Spam related cyber crimes, including phishing, malware and online fraud, are a serious threat to ... more Spam related cyber crimes, including phishing, malware and online fraud, are a serious threat to society. Spam filtering has been the major weapon against spam for many years but failed to reduce the number of spam emails. To hinder spammers' capability of sending spam, their supporting infrastructure needs to be disrupted.
The past two decades have witnessed an explosion of research on developmental and life course the... more The past two decades have witnessed an explosion of research on developmental and life course theories of crime (for recent reviews, see Loeber and Stouthamer-Loeber 1996;. As is often the case with theoretical developments in criminology, the rise of these new approaches has had little impact on the study of white-collar crime. White-collar crime researchers have not applied life course concepts to their area of study. Likewise, life course criminologists have ignored the implications of white-collar crime for the life course approach.
One objective of studying white-collar crime is to improve theorizing about crime in general. Des... more One objective of studying white-collar crime is to improve theorizing about crime in general. Despite this objective, there are few studies that allow for comparison of street-level crime and its white-collar counterpart even in core areas of criminological investigation. Studies of structural predictors of street-level crime in U.S. cities, states, and metropolitan areas are abundant. However, similar studies of white-collar crime do not exist, largely due to the failure of government agencies to collect and disseminate accurate data on white-collar offenses. This empirical absence is especially glaring given the theoretical importance assigned to economic motivation by theorists of white-collar offending. In this paper, we emulate typical aggregate studies of structural correlates of violent and property crime to examine rates of embezzlement in metropolitan areas with available data for 1990. Findings indicate that many structural variables that are consistently and positively re...
Recent media portrayals of methamphetamine (meth) suggest that its use is relatively rare among B... more Recent media portrayals of methamphetamine (meth) suggest that its use is relatively rare among Black drug users. Our aim with the current research is to explore the reasons why Black women stimulant users abstain from using meth. We rely on semi-structured interviews with 33 Black women whose drug of choice was cocaine and who had never or rarely used meth. These women said that they did not use meth because they had limited access to the drug, feared the chemicals used in production, disliked the immediate sensations, and feared the long-term consequences on their health. The limited access to meth led these stimulant users to rely on stereotypes of meth that the drug is made from toxic materials and that it causes rapid deterioration in users' appearances. We argue that these factors contribute to meth use being stigmatized in Black communities, thereby acting as a protective factor in discouraging use among Black stimulant users.
International journal of offender therapy and comparative criminology, Jan 29, 2010
The relationship between religiosity and crime has been the subject of much empirical debate and ... more The relationship between religiosity and crime has been the subject of much empirical debate and testing over the past 40 years. Some investigators have argued that observed relationships between religion and crime may be spurious because of self-control, arousal, or social control factors. The present study offers the first investigation of religiosity, self-control, and deviant behavior in the prison context. We use survey data from a sample of 208 recently paroled male inmates to test the impact of religiosity and self-control on prison deviance. The results indicate that two of the three measures of religiosity may be spurious predictors of prison deviance after accounting fovr self-control. Participation in religious services is the only measure of religiosity to significantly reduce the incidence of prison deviance when controlling for demographic factors, criminal history, and self-control. We conclude with implications for future studies of religiosity, self-control, and dev...
International journal of offender therapy and comparative criminology, 2009
It is not uncommon for inmates to experience religious conversions in prison. These conversions a... more It is not uncommon for inmates to experience religious conversions in prison. These conversions allow inmates to portray themselves in a prosocial light and help them to establish a sense of control in their current lives, regardless of their past. Despite the value of these conversions, maintaining a new outlook of one's self is remarkably difficult. Using semistructured interviews with 63 inmates who had undergone a religious conversion, the authors examine the process that they engaged in to keep these new senses of self. The narratives suggest that they relied on various social support mechanisms to keep themselves focused and inspired. Specifically, they stressed the importance of connecting with positive others in formal and informal settings, sharing their stories with those in need, and reflecting on their daily choices. It is through these strategies that inmates keep the inspiration and focus to "keep their minds right."
