Valerie Jenness Fellowships, Honors, & Awards

Valerie Jenness Fellowships, Honors, and Awards

Honorable Mention, Distinguished Contribution to Sociological Perspectives Award, Pacific Sociological Association, 2015

Certificate of Recognition (for expertise, leadership, and service to the community), Los Angeles Police Department, 2015

President’s Award (for contributions to the field of criminology and positive influence on the current WSC president’s career), Western Society of Criminology, 2015

Saltzman Award for Contributions to Practice, Division on Women and Crime, American Society of Criminology, 2014

Richard Tewksbury Award (for scholarship on crime and sexuality), Western Society of Criminology, 2014

Distinguished Article Award, Sociology of Law Section, American Sociological Association, 2013

Honorable Mention, Article Prize, Law & Society Association, 2013

Honorary Member, Golden Key Society, 2012

President, Pacific Sociological Association, 2012­13

Public Understanding of Sociology Award, American Sociological Award, 2010

Zot! Zot! Zot! Commencement Award (for the greatest display of Anteater spirit and joy of achievement during commencement ceremony), University of California, Office of the Chancellor and Office of Student Affairs, 2010

Outstanding Mentor Award, University of California, Irvine Emeriti Association, 2010

Stewardship Star (for nurturing important relationships with donors), University of California, Irvine Advancement, 2010

Lifetime Achievement Award, Crime and Delinquency Division, Society for the Study of Social Problems, 2009

Joseph B. Gittler Award (for contributions to the ethical resolution of social problems), Society for the Study of Social Problems, 2008

Distinguished Contributions to Sociological Practice Award, Pacific Sociological Association, 2008

Distinguished Article Award, Sociology of Law Section, American Sociological Association, 2007

Visiting Scholar, Center for the Study of Law and Society, University of California, Berkeley, 2006

President, Society for the Study of Social Problems, 2006­2007

Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Fostering Undergraduate Research, University of California, Irvine, 2006

Award for Teaching Excellence in Undergraduate Education, Division of Undergraduate Education, University of California, Irvine, 2006

Selected by Social Ecology students as “the faculty member who has had the greatest impact on his/her education at UCI,” University of California, Irvine, 1998, 1999, 2005, 2006

“Interesting Professor We Would Like to Meet Outside of the Classroom,” Arroyo Vista Housing, University of California, Irvine, 2005

Professor of the Month, Campus Village Housing, University of California, Irvine, 2004

Faculty Recognition Award, Disability Services Center, University of California, Irvine, 2004

McGee Lecturer, Marquette University, 2003

Steiglitz Memorial Lecturer, College of Wooster, 2003

Outstanding Scholarship Award, Crime and Delinquency Division, Society for the Study of Social Problems, 2002

Finalist, Aaron Wildavsky Book Award (for Outstanding Policy Book), Policy Studies Organization, 2002

UC Management Fellow, University of California Management Institute, 2001

Lee­Founders Award for Distinguished Scholarship, Society for the Study of Social Problems, 2001

Crime Control & Criminalization In The United States: Does It Work?

Crime control in the U.S. is a complex labyrinth of politics, controversy, and intrigue. It has been addressed on political platforms, by religious institutions, and has been incorporated in multiple sociological studies. Though it is an ever-changing field of development, the main form of criminal punishment for nonviolent and violent offenders alike in the United States is incarceration, though recently, alternative methods have been suggested.

Incarceration

Many studies have been conducted concerning the overall effectiveness of incarceration in the United States. The fact that U.S. prisons lead the world in incarceration rates reflects an underlying, countrywide philosophy that it is effective in preventing crime — despite its potential problems.

Pros

Deterrence. This is the main argument by incarceration advocates. It is based on the idea that when crime rates go down significantly, this fact is always correlated with increased incarcerations (which is what occurred in the 1990s). Prisons have the ability put offenders in a position where they cannot harm anyone (except other inmates). In short, if offenders are behind bars, they cannot victimize innocent people. This also triggers a widespread deterrent effect on the would-be offenders. However, this argument is built on the assumption that offenders exercise rational judgment and are aware of the cost associated with particular criminal acts — which is not always the case.

Cons

Ineffective. One of the key criticisms of incarceration in crime control is that it leads to over-swelled institutions and inflicts heavy burden on courts and communities. There is also the concern that it triggers an endless cycle: prisoners will be locked up one day, released the next, locked up again, and so on. The whole system becomes a vortex of wasted money and time used by people in power to further agendas, rather than being an effective method of crime control.

Counterproductive. There is the additional point that incarceration does not address those offenders who are not “career criminals,” and that incarcerating such people will actually be counterproductive. After all, prisons are often seen as graduate schools for crime, a fact easily perceived by the states where recidivism rates go beyond 60 percent. Additionally, incarceration of nonviolent offenders destroys families; it places a label on the offender for the rest of their life and prevents them from finding jobs and supporting their loved ones in the future.

Alternative Solutions

While no one suggests that there is a single, easy solution for criminalization and crime control in the U.S., other theories have been put alongside incarceration as alternative methods of avoidance. Some of these ideas include effective gun control, decriminalization of illicit drugs, prevention of child abuse and neglect, amelioration of poverty, and intervention with at-risk youngsters.

Crime control and criminalization in the U.S. is a topic continually revisited by politicians and law enforcement. New studies arise every day that strive to place the country on the path towards a system that is effective, financially practical, and, most importantly, safe.

For more information about U.S. prison systems visit Valerie Jennesstoday!

Valerie Jenness