Digital Commons Network^™

Driving Forces: Police Fatalities, Carol Servino

Graduate Research Symposium (GCUA) (2010 - 2017)

Law enforcement is an inherently risky occupation. The number of traffic-related fatalities for law enforcement officers in the U.S. during the past 13 years has been increasing; however, the number of fatalities for the general population in motor vehicle traffic incidents declined during the same time period.

The federal government reports that federal motor vehicle safety standards aswell as behavioral and vehicle safety programs implemented by state and local law-enforcement agencies contributed to the downward trend for the general public.

What accounts for the pattern and problem with police driving-related deaths?

An Assessment Of Child Welfare: The Value Of Training And Family Engagement, Kelly L. Scherado

Graduate Research Symposium (GCUA) (2010 - 2017)

Child maltreatment in the United States continues to be one of the nation’s most serious social problems. Child welfare practice is intended to ensure the safety, permanency, and well-being of children and families. One of the ways child welfare systems can achieve positive outcomes for vulnerable children is to utilize the most current best practices in training, focused on family engagement and strengths-based empowerment. To this end, child welfare training programs that are family centered, culturally competent, and focused on preventing out of home placements, should be implemented nationwide to better prepare child welfare agencies to meet the needs of …

Culture, Language And Gendered Violence In Southern Nevada, Kelly Campbell-Kiser, Kathleen J. Bergquist

Graduate Research Symposium (GCUA) (2010 - 2017)

Nevada is increasingly becoming culturally ethnically and linguistically diverse with approximately 25.1% of Nevadans estimated in 2006 to 2008 by the U.S. Census Bureau to be non-white, 27.3% speaking a language other than English at home, (compared to 19.6% nationally), ad 24.9% of Hispanic or Latino origin (compared to 15.1% nationally)

Service providers nationally struggle with providing culturally and linguistically relevant services to meet the needs of shifting demographics. Southern Nevada similarly struggles with decreasing resources and increasing needs in all sectors, to include service provisions for women who are at-risk of gendered violence. Linguistic and cultural barriers have been …

Clark County Family Mediation Center: A Time Efficient Solution To Child Custody Dispute Resolution, Danielle Puentedura

Graduate Research Symposium (GCUA) (2010 - 2017)

To reduce court dockets and streamline child custody resolutions, a growing number of US states are implementing mandatory mediation sessions for divorce cases where child custody is in dispute. Clark County Eighth District Court, Family Division implements such mandatory mediation through the Family Mediation Center.

During 2008, approximately 6,295 divorce cases were filed, and of those 2100 were ordered to attempt mandatory mediation.

Decision-Making Techniques Used By Elected Officials, Michael Gordon

Graduate Research Symposium (GCUA) (2010 - 2017)

Politicians often make decisions that lead to contradictory outcomes from situations with seemingly similar circumstances and related factors. Recent examples include the U.S. reaction to the uprising in Iran contrasted with the call for the ousting of president Hosni Mubarak after the 18 Day Revolution in Egypt.

This frustrating reality, frequently based on perceived risks of publication of state secrets, has various far-reaching effects. Two effects of this reality include the loss of trust in government and government officials to do the right thing as well as the frequency of market fluctuations.

Clark County Mental Health Court: An Outcomes-Based Evaluation Model Of Residential And Treatment Programs Beyond Recidivism, Mark J. Nichols

Graduate Research Symposium (GCUA) (2010 - 2017)

The number of America’s mental health courts has grown significantly over the course of the past 15 years. Mental health courts can be seen as a form of therapeutic jurisprudence where the court implements therapeutic interventions, case management and treatment (Palermo, 2010). A mental health court was established in Clark County during 2003. Its mission is to promote engagement in treatment, improve quality of life, decrease recidivism, and increase community safety and awareness (Glass, 2008).

The focus of the evaluation of the Clark County Mental Health Court, limited to performance measures related to the decreased recidivism by its clients and …