the spread of communicable diseases, managing chronic illnesses, and preparing for pandemics. A significant concern is that inmates with untreated health problems pose a significant challenge to community health. Over 14 million arrestees cycle through juvenile facilities or county jails, and some 650,000 persons are released from prison each year. As a result, there has been increased attention to the connections between correctional and community health. The contributors to this volume examine these challenges, highlight successful medical and health care programs, and outline an agenda for future research.

Understanding Correctional Violence

This book presents an extensive overview of the main issues surrounding violence in prisons, jail... more This book presents an extensive overview of the main issues surrounding violence in prisons, jails, and juvenile facilities. One in one hundred American adults are currently incarcerated and the threat of violence in these facilities affects not only the inmates who reside there but also the custodial and professional staff. Despite recent reductions in lethal violence over the past two decades, each year approximately 70 homicides occur in these facilities and tens of thousands of incidences of non-fatal violence occur. The threat of violence may, in many cases, force treatment and rehabilitation efforts to take a backseat to institutional and personal safety concerns. Further, the aftermath of violence for victims, perpetrators, and witnesses poses serious issues for the community as the overwhelming majority of inmates eventually return home. The contributors to this volume examine these issues, highlight promising violence prevention and reduction strategies, and outline an agenda for future research.

American Jails: A Retrospective Examination

This book draws upon the observations of contributors who wrote about American jails prior to the... more This book draws upon the observations of contributors who wrote about American jails prior to the 1940s. They provide readers with a comprehensive account of jail operations and conditions from the turn of the 20th century until the great depression. During this time, jails were labelled a “human dumping ground” and that description was accurate given the dismal conditions that many inmates endured: men, women, and juveniles were often held together in makeshift jails. Seldom was much thought given to their care and jails were often places of filth, depravity and deprivation. Some of the jailers who operated these facilities were as corrupt, violent, and immoral as the inmates they were responsible for supervising. Like today, most inmates had not been found guilty of a crime and many were in jail because they could not scrape together a few dollars for bail or a fine. Other jail inmates were witnesses, runaway juveniles, or other persons with mental illness who were held in the local jail because no other residential alternatives existed. Yet, despite this depressing appraisal of jail conditions, many of the contributors were optimistic about the possibility of jail reform. While local jail conditions are far more humane and professionally operated today, this book outlines how many still suffer from the same problems identified almost a century ago.

America Behind Bars

Studying the growth of imprisonment in the U.S., Ruddell discovers a complex interplay of cultura... more Studying the growth of imprisonment in the U.S., Ruddell discovers a complex interplay of cultural and political values as well as tough-on-crime policies.

Ruddell examines the political, cultural, and social factors that contributed to the growth in incarceration in the United States from 1952 to 2000. Controlling for the influences of economic stress, violent crime, unemployment, direct outlays for assistance, the percentage of population that is black, and the percentage of males aged 15 to 29 years, Ruddell studies the influences of political disaffection, civic disengagement, and social disruption on adult imprisonment trends. The findings provide evidence of the relationships between increases in the use of punishment and cultural or political values. The results also support the proposition that the use of punishment is an inherently complex and political process.

Editorial Board / Californian Journal of Health Promotion

Oil, Gas, and Crime, 2017

Introduction: Boomtown Effects

The crime and disorder occurring in North American resource-based boomtowns has captured the publ... more The crime and disorder occurring in North American resource-based boomtowns has captured the public’s interest since the 1849 California gold rush. The rapid growth of communities that emerged in rural areas across the globe since the oil and gas boom started after 2000 has also drawn considerable media interest, especially in terms of the disorder that occurs in some of these places, which has been described by boomtown residents as a “human tornado.” This chapter introduces the book, and briefly describes boomtown effects, which are the social ills that accompany a boom, from an increase in sexually transmitted infections to crime. While conditions in the oil patch or mines are safer and more worker-friendly today, the social ills occurring in some boomtowns are very similar to their historical counterparts as newcomers travel from around the nation to grab their share of the American dream.

Criminal Justice Review, 2017

There has been recent interest in applying contemporary criminological theories to better underst... more There has been recent interest in applying contemporary criminological theories to better understand historical criminal behavior and events. Retrospective studies—much like case studies—can be a useful methodology to help us understand the justice system responses to crime and in particular what strategies “worked” or were ineffective. This study examined 241 train robberies that occurred between 1866 and 1930 and found that routine activities theory can explain the origins, growth, and eradication of this violent and often costly crime. Reducing offender motivation and target attractiveness as well as increasing capable guardianship of shipments of attractive goods explains the eradication of this form of crime. Implications for a criminology of public transportation are discussed.

