Digital Commons Network^™

Exploring The Barriers To Mental Health Treatment Among Justice-Involved Women Living In The U.S.-México Border Region, Rebekah Ruth Adair-Russell

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

For women in the criminal justice system, mental illness is a complicated and prevalent factor, with rates ranging from 49.2% to 67.9% (Bronson & Berzofsky, 2017). To address the mental health care that justice-involved women need, scholars have called for a closer examination of barriers that hinder access to mental health and substance use treatment among this population (Winham et al., 2015; Wilfong et al., 2021). Barriers to treatment can be attitudinal (i.e., stigma and fear) or structural (i.e., transportation, cost of treatment), yet few, if any, studies have examined how these barriers present in a group of justice-involved women …

Race, Severe Mental Illness, And Crime: An Intersectional Look Into Stigma And Policy Implications, Elena Therese Vaudreuil

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Criminal behavior has been a long-discussed topic in the United States and often is tied to characteristics such as race and mental illness. The presumed connection between criminal behavior and being a member of a racial minority group or having a mental illness have been researched for years, however few researchers have sought to take an intersectional approach to investigate the unique experiences of people belonging to both groups in the criminal legal system. Using the lenses of attribution and intersectionality theories, the proposed studies sought to understand the effect of race that influences policy support of justice-involved people with …

The Disclosure Process Model And Formerly Justice Involved Juveniles: A Telephonic Audit Study, Morgan R. Wagner

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In most cases, individuals with juvenile records are supposed to have that record sealed from public view upon meeting certain conditions, including turning 18. However, it is often unclear whether juvenile records (sealed or unsealed) should be disclosed on applications (e.g., job, college). This study used a phone call audit methodology to examine the hiring practices of Texas fast-food restaurants (n = 280) regarding juvenile records. Additionally, this study tested the Disclosure Process Model as a method of disclosing criminal records to prospective employers. Employers did not report differences in likelihood of considering an applicantsâ?? record between the gender of …

Examining The Role Of Pretrial Detention On The Juvenile Plea Process, Isabelle May Clough

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Plea bargains are a necessary part of the criminal justice system as a whole, and the juvenile justice system more specifically. However, juveniles may be at a particular disadvantage when entering into a plea bargain as a result of their developmental capacities. Pretrial detention in particular might influence the quality of the final plea agreement that a juvenile accepts, as adolescents would be motivated towards the short-term goal of being released from detention. The current study aimed to examine the relationship between juvenile pretrial detention and plea discounts through mediating relationships with number of attorneys and time to plea. Data …

The Effects Of Identity Conflict And Identity Salience On Job Satisfaction And Vocational Connectedness In Minority Law Enforcement Officers, Kityara James

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Law enforcement agencies are having trouble recruiting, hiring, and maintaining ethnic minority officers. Although the Department of Justice identified multiple issues minorities face while pursuing and engaging in the profession, there have been few efforts to determine the source of these problems and how to overcome them. In a stressful profession that doesn't historically align with being a minority, the difference between staying with that job or going to another one may lie in how connected to the job and how satisfied with that job minority law enforcement feel. The current study explores how ethno-racial and police identity salience and …

A Threat To Valid Guilty Pleas: The Impact Of Guilt Status, Acute Stress, And Plea Knowledge On Plea-Bargaining Decisions, Grace Hanzelin

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The most common route through the US criminal justice system is through plea-bargaining, with over 95% of criminal cases ending in a guilty plea. Previous studies have found different factors (e.g., plea discounts; Wilford et al., 2021) that can increase the likelihood of a false guilty plea. This study aimed to further investigate the effect of guilt status on plea decisions, but also to see how guilt may work alongside acute stress and pre-existing knowledge of the plea process to drive plea-bargaining decisions. Participants (N = 188) were assigned to complete either a stressful or a non-stressful version of the …

The Real Face Of Borderline Personality Organization Within Intimate Partner Violence, Adriana Isabel Patino

