Digital Commons Network^™

Poverty-The Single Problem Destroys Millions, Alexander Jiang

Sociology Student Work Collection

This project aims to discover the reasons behind poverty and wealth gap within the society, as well as feasible solutions that could potentially eliminate poverty in our society.

Integrity Housing: Providing Residence And Social Capital For Persons With Sex Offense Records, T.B. Huber

MSW Capstones

This paper proposes grant funding for Integrity Housing (IH), a community-based housing program that will provide residence and social support to individuals formerly incarcerated for sex offenses. Persons with sex offense records need housing and social supports in order to reduce homelessness and prevent recidivism. We will align with law enforcement and community values to provide a home and place of healing to perpetrators of sexual violence. Our mission is to support persons formerly incarcerated for sex offenses in successful community integration. We aim to improve the lives and well-being of these individuals by providing housing, therapeutic services, and social …

Home: “People As Place”, Amory Ballantine

MSW Capstones

Crises of climate breakdown, ocean acidification, mass extinction, pollution and other forms of environmental degradation demand global transformation. Direct and clinical social workers are on the front lines of responses to the social consequences of these crises. They have critical skills needed for socially and environmentally sustainable solutions to these problems. Yet for the most part, direct and clinical social workers are not engaged in environmental action and do not see their work as “environmental social work.” Micro-level workers need information and resources in order to integrate environmental health in practice, and particularly tools which center the needs of the …

What Is Race-Based Trauma And Why Does It Matter?, Julie Luong

MSW Capstones

Systemic racism continues to be prevalent in our society today, especially with the exponential rate of Asian Americans experiencing racial discrimination and microaggressions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since post COVID-19, members of the Asians and Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) community are more susceptible to experience violence, such as serious physical injuries or death. Misinformation from political leaders are a contributing factor for the anti-Asian hate crimes and violence post COVID-19. This problem is extensive where members of the AAPI community are now concerned for their own overall safety and physical well-being. A workshop will incorporate an overview of …

Mandatory Domestic Violence Education For Wa State Judges Legislation, Allison Sykes

MSW Capstones

This proposal is a request for legislation that all Washington State judges receive mandatory domestic violence education. There is a need for Washington State judges to receive domestic violence education to prevent biases and misconceptions from influencing their court decisions. The goal of this legislation is to increase safety for victims and increase judges’ ability to make informed judicial decisions in cases of domestic violence. Education has been identified through research and interviews to be the most significant intervention to reduce domestic violence. Judges who are educated about domestic violence make judicial decisions that are more supportive of victims. To …

The Inclusive Family Support Model: Facilitating Openness For Post-Adoptive Families, Jaeran Kim, Angela Tucker

Social Work & Criminal Justice Publications

Open adoptions have increased over the past few decades, and although guidance for considering and creating open adoption agreements exist, one area of needed post-adoption support is helping adoptive birth/first families navigate open-adoption relationships after finalization. Adoption agencies have a responsibility to assist adoptive parents, who may have fears and concerns about openness, see the potential benefits rather than only the challenges. This article describes a practice model designed by one agency to help families navigate post-adoption openness. The Inclusive Family Support model is conceptualized through the theoretical perspectives of family systems theory, ambiguous loss and disenfranchised grief, and the …

Reforming Children's Rights: The Criminalization Of Youth At The Intersection Of Schools And Juvenile Justice Systems, Nicole Carbone

Global Honors Theses

This thesis examines children’s rights and support structures for youth of color in the United States, while relying on South Africa as a framework of the needed balance between individual rights and enforcement in a democratic country. Institutionalized racism and treatment of children can be seen throughout many different cultural histories. However, the United States is the only country that has not ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, with no robust standard on the treatment of children across the Country. Because of this, the literature review explores the consequences youth of color face in education …

Enhancing Legal Protections For Immigrants Who Are Victims Of Domestic Violence In The U.S., Heather Swanson Sow

Global Honors Theses

This thesis focuses on immigrants who are victims of domestic violence in the United States. The original research is IRB approved and focuses on immigrants in Washington State. The method for data collection consists of literature review, internship, and interviews of key stakeholders in Washington State. Participants include a professor, police chief, immigration attorney, and Washington State house representative. The Federal policies and resources for this research include the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW), Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), Victims of Trafficking and Violence Prevention Act (VTVPA), and U visa program. A qualitative, thematic analysis of the collected data …