Institutional misconduct and gang membership: An examination of female inmates

Security, Private

Encyclopedia of Street Crime in America

Gender Issues in Corrections

Contemporary Corrections, 2020

The changing context of Canadian policing: An examination of the public’s perceptions after 2020

Journal of Community Safety and Well-Being

The positive perceptions of Canadians towards their local police had been relatively stable betwe... more The positive perceptions of Canadians towards their local police had been relatively stable between 2000 and 2019, but survey results show those positive feelings dropped throughout the country after the start of the pandemic in March 2020 and the murder of George Floyd by an American police officer 2 months later. These changing perceptions have significant consequences for police services as lower levels of trust, confidence, and legitimacy reduce the public’s willingness to cooperate with them. While too soon to determine whether these decreased favourable perceptions will persist, they indicate the vulnerability of local police services to factors beyond their control. Implications for further research and policy are identified considering these findings.

First Nations Policing: A Review of the Literature

Although there are almost 70,000 police officers in Canada, fewer than 2,000 are directly engaged... more Although there are almost 70,000 police officers in Canada, fewer than 2,000 are directly engaged in Aboriginal policing. While representing a very small proportion of all Canadian officers and policing budgets, the manner in which First Nations communities are policed has profound long-term implications for the residents living there, especially given the high rates of crime and victimization in many of these places. In order to better understand the challenges of Aboriginal policing, this review first presents a context that includes a review of Aboriginal population trends and the demographic characteristics of that population. Having established a context for this study, a historical overview of Aboriginal policing in Canada is presented.The historical review is followed by an overview of the evolution of Aboriginal policing in Canada and in that section the following policy-related areas where our knowledge is not fully developed were identified. Different crime reduction strategies are reviewed, including information from Australia, New Zealand and the United States.

Community Perceptions of the Regina Police Service, 2015

The Economics of Canadian Policing: Five Years Into the Great Recession

A key goal of this study was to review the economics, management, and policing literatures to ide... more A key goal of this study was to review the economics, management, and policing literatures to identify current trends in respect to the relationships between economics and policing, including how police services in other nations have managed austerity. With respect to the structure of this report, the first section provides a short overview of global, U.S., and Canadian economic conditions at the start of 2014. That section is followed by a review of strategies police services in other nations have used to respond to economic downturns. The results of our examination of the costs and value of policing in Canada are then presented. Prior U.S. research that has examined the costs and benefits of policing is reported, including a description of the RAND cost of crime calculator and how it was adapted to the Canadian context and a discussion of the methodology involved. The report ends with a discussion of reimagining Canadian policing in light of current economic conditions.

Policing rural Canada

The Routledge International Handbook of Rural Criminology, 2016

Do the crime, do the time: juvenile criminals and adult justice in the American court system

Choice Reviews Online, 2012

This book provides a fresh look at the way the United States is choosing to deal with some of the... more

Drilling Down: An Examination of the Boom-Crime Relationship in Resource Based Boom Counties

Actual Problems of Economics and Law, 2017

Aboriginal Policing in Rural Canada: Establishing a Research Agenda

International Journal of Rural Criminology, 2014

American jails: A retrospective examination

This book draws upon the observations of contributors who wrote about American jails prior to the... more This book draws upon the observations of contributors who wrote about American jails prior to the 1940s. They provide readers with a comprehensive account of jail operations and conditions from the turn of the 20th century until the great depression. During this time, jails were labelled a “human dumping ground” and that description was accurate given the dismal conditions that many inmates endured: men, women, and juveniles were often held together in makeshift jails. Seldom was much thought given to their care and jails were often places of filth, depravity and deprivation. Some of the jailers who operated these facilities were as corrupt, violent, and immoral as the inmates they were responsible for supervising. Like today, most inmates had not been found guilty of a crime and many were in jail because they could not scrape together a few dollars for bail or a fine. Other jail inmates were witnesses, runaway juveniles, or other persons with mental illness who were held in the local jail because no other residential alternatives existed. Yet, despite this depressing appraisal of jail conditions, many of the contributors were optimistic about the possibility of jail reform. While local jail conditions are far more humane and professionally operated today, this book outlines how many still suffer from the same problems identified almost a century ago.

Social media and policing: matching the message to the audience

Safer Communities, 2013

PurposeThis research aimed to explore the characteristics of respondents who accessed a municipal... more PurposeThis research aimed to explore the characteristics of respondents who accessed a municipal police service's webpage or social media (Facebook or Twitter). Perceptions about the usefulness of social media in policing were solicited from the respondents.Design/methodology/approachSeveral survey items about social media were included in a study of trust and confidence in policing that was collected in two waves: a random telephone sample of 504 community residents and 314 university students.FindingsOne in five respondents had accessed the police service's webpage, while 6.9 percent had accessed their Twitter feed and 5.4 percent had viewed their Facebook site. Social media users tended to be younger and better educated while respondents over 65 years of age rarely accessed these tools. Younger respondents reported that computer‐based methods of communication were useful whether they had accessed these services or not. Older non‐users, by contrast, saw little future valu...

