Abstract
Increased occurrences of antisocial behavior, dangerous driving, and crime after a boom place significant demands on the police, courts, and corrections. This chapter describes the impact of the boom on these agencies, and respondents in boomtown studies report an increased number of calls for services from the public, delays in the time it takes cases to work their way through the courts, probation officers who find it difficult to manage their large caseloads, and overcrowded local jails. Turnover in many of these agencies is high as local agencies find it difficult to compete with the higher pay offered by the oil-field industries. In addition to describing the challenges faced by these public agencies, the roles that private security and first-responders play in crime prevention and responding to disorder and unintentional injuries are also profiled. Altogether, these public, private, and voluntary organizations play an important role in managing the disorder created by the boom.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Ackerman, R. (2007, January 11). Boom resonates within local legal system: Probation officer shortage could be addressed at general legislative session. The Sundance Times, p. 1.
Allen, S., Call, G., Druckhammer, R., Mosehauer, K., Pelka, M., Rodriguez, M., & Vinson, M. (2016). Justice reinvestment in North Dakota. Washington, DC: Council of State Governments Justice Center.
Archbold, C., Dahle, T. O., Huynh, C., & Mrozla, T. (2016). “Some days I feel like the dam broke:” An examination of increased workload on police officer stress and job satisfaction in western North Dakota. Internet Journal of Criminology Special Issue on Boomtowns, 49–71. Retrieved from https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/b93dd4_88d7e9607fe546d1a9bc4c0441f9c58f.pdf
Archbold, C. A., Dahle, T., & Jordan, R. (2014). Policing “the patch”: Police responses to rapid population growth in oil boomtowns in western North Dakota. Police Quarterly, 17(4), 386–413.
Bohn, P., & Tomanek, B. (2013). The boom with a bang. The Insider. Bismarck, ND: North Dakota Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Bureau of Justice Statistics. (2016a). Corrections statistical analysis tool (CSAT)—Probation. Retrieved from http://www.bjs.gov/probation/
Bureau of Justice Statistics. (2016b). Corrections statistical analysis tool (CSAT)—Prisoners. Retrieved from http://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=nps
Bureau of Justice Statistics. (2016c). Corrections statistical analysis tool (CSAT)—Parole. Retrieved from http://www.bjs.gov/parole/
Chammah, M. (2013). Pending execution revives prison staffing debate. The Texas Tribune. Retrieved from https://www.texastribune.org/2013/04/19/execution-revives-long-debate-over-prison-staffing/
Crane-Murdoch, S. (2013). On Indian land, criminals can get away with almost anything. The Atlantic. Retrieved from http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2013/02/on-indian-land-criminals-can-get-away-with-almost-anything/273391/
Cwiak, C. L., Avon, N., Kellen, C., Mott, P. C., Niday, O. M., Schulz, K. M., et al. (2015). The new normal: The direct and indirect impacts of oil drilling and production on the emergency management function in North Dakota. Fargo, ND: North Dakota State University.
Grissom, B. (2014). A corrections crunch. The Texas Tribune. Retrieved from https://apps.texastribune.org/shale-life/a-corrections-crunch/
Guldborg, A. (2016). Another day in the oil patch: Narratives of probation work in Montana. Unpublished thesis. University of Montana.
Hackenburg, E. (2015). Overcrowded Bakken jail for women finally getting some room to breathe. Billings Gazette. Retrieved from http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/montana/overcrowded-bakken-jail-for-women-finally-getting-some-room-to/article_096330c8-9954-5c94-94be-a68944a096af.html
Hackenburg, E. (2016). FBI chief visits Williston. Williston Herald. Retrieved from http://www.willistonherald.com/news/fbi-chief-visits-williston/article_7896181a-2c5f-11e6-a2e6-870b92361d71.html
Hall, K. G. (2012). US oil boom comes with tradeoffs and an ugly underbelly. McClatchy Newspapers. Retrieved from http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/nation-world/national/economy/article24737296.html
Hannaford, A. (2012). A ‘black gold’ rush in Cotulla. Texas Observer. Retrieved from https://www.texasobserver.org/a-black-gold-rush-in-cotulla/
Hasan, A. (2016). Security of cross-country oil and gas pipelines: A risk-based model. Journal of Pipeline Systems Engineering and Practice, 7(3), 1–8.
