Pap & Patch make the Times. Again.

Pap & Patch's cyberbullying research appeared in yesterday's New York Times. An excerpt:

Schools these days are confronted with complex questions on whether and how to deal with cyberbullying, an imprecise label for online activities ranging from barrages of teasing texts to sexually harassing group sites. The extent of the phenomenon is hard to quantify. But one 2010 study by the Cyberbullying Research Center, an organization founded by two criminologists who defined bullying as "willful and repeated harm” inflicted through phones and computers, said one in five middle-school students had been affected....

Studies show that online harassment can begin in fourth grade. By high school, students inclined to be cruel in cyberspace are more technologically sophisticated, more capable of hiding their prints. But that is also when older students may be more resilient:

“By high school, youths are developing more self-confidence, engaged in extracurricular activities and focusing on the future,” said Sameer Hinduja, a professor at Florida Atlantic University and an author of “Bullying Beyond the Schoolyard.”

“Their identity and self-worth come from external things that don’t revolve around social relationships.”

This is their second appearance in the NYT. To quote The Trailing Spouse, "It's no Coffee Talk on Wisconsin Public Radio, but it'll do."

Patch on Wisconsin Public Radio!

Continuing the string of media appearances by GBOCers (see here, here, here, and here), Patch appeared on Wisconsin Public Radio earlier this week to discuss cyberbullying with WPR's Joy Cardin.

You can listen to the full interview here. Naturally, Patch rocked the house.

Being the good friend, colleague, and co-blogger I am, I live-blogged the interview. (Well, it's not really a live-blog because I listened to the recorded interview, but "taped-blog" doesn't have the same ring.) Enjoy! And way to go, Patch!!
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0:10. Wow. Joy has a serious upper midwest accent. ("Ooooooo Claire, Wis-caaaahn-son.")
1:40. He's an associate professor, Joy, not an assistant professor!
1:57. They could have at least checked your microphone before the interview started. ("Whoops! We got a real hot mic here!")
3:01. Ahh. That's better. Now I can hear you, Patch!
4:42. Joy says of bullying in the days of yore: "There were mean girls doing mean things." Hey, somebody should make a movie about that.
5:50. "Now, everybody's in on the joke." You make a great point about the widening of the bullying audience with new forms of communication technology.
6:03. "He's an associate, or an assistant, professor of criminal justice...." Tenure, schmenure.
7:15. Nice fake-out! She seems to be asking you about whether the teens in the Phoebe Prince case ought to face criminal charges, but when she finishes her sentence it's clear she's asking potential callers! LOL! Never mind what the expert thinks!
9:00. First shout out to Pap!
10:10. The first caller says he's read your book!! Is he a plant? ("A plant? I thought men like you were usually called a fruit.")
12:42. You are relaxed, confident, and clear in responding to the first caller. You rock.
14:25. She's asking listeners to comment on Facebook about cyberbullying. Heh.
14:58. Cyberbullying victims should "keep the evidence". Good advice that applies to all types of harassment and victimization.
16:31. The screener should be fired for allowing the call from the 58-year old who wants everyone to make like the Mennonites and ditch their iPods and cell phones. Objection, relevance! Your "pulling the plug is not the answer" response was spot on, Patch, but I think you should have asked him why if he's so opposed to technology he's calling in to a radio phone-in program! LOL!
18:33. I love your point about the increase in MySpace profiles that are set to private. "Teens are listening," indeed.
19:37. Is there a screener? The third caller is veering in his point, too. Why are we talking about torture? Now I'm certain the first caller was a plant!
21:56. First break. You are doing awesome, seriously.
22:23. And we're back. During the break you went from being a "nationally known" expert to being "internationally known" - impressive!! (Yes, but are you known to rock the microphone?)
24:12. She finally got your title correct. "I thought I got demoted." ROFL! I miss you, Patch!
26:58. You do a great job referencing statistics in an organic, conversational way without sounding like you are reading from a cheat sheet you brought with you. Well done.
27:40. Kids can be "emotionally hurt so bad that it turns into physical hurt." That's a great insight, and a terrific quote.
30:02. No, Joy. We can't blame namecalling by peers on Phoebe Prince's suicide, but we may be able to blame her suicide on namecalling by peers. You were very gracious, Patch -- that was not a great question.
30:55 Just once in my life I want to say on the radio, "I'm a trained criminologist." That's so hot.
35:33. The fourth caller's daughter changed districts because the junior high school wouldn't do anything about her bullying victimization? Really? It seems like there's more to the story than that, if only because the school would be loath to lose out on that revenue. "I don't hear too many examples like Missy's." Ah. Very diplomatic response, Patch.
39:40. A studio audience question! Wait, people actually hauled their cookies to a radio studio at six in the morning to hear you talk about cyberbullying? LOL! That's some serious motivation.
41:43. Final caller, and he makes a great point about controlling who is in your social network by blocking friend requests, using privacy settings, etc.
42:40. Your example about the teen girl "friending" her bully because she felt is was safer than blocking her is both sad and frightening. It makes me anxious for my own girls to become teenagers. (I think Baroness Schraeder was right about boarding school!)
43:40. You did a terrific job, Patch. So proud of you!