Lifers Admitted as Juveniles in the Canadian Prison Population

Youth Justice, 2013

ABSTRACT One hundred and twenty-one Canadians were serving sentences of life imprisonment on 9 Ma... more ABSTRACT One hundred and twenty-one Canadians were serving sentences of life imprisonment on 9 March 2012 for their involvement in crimes that had occurred prior to their 18 th birthdays. Some of them had been sentenced in the 1940s and all will remain under correctional supervision for the rest of their lives. While these individuals represent a very small percentage of the total lifer population, they are of special interest given our knowledge about the culpability of children, including a growing body of neurological and social science research that associates immaturity, risk-taking, impulsivity and poor decision-making with adolescent brain development.

Officer Perceptions of Canada's ‘First Nations Policing Program’

The Police Journal, 2011

ABSTRACT This study examined the perceptions of service delivery and attitudes towards the First ... more ABSTRACT This study examined the perceptions of service delivery and attitudes towards the First Nations Policing Program (FNPP) of 434 sworn officers working in Aboriginal communities. Officers working for self-administered police services (oper-ated by First Nations) were less optimistic about both the effectiveness of service delivery and whether the goals of the FNPP were being met when compared with members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), who provided con-tract policing to these communities. These results suggest that officer experiences in policing, where they work, their demo-graphic characteristics, as well as their organisational affili-ation may shape their perspectives on policing. Implications for future research on Aboriginal, Indigenous and Tribal poli-cing are outlined. One of the most significant criticisms about Canadian political systems has been the treatment of Canada&#39;s Aboriginal or First Nations peoples. Some of this condemnation relates to the long-term impacts of colonialism and paternalism where government officials pursued a century-long policy to assimilate Aboriginal peoples into a Canadian society that espoused White, European and Protestant values. These policies included the establishment of Bands, which are often called First Nations, on Crown lands that were set aside for the communities&#39; exclusive use and are sometimes called reserves (Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, 2011). Located primarily in rural areas, these Bands are political

Policing isolated Aboriginal communities: perspectives of Canadian officers

Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to compare the self‐reported attitudes toward Aboriginal poli... more PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to compare the self‐reported attitudes toward Aboriginal policing of officers in isolated/remote communities with those from accessible Aboriginal communities.Design/methodology/approachSurvey results are reported for 294 officers working in Aboriginal communities throughout Canada.FindingsOfficers working in remote jurisdictions tended to be younger, better educated, and had less policing experience than those working in non‐isolated Aboriginal communities. Social problems in these remote communities were thought to be more serious than those reported by officers working in accessible Aboriginal communities. Despite these demographic and contextual differences, self‐reported attitudes toward Aboriginal policing were generally similar, although officers working in isolated communities tended to report more conservative views on enforcement.Research limitations/implicationsThe generalizability of the results is limited by the modest (40.7 percent) ...

The Future of Policing in Saskatchewan

Policing in Saskatchewan will be transformed over the next ten years in response to changing soci... more Policing in Saskatchewan will be transformed over the next ten years in response to changing social, demographic, and economic conditions. Not only will the police be expected to respond to a growing number of threats, but they will be asked to provide more comprehensive services without increasing their budgets. Part of these new arrangements will take the form of police and social system partnerships that are intended to take a proactive approach to crime and violence reduction. This presentation will examine how these changes will occur in both urban and rural Saskatchewan, and the role of the police in making these changes.

Duty to Disclose: The Challenges, Costs and Possible Solutions: Final Report

by Rick Ruddell and Nicholas A. Jones

The purpose of this report was to shed light on the practice of disclosure in Saskatchewan using ... more The purpose of this report was to shed light on the practice of disclosure in Saskatchewan using information collected from justice-system practitioners and stakeholders, as well as practitioners from other provinces. Based on an analysis of their observations, four broad recommendations were generated that incorporated suggestions from the Saskatchewan participants, while also giving consideration to best practices reported by officials from other provinces who are grappling with similar issues. These recommendations fall under the broad themes of: 1) legal issues and requirements, 2) standardization of disclosure packages, 3) electronic forms of disclosure, and 4) transcription.

The economics of Canadian policing: Five years into the great recession

A key goal of this study was to review the economics, management, and policing literatures to ide... more A key goal of this study was to review the economics, management, and policing literatures to identify current trends in respect to the relationships between economics and policing, including how police services in other nations have managed austerity. With respect to the structure of this report, the first section provides a short overview of global, U.S., and Canadian economic conditions at the start of 2014. That section is followed by a review of strategies police services in other nations have used to respond to economic downturns. The results of our examination of the costs and value of policing in Canada are then presented. Prior U.S. research that has examined the costs and benefits of policing is reported, including a description of the RAND cost of crime calculator and how it was adapted to the Canadian context and a discussion of the methodology involved. The report ends with a discussion of reimagining Canadian policing in light of current economic conditions.