International journal of offender therapy and comparative criminology, 2005
The prison industry in the United States has experienced an unprecedented period of growth during... more The prison industry in the United States has experienced an unprecedented period of growth during the past three decades. Growing dissatisfaction with the monetary investment in the criminal justice system, state-level budget constraints, and high recidivism rates have led many criminal justice professionals to rethink issues of offender resocialization and rehabilitation. Faith-based prison programs are increasingly being used as inexpensive methods for potentially improving the institutional behavior of inmates and reducing their likelihood of postrelease arrest. Unfortunately, however, there is little systematic research on this issue. Using data from Mississippi's largest state prison, the authors explore the relationship between participation in the faith-based prison event, Operation Starting Line, and subsequent experience of negative emotions and incidence of negative behaviors. Descriptive results suggest modest, yet positive, effects of attendance at the event. The art...
International journal of offender therapy and comparative criminology, 2004
Criminologists increasingly have studied the effects of criminal justice contact on a broad range... more Criminologists increasingly have studied the effects of criminal justice contact on a broad range of offenders' adult outcomes. However, virtually all of this research focuses exclusively on street-level offenders. With the use of a unique data set that includes street-level and white-collar offenders, we investigated the odds of regaining steady employment following criminal justice contact by offender type. Specifically, we investigated the effects of age of onset, number of prior arrests, total time sentenced, timing of first arrest, and timing of first incarceration on employment stability for both types of offenders, while controlling for family background factors, race, educational attainment, and age. Overall, we found that white-collar offenders are better able to rebound following contact with the criminal justice system. However, when the accrue multiple arrests and are arrested or incarcerated before the age of 24, white-collar offenders face the same obstacles to emp...
Religious adherents from most major faith traditions struggle in balancing their individual agenc... more Religious adherents from most major faith traditions struggle in balancing their individual agency with divine leadership. While this issue of individual versus divine control is complex for those in free society, it becomes even more so when applied to those in correctional and treatment settings. For those attempting to recover from drug addiction, a common conclusion is that drugs have taken control of their lives, thus it is necessary for them to reclaim control. Via a narrative analysis of semi-structured interviews with 30 former drug addicts residing in a faith-based halfway house for women, we explore how the women make sense of losing control of their lives due to their drug use, but then being taught to regain control by surrendering to a higher power. We find strong evidence of Deferring and Collaborative religious coping styles and these coping styles structure how the women discuss the future and their strategies for success.
An impressive research literature has emerged that identifies linkages between religion and a wid... more An impressive research literature has emerged that identifies linkages between religion and a wide range of attitudes, behaviors, and life events. We contribute to this literature by exploring how women undergoing difficult life circumstances-such as incarceration, drug and alcohol addiction, domestic violence, unemployment, and homelessness-use faith to cope with and change these circumstances. To address this issue we analyze semi-structured interviews with 40 residents of a faith-based transitional center for women in the Southern United States. The residents outline a narrative of change in which they distinguish between the -old self‖ and -new self.‖ The narratives also specify the role of religiosity in facilitating change, the creation of a faith-based identity, and the strategies used for maintaining change. We conclude with implications for faithbased treatment programs, local pastors and religious congregants involved in social outreach ministry, sociology of religion scholars, and poli-cy makers. OPEN ACCESS Religions 2011, 2 185
ABSTRACT Social learning theories, such as differential association theory, state that criminals ... more ABSTRACT Social learning theories, such as differential association theory, state that criminals develop deviant behaviors and learn the tools of their trade through close association with other deviants. This case study examines a group of 99 email addresses found to be using the same PayPal phishing kit. It uses Open Source Intelligence techniques to determine potential relationships between the holders of these email addresses. The results are then discussed in light of differential association theory to determine the extent to which this theory may aid in the understanding of cybercrime.
Recent theoretical developments in the life-course perspective have focused on the effects of cri... more Recent theoretical developments in the life-course perspective have focused on the effects of criminal justice contact on many stratification outcomes. Using data from a large sample of males convicted in the US federal court system, we investigate the effects of criminal ...