Hawkins, A. (2014) Transient workers increasingly lawless in Wyoming’s oil fields. Associated Press. Retrieved from http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2014/11/29/transient-workers-increasingly-lawless-in-wyoming-s-oil-fields/
Horwitz, S. (2014). Dark side of the boom. Washington Post. Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/national/2014/09/28/dark-side-of-the-boom/
Jayasundara, D. (2016). Criminal justice worker impact. Unpublished interview data.
Jayasundara, D., Heitkamp, T., & Ruddell, R. (2016). Voices from the front line: Human service workers’ perceptions of interpersonal violence in resource-based boom communities. Internet Journal of Criminology Special Issue on Boomtowns, 72–93. Retrieved from https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/b93dd4_88d7e9607fe546d1a9bc4c0441f9c58f.pdf
Kaeble, D., & Bonczar, T. P. (2016). Probation and parole in the United States, 2015. Washington, DC: Bureau of Justice Statistics.
Kolpack, D. (2016). Boom or bust, courts remain busy in North Dakota oil patch. Associated Press. Retrieved from http://www.startribune.com/boom-or-bust-courts-remain-busy-in-north-dakota-oil-patch/372670071/
Leko, L. (2013, Fall). Generally speaking. Western Canadian Game Warden. Retrieved from http://www.westerncanadiangamewarden.com/F2013Gernerally.html
MacPherson, J. (2012). Oil boom increasing work for parole officers. Williston Herald. Retrieved from http://www.willistonherald.com/oil-boom-increasing-work-for-parole-officers/article_aa456798-84d0-11e1-a253-0019bb2963f4.html
McKibben, B. (2001). One guy, one rifle and an oil pipeline. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved from http://articles.latimes.com/2001/oct/21/opinion/op-59754
Minton, T. D., Ginder, S., Brumbaugh, S. M., Smiley-McDonald, H., & Rohloff, H. (2015). Census of jails: Population changes, 1999–2013. Washington, DC: Bureau of Justice Statistics.
Minton, T. D., & Zeng, Z. (2016). Jail inmates in 2015. Washington, DC: Bureau of Justice Statistics.
Monke, D. (2016). Post-oil boom, drug prices fall in oil patch as gang trafficking increases. Forum News Service. Retrieved from http://bismarcktribune.com/bakken/post-oil-boom-drug-prices-fall-in-oil-patch-as/article_92256837-b87d-5f38-8191-58fb1ae00453.html
Montana All Threat Intelligence Center and North Dakota State & Local Intelligence Center [MND Report]. (2012). Impact of population growth on law enforcement in the Williston Basin region. Helena, MT: Author.
Murphy, S. (2012). Oil boom brings scarcity of workers in small towns. Associated Press. Retrieved from http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2012/08/oil_boom_brings_scarcity_of_wo.html
National Geographic. (2014). Bakken oil boom brings growing pains to small Montana town. National Geographic. Retrieved from: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/special-features/energy/2014/07/140709-montana-oil-boom-bakken-shale/
National Geographic. (2016). Fracking hell. National Geographic. Retrieved from http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/underworld-inc/videos/fracking-hell1/
North Dakota Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. (2015). 2013–2015 biennial report. Bismarck, ND: Author.
North Dakota Supreme Court. (2015). North Dakota courts annual reports (1999–2015). Retrieved from https://www.ndcourts.gov/court/annual.htm
Nowatzki, M. (2015). Massive drug trafficking bust shows power of Bakken strike force, authorities say. Grand Forks Herald. Retrieved from http://www.grandforksherald.com/news/crime-and-courts/3816312-massive-drug-trafficking-bust-shows-power-bakken-strike-force
Onsurez, J. (2015). In oil patch, crime follows tides of oil, gas industry. Albuquerque Journal. Retrieved from http://www.abqjournal.com/640213/in-oil-patch-crime-follows-tides-of-oil-gas-industry.html
Perry, J. R. (2007). The effect of energy development on the courts. Wyoming Law Review, 7(2), 321–329.
