Gottfredson and Hirschi's general theory of crime has generated an impressive array of theoretical and empirical research. One particular area of research has concerned the definition and operationalization of self-control. Recently, Hirschi has redefined self-control as the tendency to consider the full range of potential costs of a particular act, and suggests that such inhibiting factors vary in both number and salience in how they relate to criminal activity. This study reports the results of an original data collection effort designed to measure Hirschi's redefined and reconceptualized self-control concept and compares its predictive ability to the most commonly used attitudinal measure of selfcontrol. Results suggest that Hirschi's redefined self-control concept, and our measurement of it, is significantly and negatively associated with two types of criminal acts, and it eliminates the direct effect of a commonly used attitudinal measure of self-control. As a point of theoretical extension, we offer that selfcontrol should be considered in a situational manner. Future theoretical and empirical directions are outlined.

Drug courts have received a great deal of attention from both researchers and practitioners nationwide over the last decade. In fact, a number of recent evaluations have demonstrated the effectiveness of the approach for reducing both substance abuse and criminal involvement among participants. Recently, however, calls for thorough process evaluations (inside the black box of treatment) of these courts have often not been met or have not been adequately conducted. The current study examined the delivery of substance abuse and allied social services in a sample of four adult drug courts, using a combined qualitative/quantitative methodology (direct observation as well as traditional surveys and interviews of treatment staff) to explore the type and amount of treatment services offered within these courts. Results suggest that improvements in several areas could be made that would likely enhance the overall effectiveness of these courts, especially in terms of the delivery of scientifically-established (i.e., cognitive-behavioral) treatment approaches.

Research has generally supported the effectiveness of restorative justice (RJ) programs on a number of outcomes; however, little research has examined the effectiveness of variations in the intervention. This study examined several variations of an RJ program for juvenile offenders, including direct mediation, indirect forms of victim/offender mediation accomplished without direct victim/ offender contact, the use of community panels (i.e., with community representatives when no direct victim was available), and a group who received only minimal interaction with RJ staff. Results supported the effectiveness of a number of variations in program implementation. Implications for future research and potential improvements to the RJ model are discussed.

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