Way to Go, Pap!!!!

All of us at the GBOC are thrilled for our colleague and friend Pap, who recently was named Florida Atlantic University Teacher of the Year!!

This is a truly remarkable achievement for a young scholar, and comes on the heels of his win last year for FAU's Researcher of the Year. That's right: in the last two years, Pap has won the top two honors at his university!!

We are so proud of you, Pap!!

Dear Patchy

Does your local paper carry the syndicated "Ask Amy" column? If so, you might have seen a recent column in which our very own Patch offers advice about cyberbullying and Facebook:

Dear Amy: What's a parent to do when their child is being bullied relentlessly by peers on Facebook? As a parent who monitors my kids' Facebook communications, I'm disgusted by the ongoing profanity-filled sniping and attacks by individuals and groups alike.

School administrators say they have no control over what happens outside of school. Maybe not, but Facebook repercussions are felt every day in the hallways, classrooms and lunchrooms at school.

We live in a small town, but no one seems to want to discuss this. In other eras, when something was amiss, one (or more) of the parents who heard or saw infractions would step in and reprimand the offending child. I'm about to do the same and let the offending one(s) know that a parent saw the nastiness, and that it is unacceptable.

Amy, what's a parent to do in this age of cyberbullying?

— Worried Mom

Dear Mom: I read your letter to Justin Patchin, co-director of the Cyberbullying Research Center, who asserts that teen cyberbullying is tricky.

You might assume, for instance, that you can just yank your kids off of Facebook or have them "unfriend" or "block" the bullies, but this doesn't necessarily solve the problem — and may exacerbate it.

Patchin suggests that you not approach the offenders or their parents (yet), but mentor and educate your children about this growing problem.

Collect the evidence. Print out and save the bullies' text.

If the bullying is personal and threatening, if it escalates or spills into the hallways at school, the school does have an obligation to step in, punish the aggressors and engage the other families.

Even though it's tempting, your kids should not respond to bullying online.

Patchin also suggests taking a break from Facebook to let things settle down — and I wholeheartedly agree.

For more information and tips on how to handle this, check the research center's Web site at cyberbullying.us.

Woo hoo! I, for one, am looking forward to a "Dear Patchy" column in my local paper very soon! (Along with its partner column, "Ask Pap Landers.")

Report: No crime wave among Hurricane Katrina evacuees

First, I want to congratulate Scooby for having his research highlighted in USA Today. Nice work!

Here is a link to the complete article. As the blog title suggests, Scoob and his colleagues (including Cranky) evaluated crime trends in cities that housed evacuees from Hurricane Katrina (Houston, Phoenix, and San Antonio). They describe the 'disaster myths' common in events like Katrina - the public perception that tragic events like these breed crime. Similarly, this work comports with the racial threat hypothesis and attribution theories- the concern that outsiders, particularly people of color will threaten the status quo and will be less trustworthy and more prone to criminal behavior.

The article is very well written, so I will just share some excerpts. Overall, the authors find few links between the presence of evacuees and an increase in crime.

"But if there was any effect, it was a modest one," Varano says, after his group weighed police crime data from the three cities to look for trends for each crime from 2004 to 2006. The study found a slight rise in murder and robbery in Houston, when adjusted for the long-term crime patterns, but no increase in other crimes (and suggested drops in rape and aggravated assaults); no effect at all in San Antonio; and another slight statistical rise in the murder rate in Phoenix. "Any increase in murder is intolerable," Varano says, but a lack of increase in crimes such as car theft and robbery, where economic motives most clearly would tempt so many displaced people, argues against a crime wave driven by evacuees, he says.