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This study tests the relationship between IPV perpetration and victimization with BPO. Results indicate that, as predicted, BPO is positively associated with both IPV perpetration and victimization and is more prevalent in female perpetrators and victims than in male perpetrators and victims. However, contrary to what previous literature says, self-control does not show enough significance to state that it is one of the leading causes of IPV perpetrated by those who present traits of BPO. In addition, results also indicate that having suffered from physical abuse during childhood diminishes the probability of perpetrating IPV. To fully understand these results, future …

Mental Illness Labeling In Justice-Involved People, Elena Therese Vaudreuil

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

While it cannot be denied that there is a strong correlational relationship between justice-involvement and mental illness, research has demonstrated that severe mental illness is rarely the direct cause of criminal activity. However, stigmatizing attitudes towards people with mental illness are often rooted in incorrect generalizations regarding the link between mental illness and unpredictable, dangerous behavior, which can be magnified by labels (e.g., "schizophrenic" or "criminal"). This reduction of a person to a label results in a number of negative outcomes, ranging from the prejudice and inequitable treatment one may experience from groups such as justice workers, police, and employers …

Predictive Utility Of The El Paso Pretrial Risk Assessment Instrument - Revised (Eppra-R), Chelsea Sierra Queen

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Pretrial risk assessments are used to divert defendants from pretrial detention by estimating risk of pretrial specific outcomes (i.e., failure to appear, rearrest). Ongoing validation of this tool is recommended to assess accuracy and ensure that there is no bias against specific subgroups (e.g., gender, race/ethnicity, or age) of defendants. The present study evaluates the utility of a locally developed instrument in El Paso County - a predominantly Latinx county. Area Under the Curve (AUC) Receiving Operator Condition (ROC) analyses indicate statistically â??fairâ?? predictive utility for the tool. Binary logistic regression models suggest no evidence of bias. This study will …

The Influence Of Emotion Regulation, Maladaptive Coping, And Criminal Thinking On Maladaptive Behavior, Alondra Avila

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Emotion regulation is a cognitive process that occurs due to emotional stimuli in the environment that promotes cognitive or behavioral action to soothe negative emotions. Emotion regulation can affect decision making that promotes maladaptive behavior, similar to criminal thinking. Criminal thinking patterns can be categorized as a form of maladaptive cognitive coping that promotes maladaptive behavior. The association between emotion regulation, criminal thinking, and maladaptive behavior is further explored. A total of (N = 227) MTurk workers participated in a cross-sectional study. Maladaptive emotion regulation and coping predicted willingness to engage in maladaptive behavior. Deficits in emotion regulation were further …

Predicting Competency In Motivational Interviewing Through An Objective Empathy Task, Kylah Moneek Clark

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In the process of disseminating motivational interviewing (MI) it is important to identify who benefits from initial workshops and which trainees would benefit from an extended training model that involves coaching and performance feedback, which has recently been advocated. Prior research attempting to determine who benefits from training has failed to show associations between baseline self-reported empathy and training outcomes. However, the use of an objective empathy task may address the shortcoming of prior research. The purpose of the present study was to predict competency in motivational interviewing skills following training using an objective empathy task. In addition, we investigated …

The More You Know: How Adolescent Defendants' Age, Gender, And Psychosocial Maturity Influence Mock Jurors' Perceptions, Isabelle M. Clough

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Adolescents are considered less responsible than adults for criminal behavior due to their developmental immaturity (Cauffman & Steinberg, 2000). When adolescents are transferred from juvenile court to adult court, however, they may be judged by jury members who do not recognize adolescents' diminished maturity nor understand how maturity influences culpability. The present study therefore sought to examine how information about adolescent defendants' age, gender, and psychosocial maturity influences mock jurors' perceptions of responsibility, guilt, and appropriate sentencing severity. A pilot study (N = 113 undergraduates) first determined the most appropriate vignette for the final study: an adolescent charged with hit-and-run …

Bilingual Children's L1 And L2 Word Frequency Effects: The Role Of Individual Differences, Astrid Michelle Portillo