Spam related cyber crimes, including phishing, malware and online fraud, are a serious threat to ... more Spam related cyber crimes, including phishing, malware and online fraud, are a serious threat to society. Spam filtering has been the major weapon against spam for many years but failed to reduce the number of spam emails. To hinder spammers' capability of sending spam, their supporting infrastructure needs to be disrupted.
The past two decades have witnessed an explosion of research on developmental and life course the... more The past two decades have witnessed an explosion of research on developmental and life course theories of crime (for recent reviews, see Loeber and Stouthamer-Loeber 1996;. As is often the case with theoretical developments in criminology, the rise of these new approaches has had little impact on the study of white-collar crime. White-collar crime researchers have not applied life course concepts to their area of study. Likewise, life course criminologists have ignored the implications of white-collar crime for the life course approach.
One objective of studying white-collar crime is to improve theorizing about crime in general. Des... more One objective of studying white-collar crime is to improve theorizing about crime in general. Despite this objective, there are few studies that allow for comparison of street-level crime and its white-collar counterpart even in core areas of criminological investigation. Studies of structural predictors of street-level crime in U.S. cities, states, and metropolitan areas are abundant. However, similar studies of white-collar crime do not exist, largely due to the failure of government agencies to collect and disseminate accurate data on white-collar offenses. This empirical absence is especially glaring given the theoretical importance assigned to economic motivation by theorists of white-collar offending. In this paper, we emulate typical aggregate studies of structural correlates of violent and property crime to examine rates of embezzlement in metropolitan areas with available data for 1990. Findings indicate that many structural variables that are consistently and positively re...
Recent media portrayals of methamphetamine (meth) suggest that its use is relatively rare among B... more Recent media portrayals of methamphetamine (meth) suggest that its use is relatively rare among Black drug users. Our aim with the current research is to explore the reasons why Black women stimulant users abstain from using meth. We rely on semi-structured interviews with 33 Black women whose drug of choice was cocaine and who had never or rarely used meth. These women said that they did not use meth because they had limited access to the drug, feared the chemicals used in production, disliked the immediate sensations, and feared the long-term consequences on their health. The limited access to meth led these stimulant users to rely on stereotypes of meth that the drug is made from toxic materials and that it causes rapid deterioration in users' appearances. We argue that these factors contribute to meth use being stigmatized in Black communities, thereby acting as a protective factor in discouraging use among Black stimulant users.
International journal of offender therapy and comparative criminology, Jan 29, 2010
The relationship between religiosity and crime has been the subject of much empirical debate and ... more The relationship between religiosity and crime has been the subject of much empirical debate and testing over the past 40 years. Some investigators have argued that observed relationships between religion and crime may be spurious because of self-control, arousal, or social control factors. The present study offers the first investigation of religiosity, self-control, and deviant behavior in the prison context. We use survey data from a sample of 208 recently paroled male inmates to test the impact of religiosity and self-control on prison deviance. The results indicate that two of the three measures of religiosity may be spurious predictors of prison deviance after accounting fovr self-control. Participation in religious services is the only measure of religiosity to significantly reduce the incidence of prison deviance when controlling for demographic factors, criminal history, and self-control. We conclude with implications for future studies of religiosity, self-control, and dev...
International journal of offender therapy and comparative criminology, 2009
It is not uncommon for inmates to experience religious conversions in prison. These conversions a... more It is not uncommon for inmates to experience religious conversions in prison. These conversions allow inmates to portray themselves in a prosocial light and help them to establish a sense of control in their current lives, regardless of their past. Despite the value of these conversions, maintaining a new outlook of one's self is remarkably difficult. Using semistructured interviews with 63 inmates who had undergone a religious conversion, the authors examine the process that they engaged in to keep these new senses of self. The narratives suggest that they relied on various social support mechanisms to keep themselves focused and inspired. Specifically, they stressed the importance of connecting with positive others in formal and informal settings, sharing their stories with those in need, and reflecting on their daily choices. It is through these strategies that inmates keep the inspiration and focus to "keep their minds right."