What is most interesting are the comments to the article. Here is one example.

I am 32 years old and have lived in Houston all my life. Take it from me, this article is nothing but 100% BS! Petty crimes such as robbery and thefts have definitely skyrocketed since the influx. The bad economy isn't helping crime rates either. I was a victim of robbery in 2008 and I constantly see it happening again and again more than usual. The higher end suburbs seem to be the taking the worst of the brunt right now. Shootings/robberies at the Sugar Land and Woodlands malls last month. Hell even the mayor of Sugar Land was robbed at his own house! These two suburbs have been fairly safe areas in the past but things have been changing a lot over recent years. You can never escape crime anywhere you go but sometimes I feel things are starting to get so unsafe around here that I'm ready to pack up my crap and get out of dodge!

Welcome Baby Patchin!!

Mark Thomas Patchin was born at 12:08 a.m. this morning...four weeks early!

Congrats to Patch, Jill, and baby Mark!!!

Way to Go, Velma!

I've been waiting to write this post until after the official celebration in Philly:

Congratulations to Velma, the 2009 ASC Division on Corrections & Sentencing Distinguished Young Scholar!!

We are all so proud of you!

MCJA Fun!

It was great to see ShockProf and Dr. Cranky at the Midwest Criminal Justice Association annual meeting in Chicago this weekend. We were there celebrating Patch's election to the MCJA Presidency. Hooray! I'm so proud of Patch for earning this honor, and it was great to celebrate with him (over pints at Timothy O'Tooles). Congrats, Patch!!

Unfortunately, my mobile photos didn't turn out very well -- anyone else have photos from this weekend that they'd care to post?

Three Reasons Why Pap is the Coolest GBOCer

1. He was interviewed for and quoted in a recent New York Times article about the Megan Meier cyberbullyng case*:

“It will be interesting to see if issues of safety and security will eventually trump the hallmark ideology of free, largely anonymous or pseudonymous participation in cyberspace,” said Sameer Hinduja, a professor of criminology and criminal justice at Florida Atlantic University.

Impressive, no? (Even Scooby, who presumably harbors Colbertian-like disdain for the Times, must agree with that. [Just kidding, Scoob!!])

2. His comments were featured on NPR's Talk of the Nation show yesterday about the verdict in the Meier case, which was decided earlier this week. After responding to my numerous calls and emails to him and Patch encouraging them to call in and share their expertise, Pap's e-mail about the verdict was read on air. (You can hear his comments at the 27:37 mark -- Neal Conan says, "This email from Sameer in Jupiter, Florida...") I was so excited I about drove off of the road. Pap was on TOTN!! And show's guests thought he made a great point!!

3. He's had his picture taken with McGruff. Waaaaay cooler than either the Times or NPR, if you ask me.

*This is rivaled in coolness, of course, by Velma's gun violence research being picked up by Ted Gest.

ASC 2008 Recap

It was SO great to see Cranks, Scooby, Velma, ShockProf, Patch, & Mrs. Patch at the ASC Annual Meeting in St. Louis this year...and it was a real pleasure to meet and befriend NewSocProf! (Who says blogging can't pay professional dividends?!)

Highlights of the conference for me included catching up with old friends, being part of a team that won twenty bucks and two rounds of free drinks in an Irish pub trivia contest, cheering fellow Spartans who were feted with various awards (congrats Merry & Kristy!), and heading up to the top of the arch with Mrs. Patch on a crystal clear autumn day. I must say, though, that the pinnacle of my conference experience came when I met Ted Gest. Yes, the Ted Gest! He chaired an exceptionally interesting (but, sadly, poorly-attended) panel on politics and crime featuring St. Louis County prosecutor Bob McCulloch, John Jay president and former NIJ director Jeremy Travis, and Charles Wellford of the University of Maryland Criminology & Criminal Justice program and the National Academy of Sciences. (I took copious notes and hope to write an entire post about it soon. It was seriously great.)