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Bilingualism continues to grow among the world's population. Nevertheless, most research studies on language processing have focused on monolingual individuals, leaving questions about how language processing unfolds in bilingual individuals. Here, we investigated how individual differences in bilingual experience, indexed by current L2 exposure, impact eye movement measures of reading fluency, indexed by word frequency effects, in an understudied population: bilingual children. Prior eye movement research involving bilingual younger adults (aged 18 to 30) has reported a trade-off in L1 and L2 word frequency effects with greater levels of current L2 exposure (Whitford & Titone, 2012, 2017). We wanted to …

The Development Of The Rapport Scales For Investigative Interviews And Interrogations, Observer Version (Rs3i-O), Justin Loren Magee

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Rapport between an interviewer and a source is a vital component of successful investigative interviews and interrogations. Accurate measurement of rapport in these interactions is crucial to understanding its development and maintenance. The Rapport Scales for Investigative Interviews and Interrogations, Source version (RS3i-S; Duke et al., 2018) was developed to measure sources' perception of rapport, but no tool has been developed to measure rapport from a third-party observer's perspective. The primary purpose of this study was to develop the Rapport Scales for Investigative Interviews and Interrogations, Observer version (RS3i-O), a tool that allows observers to rate the rapport generated in …

Assessing The Predictive Utility Of The Positive Achievement Change Tool At A Texas Juvenile Justice Agency, Elizabeth Perez Hutchins

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In the United States, millions of youth are processed in the juvenile justice system each year. Juvenile probation officers, case managers, and clinicians have the daunting task of making critical case-processing decisions for this vulnerable population including program placement, supervision, and treatment. Moreover, juvenile justice professionals must be mindful of numerous factors such as risk to public safety and the juvenile's risk to reoffend when making these decisions. In recent years, juvenile justice agencies have employed the Risk-Need-Responsivity model, the pre-eminent evidence-based model for offender assessment and management, to aide in the decision-making process. Although implementation of risk assessment tools …

Age At First Offense As A Predictor Of Recidivism Among High-Risk Juvenile Delinquents Versus All Juvenile Delinquents, Claudia Iliana Lopez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Researchers have generally found a moderate negative correlation between juvenile delinquents' age at first offense and their risk of recidivism (Cottle, Lee, & Heilbrun, 2001). However, two studies at the El Paso Juvenile Probation Department (El Paso JPD) by Valenzuela (2011) and Ranadive (2014) found the correlation of age at first referral with recidivism to be non-significant and close to zero. A possible explanation for these findings at El Paso JPD is that age at first referral is predictive of recidivism among high-risk juvenile offenders but not in the general population of all juveniles referred to the justice system. The …

Differentiating Darkness: Decision-Making Differences Between Psychopathy And Machiavellianism, Jessica R. Carre

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Machiavellianism and psychopathy are correlated but distinct personality traits that are associated with interpersonal manipulation and selfish behaviors (Paulhus & Williams, 2002). Based on a recent meta-analytic review, researchers have questioned whether these traits are distinct (Miller, Hyatt, Maples-Keller, Carter & Lynam, 2016). These meta-analytic reviews, however, have largely been based on atheoretical studies examining the relationship of these traits with self-reported outcomes. The purpose of the present research was to directly test the differences between Machiavellianism and psychopathy with respect to fundamental decision-making processes. In study one, the difference between psychopathy and Machiavellianism was assessed in terms of passive …

Do Coaches Practice What They Preach? An Evaluation Of The Usage Of Evidence-Based Practices Among Probation Officer Coaches, Tamara Kang

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Probation supervision has the potential to serve a rehabilitative function through the use of evidence-based practices (EBPs; practices supported by empirical research). Often, when administrators adopt EBPs in their agency, these programs may not be implemented with fidelity by probation officers who interact with offenders. Thus, there is a critical need to examine methods of increasing the effectiveness of implementing EBPs among officers. One method, peer mentoring (i.e., coaches), is gaining popularity; however, little is known about the highly-motivated officers who volunteer to be coaches. Consequently, this Dissertation investigates compliance with EBPs among officers who have volunteered to become coaches …