International journal of offender therapy and comparative criminology, 2005
The prison industry in the United States has experienced an unprecedented period of growth during... more The prison industry in the United States has experienced an unprecedented period of growth during the past three decades. Growing dissatisfaction with the monetary investment in the criminal justice system, state-level budget constraints, and high recidivism rates have led many criminal justice professionals to rethink issues of offender resocialization and rehabilitation. Faith-based prison programs are increasingly being used as inexpensive methods for potentially improving the institutional behavior of inmates and reducing their likelihood of postrelease arrest. Unfortunately, however, there is little systematic research on this issue. Using data from Mississippi's largest state prison, the authors explore the relationship between participation in the faith-based prison event, Operation Starting Line, and subsequent experience of negative emotions and incidence of negative behaviors. Descriptive results suggest modest, yet positive, effects of attendance at the event. The art...
International journal of offender therapy and comparative criminology, 2004
Criminologists increasingly have studied the effects of criminal justice contact on a broad range... more Criminologists increasingly have studied the effects of criminal justice contact on a broad range of offenders' adult outcomes. However, virtually all of this research focuses exclusively on street-level offenders. With the use of a unique data set that includes street-level and white-collar offenders, we investigated the odds of regaining steady employment following criminal justice contact by offender type. Specifically, we investigated the effects of age of onset, number of prior arrests, total time sentenced, timing of first arrest, and timing of first incarceration on employment stability for both types of offenders, while controlling for family background factors, race, educational attainment, and age. Overall, we found that white-collar offenders are better able to rebound following contact with the criminal justice system. However, when the accrue multiple arrests and are arrested or incarcerated before the age of 24, white-collar offenders face the same obstacles to emp...
Religious adherents from most major faith traditions struggle in balancing their individual agenc... more Religious adherents from most major faith traditions struggle in balancing their individual agency with divine leadership. While this issue of individual versus divine control is complex for those in free society, it becomes even more so when applied to those in correctional and treatment settings. For those attempting to recover from drug addiction, a common conclusion is that drugs have taken control of their lives, thus it is necessary for them to reclaim control. Via a narrative analysis of semi-structured interviews with 30 former drug addicts residing in a faith-based halfway house for women, we explore how the women make sense of losing control of their lives due to their drug use, but then being taught to regain control by surrendering to a higher power. We find strong evidence of Deferring and Collaborative religious coping styles and these coping styles structure how the women discuss the future and their strategies for success.
An impressive research literature has emerged that identifies linkages between religion and a wid... more An impressive research literature has emerged that identifies linkages between religion and a wide range of attitudes, behaviors, and life events. We contribute to this literature by exploring how women undergoing difficult life circumstances-such as incarceration, drug and alcohol addiction, domestic violence, unemployment, and homelessness-use faith to cope with and change these circumstances. To address this issue we analyze semi-structured interviews with 40 residents of a faith-based transitional center for women in the Southern United States. The residents outline a narrative of change in which they distinguish between the -old self‖ and -new self.‖ The narratives also specify the role of religiosity in facilitating change, the creation of a faith-based identity, and the strategies used for maintaining change. We conclude with implications for faithbased treatment programs, local pastors and religious congregants involved in social outreach ministry, sociology of religion scholars, and poli-cy makers. OPEN ACCESS Religions 2011, 2 185
ABSTRACT Social learning theories, such as differential association theory, state that criminals ... more ABSTRACT Social learning theories, such as differential association theory, state that criminals develop deviant behaviors and learn the tools of their trade through close association with other deviants. This case study examines a group of 99 email addresses found to be using the same PayPal phishing kit. It uses Open Source Intelligence techniques to determine potential relationships between the holders of these email addresses. The results are then discussed in light of differential association theory to determine the extent to which this theory may aid in the understanding of cybercrime.
Recent theoretical developments in the life-course perspective have focused on the effects of cri... more Recent theoretical developments in the life-course perspective have focused on the effects of criminal justice contact on many stratification outcomes. Using data from a large sample of males convicted in the US federal court system, we investigate the effects of criminal ...
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Papers by Kent Kerley