Below are some photos of the festivities. First up, here's MSU-SCJ professor Merry Morash acknowledging her receipt of an ASC Fellowship at the MSU reception Thursday evening (the other big winner was MSU alum Kristy Holtfreter, who received the Young Scholar award from the ASC Division on Women & Crime):



Dr. Cranky, Mrs. Patch, Patch, Scooby, & Velma sharing a laugh:


ShockProf, Velma, me, Scoob, Cranks, & Patch posing for a charming (though disappointingly fuzzy) GBOC photo:


The decorum lasted all of five seconds:


Finally, I believe efforts were underway to drive by and photograph Pap's boyhood home. I'm curious to hear whether that happened!

AZ JD, ESQ

Our newest blogger, AZ JD, hasn't blogged much yet of late. Understandably so, as he's been furiously studying for the Arizona Bar Exam, which he has officially passed! Congratulations! Now go out and celebrate!!

More MSU-SCJ Kudos

I'm a little late in posting this, so please forgive me: Recently MSU School of Criminal Justice professor Merry Morash was named a Fellow of the American Society of Criminology. Congratulations, Dr. Morash!

Three Cheers for Velma!

Velma is too modest to share the good news herself, so I'll do it for her:

First came news that she has received a big-ass NIJ grant to study the efficacy of sex offender registration restrictions. Woo hoo! This is exciting news, indeed.

Then, as if that's not cool enough, some of the gun violence research she has conducted has received local media attention...including being picked up by Ted Gest's CJ news archive! Seriously, see for yourself here.

Pretty amazing, eh? To celebrate these accomplishments, please join me in offering Velma a congratulatory cheer:

V! (clap, clap, clap)
V-E! (clap, clap, clap)
V-E-L! (clap, clap)
V-E-L-M-A! (hey!)

P.S. While we're handing out kudos, Patch & Pap deserve some, too: their book is now officially on shelves! Woo hoo!

Pap & Patch's Book!!

Exciting news: Pap & Patch's first book, "Bullying Beyond the Schoolyard: Preventing and Responding to Cyberbullying," will be available beginning August 5th!

Here's what the publisher has to say about this book:

Cyberbullying is the intentional and repeated act of causing harm to others through the use of computers, cell phones, and other electronic devices. The authors help educators understand the potential consequences of this deliberate behavior and present strategies for effective identification, prevention, and response.

Focusing on the way technology can facilitate or magnify bullying behavior, this comprehensive resource offers information, guidelines, and resources to give students the protection they need. Written by leading experts, this groundbreaking book offers the voices of youth affected by or involved in real cyberbullying incidents and includes:

• Illustrations of what cyberbullying looks like
• Tips for identifying cyberbullies or targets
• "Breakout boxes" highlighting hundreds of anti-cyberbullying strategies
• A review of current research and legal rulings
• Strategies for responsible social networking
• Follow-up reflection questions in each chapter
• Guidelines for working with parents and law enforcement

"Bullying Beyond the Schoolyard" is available for pre-ordering on Amazon here.

Congrats to Pap and Patch!!

Congrats to Pap

A big shout out to Pap, who was just named his institution's 2007-2008 Creative Scholar of the Year at the Assistant Professor Level.

Congratulations to Dr. Huginkiss!

Her bound dissertation is now on my bookshelf. She's in good company--the tomes written by Drs. Scooby, Patch, Velma & Pap up there as well.

(Funny, I don't seem to have one for the NYKid--I distinctly remember serving on that committee. I must have left it at home on the coffee table, where I read it nightly over a glass of wine.)

Congrats to Velma!

Our Velma has received the 2008 Tori Caeti Young Scholar Award from the Juvenile Justice Section of ACJS! "The award is intended to recognize young scholars who have made significant contributions to the field of juvenile justice." I was initially on the selection committee but bowed out when I saw she was one of the nominees.

Congratulations, superstar!

Kudos for MSU-SCJ

While reading yesterday's Detroit Free Press, I spied this quote, featured in the "She/He Said It" blurb, from one of MSU-SCJ's very own:

"In our policing system and in our justice system, wealth does have an impact. Wealth buys publicists. Wealth buys lawyers for both sides."

Carol Zimmermann, a visiting [assistant] professor of criminal justice at Michigan State University, discussing last week the impact money has on the justice system.

Good stuff!

Congrats, Dr. H

Please extend your congrats to Dr. H for participating in commencement this weekend. Way to go! All of the members of the original group are now done - amazing.