Educating And Raising Awareness Of Opioid Addiction, Nhan P. Cao

MSW Capstones

Opioid Addiction is an epidemic in America. The information report found that there are thousands of deaths and emergency visits due to opioids-related each year. Emergency Department [ED] visits and physician services cost millions of tax payers’ money. The cost of health care in 2006 was 2.6 trillion dollars and expected to increase every year. Many individuals who misuse opioids oftentimes seek heroin because it is cheaper and easier to get on the street. Four out of five people who are addicted to heroin have used opioids first. Many patients are not aware of the risks and benefits of using …

Predicting Sexual Assault Perpetration Among Heterosexually Active Young Men, Erin A. Casey, N. Tatiana Masters, Blair Beadnell, Marilyn J. Hoppe, Diane M. Morrison, Elizabeth A. Wells

Social Work & Criminal Justice Publications

Data from an online community sample of young men were analyzed to test predictors of sexual assault perpetration. We used structural equation modeling to test the relative contributions of specific sub-types of childhood adversity to subsequent sexual aggression. Mediators included hostile masculinity, impersonal sexual behavior and attitudes, and substance use variables. Findings suggested that childhood sexual abuse had direct and mediated effects on sexual assault perpetration, but hostile masculinity was the only proximal factor significantly related to aggression. Childhood polytrauma was also associated with increased perpetration risk, suggesting that prevention efforts may be aided by increased attention to childhood maltreatment.

Renew House: A Place For Teenagers To Find Healing From Adverse/Traumatic Events And Experiences, Annika R. St. John

MSW Capstones

Abstract will go here.

Lived Challenges To Ethical Social Work Practice In Criminal Justice Settings, Diane S. Young

Social Work & Criminal Justice Publications

Ethical social work practice within criminal justice settings is fraught with challenges. Through individual interviews in a qualitative study exploring social work practice in diverse criminal justice settings in the northwestern United States, a subsample of 9 social workers described the difficulties they experience adhering to social work's professional code of ethics. They identify 2 primary areas of divergence, conflicting responsibilities and opposing interests, and identify the ways they respond to these challenges and the rationale behind their decisions. The discussion section explores avenues for strengthening social workers' abilities to be a vital and ethical presence in criminal justice settings.

An Exploratory Study Of Confidence In Policing In India, John R. Tahiliani, Jeffrey W. Cohen

Social Work & Criminal Justice Publications

The November 2008 terrorist attack in Mumbai has brought a great deal of attention upon policing in India. In light of the proposed overhauls in policing in India, community policing initiatives have become increasingly utilized across the sub-continent. There remains, however, the important question as to how successful these initiatives can be in a country with such ethnic, class and religious diversity. The study undertaken here is an exploratory examination as to which variables are most closely associated with police confidence. The data for the study drew upon the India Human Development Study 2004-2005 of 41,554 households across India. The …

Book Reviews: Irwin, J. (2005). The Warehouse Prison: Disposal Of The New Dangerous Class. Los Angeles: Roxbury, Jeffrey W. Cohen

Social Work & Criminal Justice Publications

No abstract provided.

Exploring Gender Equity: A Social-Justice Oriented Program To Encourage Male College Students To Advance Gender Equity, Lucas Brown

MSW Capstones

A number of social justice issues, ranging from sexual assault to economic equality, disproportionately affect women and persons who represent a challenge to heteronormativity. Holding a privileged position among other gender identities in society, and representing slightly less than half of the population, it is important for men to be involved in addressing these issues of gender inequity. A review of literature and interviews with key informants found that building awareness of gender equity issues with a social justice or human rights oriented perspective through education and service learning opportunities, promoting men’s involvement without reinforcing hegemonic masculinity, discussing how the …

Voices Made (M)Other, Lizbett Benge

MAIS Projects and Theses

Voices Made (M)other is a theatrical project I created consisting of two original short plays, Momologues and ILL. This interdisciplinary project combines motherhood studies, feminist studies, whiteness studies, and theatre. One cannot have political change without revolutionizing each individual; and so I am sharing the process behind creating ILL, an autobiographical play tracing events throughout my motherline, to demonstrate the ways in which this project has helped create a more nuanced version of motherhood that incorporates mental illness, maternal abuse, and healing from trauma. This project builds upon the theory of empowered mothering (O’Reilly, 2006) by which society begins looking …

Social Workers' Perspectives On Effective Practice In Criminal Justice Settings, Diane S. Young

Social Work & Criminal Justice Publications

Social workers practicing within the field of criminal justice face significant challenges. Through individual interviews, 17 experienced social workers from diverse criminal justice settings share their perspectives about the attributes needed for effective social work practice. Participants describe how they define success in their work and what it takes to be successful. They highlight specific ways of behaving within criminal justice settings, relationship qualities for working with criminal justice clients, and personal traits believed to be critical to effective practice. The participants also reflect on the value of their education and offer a suggestion for prospective criminal justice social workers.