Black Police Uniforms Implicitly Increase Hostile Perceptions And Behavior, Amber Kristin Lupo

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Use of excessive, and sometimes deadly, force by U.S. law enforcement officers is a critical and costly problem. An enclothed cognition framework suggests that clothing, such as a uniform, can implicitly affect cognitive processing and behavior of the wearer (Adam & Galinsky, 2012). Previous research demonstrated that darker clothing implicitly affects judgments and behavior in two ways. First, persons who wear darker clothing are perceived more negatively (Vrig, 1997; Vrig & Akehurst, 1997). Second, actors wearing darker colored clothing demonstrate greater aggressive behavior than actors wearing lighter colored clothing (Frank & Gilovich, 1988; Peña, Hancock, & Merola, 2009). The present …

The Risk Principle Paradox: A Multilevel Approach To Examine Which High-Risk Offenders Successfully Change During Rehabilitation Programs, Cole Higley

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The empirically supported risk principle demonstrates that correctional agencies can reduce recidivism by providing greater supervision and rehabilitation services to higher-risk offenders. The current study examined the paradox that offenders with the greatest risk to reoffend also have the most potential to successfully change; yet, little research has examined why some high-risk offenders succeed in programs, while others do not. Analyses examined whether certain demographic, motivation, and rehabilitative group features were related to program performance and post-release recidivism. Results showed that in certain rehabilitation types, statistically significant interactions were observed, such that the relationship between individual risk and outcome (either …

Effects Of Gender Stereotypes On Judgments Of Career Tracks, Scott Frankowski

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Occupational gender role stereotypes may impact how others evaluate the career choices of women and men. Women more so than men are employed in occupations that are viewed as communal. Men more so than women are employed in occupations that are viewed as agentic. In the first experiment, participants evaluated the career paths of male and female targets when the targets were considering a career change to a gender role congruent, incongruent, or gender role neutral career path. Female targets' career choices were evaluated more favorably in gender role congruent versus incongruent career tracks. Female targets' career choices were also …

Using Dynamic Risk To Predict Violent Recidivism In "Real Time": Applying A Framework For Proximal Assessment Of Risk Of General Recidivism To Predict Violent Outcomes, Ariel G. Stone

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In correctional psychology, risk factors are offender characteristics and contexts that increase the likelihood of reoffending. Risk is generally conceptualized as being either static or dynamic (Andrews & Bonta, 2010). Static risk factors are variables that cannot change, such as one's criminal history or gender. Dynamic risk factors must, by definition, be able to change across time. Perhaps more importantly, changes in dynamic risk factors must correspond to changes in the likelihood of an offender committing a new offense. Although static risk is a more robust predictor of recidivism, dynamic risk is important, in that it (a) has clearer theoretical …

"It's (Not) Your Fault": The Influence Of Blame Mitigation Versus Guilt Induction On True And False Confessions, Skye Woestehoff

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

False confessions remain an important problem facing the criminal justice system. Practitioners assert that blame mitigation techniques can minimize suspects' perceptions of responsibility independently from legal consequences. However, blame mitigation techniques increase false confessions in part by minimizing suspects' expectations of punishment. Blame mitigation techniques are also designed to reduce suspects' feelings of guilt, which may inhibit confessions from guilty suspects given that true confessions are related to feelings of guilt and remorse. Thus, it may be more beneficial to induce guilt rather than mitigate blame in the interrogation room. This Dissertation (1) tested practitioners' assumption that blame mitigation can …

Examining The Spanish Maysi-2 Translation Among Mexican Americans, Yolanda Denise Ochoa

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Due to the increasing Latino population in the U.S., Spanish translations of mental health screening tools are needed to better serve Latinos, particularly those in juvenile justice settings. Screening tools are measures that flag mental health symptoms and indicate if further evaluation is needed. The most widely screening tool used in juvenile justice settings that has been translated into Spanish is the Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument-Version 2 (MAYSI-2). To date, research has focused only on the English version of the MAYSI-2. The present study examined the equivalence of the Spanish translation of the MAYSI-2 to its English version in 18- …