Community perceptions of the Regina Police Service, 2013

by Rick Ruddell and Nicholas A. Jones

A telephone survey of 450 Regina residents conducted between September 17 and October 2, 2013 rev... more A telephone survey of 450 Regina residents conducted between September 17 and October 2, 2013 revealed that overall satisfaction with the Regina Police Service (RPS) was generally higher than the results presented in the 2011 RPS survey. The increase from 2011 to 2013 builds on the positive perceptions of the service that have been increasing since 2005. The following are some key findings:

• Over three-quarters (77.7%) of respondents ranked the overall quality of the RPS as very good to excellent.
• Three-quarters (75.5%) of respondents reported being highly or very satisfied with the overall level of service provided by the RPS.
• Almost four-fifths (79.5%) of respondents somewhat or strongly agreed that the RPS demonstrated professionalism in their work.
• Over three-quarters (77.3%) of respondents somewhat or strongly agreed that the RPS was an organization with integrity and honesty.
• Over four-fifths (86.7%) of respondents somewhat or strongly agreed having confidence in calling 911 in an emergency situation.

Almost two-thirds (63.5%) of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that RPS officers were a visible presence in their community and 95.2% reported that the visibility of officers had remained the same or had increased in the previous year. This was a slight increase from the results reported in the 2011 survey and shows a continual upward trend since 2005. In 2013, 47% of the respondents reported that they had contact with the RPS in the previous year, which was the highest proportion since this question was asked in 2005. Of those who did have contact, 75.5% reported a high degree of satisfaction which had increased from 70.8% in the 2011 survey and was the highest reported level of satisfaction since that question was asked in 2006.

First Nations policing: A review of the literature

by Rick Ruddell and Nicholas A. Jones

Although there are almost 70,000 police officers in Canada, fewer than 2,000 are directly engaged... more Although there are almost 70,000 police officers in Canada, fewer than 2,000 are directly engaged in Aboriginal policing. While representing a very small proportion of all Canadian officers and policing budgets, the manner in which First Nations communities are policed has profound long-term implications for the residents living there, especially given the high rates of crime and victimization in many of these places. In order to better understand the challenges of Aboriginal policing, this review first presents a context that includes a review of Aboriginal population trends and the demographic characteristics of that population. Having established a context for this study, a historical overview of Aboriginal policing in Canada is presented.The historical review is followed by an overview of the evolution of Aboriginal policing in Canada and in that section the following policy-related areas where our knowledge is not fully developed were identified. Different crime reduction strategies are reviewed, including information from Australia, New Zealand and the United States.

Austerity policing: Responding to crime during economic downturns

"Governments at all levels are grappling with the challenges of increasing demands on police serv... more "Governments at all levels are grappling with the challenges of increasing demands on police services at the same time that their budgets are threatened with cuts. Although Canada’s
economy has weathered the financial crisis that started in 2008 with fewer disruptions than in the United Kingdom or the United States, there are signs that global economic conditions, especially
in the European Union, continue to be uncertain and those challenges could have a substantial impact upon economic conditions in Canada. This report provides a review of the austerity literature and makes 11 recommendations that Canadian police leaders could investigate to mitigate the effects of budget cutbacks. "

Community Perceptions of the Regina Police Service, 2011

A telephone survey of 504 residents of Regina conducted in August and September 2011 revealed tha... more A telephone survey of 504 residents of Regina conducted in August and September 2011 revealed that overall satisfaction with the Regina Police Service (RPS) was generally high, and that respondents expressed high levels of trust and confidence in the police. The following are some key findings:
 Over three-quarters (75.5%) of respondents somewhat or strongly agreed that the RPS demonstrated professionalism in their work.
 About three-quarters (74.7%) of respondents somewhat or strongly agreed that the RPS was an organization with integrity and honesty.
 Over four-fifths (84.2%) of respondents somewhat or strongly agreed having confidence in calling 911 in an emergency situation.
 Over three-quarters (75.9%) of respondents ranked the overall quality of the RPS as very good to excellent.
Almost two-thirds (63%) of respondents reported that the RPS were a visible presence in their community, and that 94.9% reported that the visibility of officers had remained the same or had increased in the previous year. This was an increase from the results reported in previous surveys conducted by Sigma Analytics for the City of Regina. For those respondents who had contact with the RPS in the prior year, 70.8% reported a high degree of satisfaction. Comparisons with survey results from prior years show a higher level of satisfaction in 2011 compared to the results from four surveys conducted between 2006 and 2009.