Helping White People See White: Creating A Social Movement, Anne Phillips

MSW Capstones

Whites benefit significantly from privilege economically, politically, and socially; yet, they also suffer because of it. Privilege affects the quality of life for all people living within a community and feeds the causal loop of systemic social injustice. These factors indicate the need for an intervention that raises awareness and educates Whites as to the negative effects and costs of privilege. An intervention using social media, as well as building partnerships with human service agencies, was designed to satisfy the recognized need. The intervention consists of educational posts to a Facebook page, which encourages readers to comment and participate in …

Prison 2 Society, Heidi S. Collins

MSW Capstones

Abstract

Returning to the community from jail is a complex transition for most offenders, as well as for their families and communities. Upon reentering society, former offenders are likely to struggle with substance abuse, lack of adequate education and job skills, limited housing options, and mental health issues. This project illuminates the difficulties that adults face as they transition out of jails back to the community and presents a model of a one-stop-shop that is designed to include all the transition resources an adult may need to successfully re-integrate back to the community after incarceration, all housed at one, easily …

Gender And Crime: Addressing Threats To Construct Validity In The Criminological Research, Jeffrey W. Cohen, David R. Champion, Randy Martin

Social Work & Criminal Justice Publications

In this article, we argue that criminology is in need of a meta-theory that allows for a more complete treatment of the gender-crime relationship. We suggest that one such metatheory is Integral Theory. Integral Theory challenges disciplinary myopia and opens space for a more complete treatment of complex constructs such as gender. We note that criminology would benefit from an ontological and epistemological pluralismthat accommodates the wide range of existing gender theories and recognizes the value of multiple methods designed to test those theories. These arguments are supported via an analysis of recent research on the gender-crime relationship.

Context, Challenges, And Tensions In Global Efforts To Engage Men In The Prevention Of Violence Against Women: An Ecological Analysis, Erin A. Casey, Juliana Carlson, Cathlyn Fraguela-Rios, Ericka Kimball, Tova B. Neugut, Richard M. Tolman, Jeffrey L. Edleson

Social Work & Criminal Justice Publications

As gender-based violence prevention programs around the world increasingly include efforts to engage men and boys as antiviolence allies, both the profound benefits and the inherent complexities of these efforts are emerging. Acknowledging and exploring tensions associated with engaging men is an important element of thoughtfully fostering menÕs antiviolence ally movements so as to both respectfully invite men into antiviolence work and create effective, gender-equitable prevention programming. To this end, this study presents descriptive findings regarding challenges associated with menÕs engagement programming from in-depth interviews with twenty-nine representatives of organizations that engage men and boys in preventing violence against women …

Toward A Multi-Level, Ecological Approach To The Primary Prevention Of Sexual Assault: Prevention In Peer And Community Contexts, Erin A. Casey, Taryn P. Lindhorst

Social Work & Criminal Justice Publications

Although sexual assault prevention programs have been increasingly successful at improving knowledge about sexual violence and decreasing rape-supportive attitudes and beliefs among participants, reducing sexually assaultive conduct itself remains an elusive outcome. This review considers efforts to support change for individuals by creating prevention strategies that target peer network and community-level factors that support sexual violence. To this end, the article examines successful ecological prevention models from other prevention fields, identifies the components of multilevel prevention that appear critical to efficacy and discusses their application to existing and emerging sexual violence prevention strategies.

Examining Strain In A School Context, Daniel R. Lee, Jeffrey W. Cohen

Social Work & Criminal Justice Publications

General strain theory has accumulated a considerable amount of empirical support. Many of these assessments have tested the direct relationship that strain has on crime and delinquency. The research presented here examines the relationship between schools and delinquency within a general strain theory perspective. More specifically, this research examines how schools can not only act as a source of an individual's strain and subsequent delinquency but also be a source for mediating or coping with strain and minimizing delinquency. To test the relationship between schools and delinquency, data from the National Educational Longitudinal Survey (NELS:88) are analyzed in a model …