Ruddell, R. (2011). Boomtown policing: Responding to the dark side of resource development. Policing: A Journal of Policy and Practice, 5(4), 328–342.
Ruddell, R. (2016). Introduction: Reflecting on boomtowns in Australia, Canada, and the United States. Internet Journal of Criminology Special Issue on Boomtowns, 1–8. Retrieved from https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/b93dd4_88d7e9607fe546d1a9bc4c0441f9c58f.pdf
Ruddell, R. (2017). Policing rural Canada: The police, partners, and public safety. Whitby, ON: de Sitter Publications.
Schmall, E. (2015). Dropping oil prices drain town’s hopes. Standard-Times. Retrieved from http://www.gosanangelo.com/news/state/texas-city-that-prepared-for-oil-boom-now-waits-for-bust-ep-869074303-353712651.html
Shilton, A. C. (2015). The human cost of Keystone XL. Pacific Standard. Retrieved from https://psmag.com/the-human-cost-of-keystone-xl-231e04adf683#.fvqqq11rw
Skurzewski, J. (2016). Ward county commissioners approve 28 more cells to jail expansion. KMOT News. Retrieved from http://www.kfyrtv.com/content/news/Ward-County-Commissioners-approve-28-more-cells-to-jail-expansion-387333411.html
State Bar Association of North Dakota. (2012). Justice system energy impact task force report. Bismarck, ND: Author.
Statistics Canada. (2016a). CANSIM Table 252-0051. Incident-based crime statistics, by detailed violations. Ottawa, ON: Author.
Statistics Canada. (2016b). CANSIM Table 254-0004. Police personnel and selected crime statistics, municipal police services. Ottawa, ON: Author.
Tartaro, C., & Ruddell, R. (2006). Trouble in Mayberry: A national analysis of suicides and attempts in small jails. American Journal of Criminal Justice, 31(1), 81–101.
Thomas, M. O., Smith, S. M., & Ortiz, N. R. (2016). The boom’s echo: Learning how to mitigate boomtown effects. Internet Journal of Criminology Special Issue on Boomtowns, 125–138. Retrieved from https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/b93dd4_88d7e9607fe546d1a9bc4c0441f9c58f.pdf
Tomanek, B. (2012). Oil has big impact on parole and probation. The Insider. Bismarck, ND: North Dakota Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Walton, D., & Cryderman, K. (2013). Alberta oil field boom is a boon for thieves. The Globe and Mail. Retrieved from http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/alberta-oil-field-boom-is-a-boon-for-thieves/article10839345/
Williams, C., & Porter, J. R. (2016). An examination of inmate physical assaults on jail correctional staff: Exploring inmate-level and jail-level conditions in the United States. Deviant Behavior, 37(11), 1239–1251.
Williams, T. (2012). Brutal crimes grip an Indian Reservation. The New York Times. Retrieved from: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/03/us/wind-river-indian-reservation-where-brutality-is-banal.html?_r=0
Wilson, S., Guliani, H., & Boichev, G. (2016). On the economics of post-traumatic stress disorder among first responders in Canada. Journal of Community Safety & Well-Being, 1(2), 26–31.
Wulfhorst, E. (2016). Fueled by drugs, sex trafficking reaches ‘crisis’ on native American reservation. Thomson Reuters. Retrieved from http://news.trust.org/item/20160517110324-nvs5q/
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Copyright information
© 2017 The Author(s)
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Ruddell, R. (2017). Boomtown Justice Systems. In: Oil, Gas, and Crime. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-58714-5_7
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-58714-5_7
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, New York
Print ISBN: 978-1-137-58713-8
Online ISBN: 978-1-137-58714-5
eBook Packages: Law and CriminologyLaw and Criminology (R0)