Deception Detection In Dyads, Lorae Marquez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The aim of the present study was to determine whether it is possible to detect deception during the interview of a dyad by observing the nonverbal "partner monitoring" behavior of one dyad partner while the other partner is telling a lie. This study also aimed to assess whether individual differences in the Big Five personality traits, Absorption, and Imaginative Suggestibility are correlated with partner monitoring when one's partner is telling a lie. Undergraduate psychology students (N=94) were grouped in dyads and asked to play a game that involved one member of the dyad lying and the other member telling the …

Effect Of Cooperativeness Of The Parent On Juvenile Probation Officer Decision-Making Using A Randomized Controlled Design, Tamara Kang

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Juvenile probation officers acknowledge the importance of gaining the parents' cooperation during supervision to ensure the best chance for rehabilitation. However, there is reason to believe that officers may attend to parental cooperativeness to inform decisions on how much to involve the parent in supervision. The importance of the parent is well accepted, but the effect of parental cooperation on officers' decisions concerning the juvenile's fate on supervision has yet to be examined. Aim 1 of this study examined the extent to which an officer's response to a first instance and second instance of noncompliance was affected by the cooperativeness …

The Rock And The Hard Place: How The Prison Psychotherapist Balances Treatment Needs With Security Needs, Elijah Paige Ricks

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Research on traditional psychotherapy suggests that the quality of the relationship between the therapist and client is the most important element of effective mental health work. In contrast, prison policies often require that staff maintain an emotional distance from offenders, and many elements of the prison environment and characteristics of the offenders may be counterproductive to the therapeutic relationship. Due to the competing demands of psychotherapy and prisons, it is important to understand how prison psychotherapists reconcile the aims of both in their work. This Dissertation examined the psychometric properties of a new measure of how prison therapists balance the …

The Multicultural Study Of Psychopathy: An Examination Of Latin American Differences, Chelsea Spraberry Tekell

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Psychopathy is a personality disorder that is composed of characteristics that include poverty of empathy, lack of anxiety or fear, impulsive actions, and manipulation of others. The definition and measurement of psychopathy has changed over time and remains controversial. Ethnicity is an under researched area of psychopathy. In particular, previous psychopathy research has focused primarily on European American men. Despite increased attention to differences between African Americans and European Americans, Latin Americans continue to be overlooked, with only a small number of studies examining psychopathy among individuals from Latin ethnicities. The current study is among the first to examine psychopathy …

Cross-Validation Of The El Paso Risk Assessment Of Juveniles At Intake Scale (El Paso Raji), Dilata Ranadive

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

No published risk assessment instrument is designed for the specific purpose of identifying high risk first-time juvenile offenders at their first contact with the juvenile justice system. The El Paso Risk Assessment of Juveniles at Intake (El Paso RAJI) was developed by Valenzuela (2011) for this purpose. The current study had three aims: i) to assess the validity of the RAJI as a predictor of recidivism among first-time juvenile offenders, ii) to compare the predictive power of RAJI items with the predictive power of similar items from another risk assessment instrument, the Pre-Positive Achievement Change Tool (PrePACT), and iii) to …

Strategic Approaches To Lying: Understanding Their Impact On Psychological Processes, Cues To Deception, And Perceptions Of Observers, Stephen Worth Michael

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The current research examined the strategies implemented by liars, the relationships between these strategies and psychological processes related to deception, and the implications of these associations on perceptions of deceptive statements. In general, deception research has either ignored or superficially examined the types of strategies that individuals use to construct lies. However, these strategies may have significant impact on characteristics of the lie itself, and in turn, perceptions of the lie.

Study 1 explored the various strategies that liars use and the association of these strategies to psychological processes involved in lying. Results demonstrated that participants used a wide range …