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Perceived Credibility Of Allegations Of Sexual Assault Across Victim Race And Mental Health History, Liyah C. Morgan Jan 2025

Perceived Credibility Of Allegations Of Sexual Assault Across Victim Race And Mental Health History, Liyah C. Morgan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Previous research examined the effect of victim gender and rape myth acceptance (RMA) on perceptions of victim credibility; however, little attention has been given to the impact of victim race and mental health history, and even fewer studies have explored the intersection of these two identities. The primary purpose of the current study was to identify factors affecting understanding of perceived credibility of victims of sexual assault, specifically in terms of victim race and mental health history. The study also examined the role of RMA on perceptions of credibility and explored participant attitudes related to color-blind racial attitudes and mental …


"Shut Down And Closed Off": A Routine Activity Approach To Investigating The Relationship Between Covid-19 School Closures And Child Sexual Abuse Report Characteristics In Georgia, Spencer E. Riner Jan 2024

"Shut Down And Closed Off": A Routine Activity Approach To Investigating The Relationship Between Covid-19 School Closures And Child Sexual Abuse Report Characteristics In Georgia, Spencer E. Riner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 created a public health crisis that led to an unprecedented number of school closures. A major concern raised by child advocates, law enforcement, and social service providers was the possible increase in undetected child abuse and maltreatment. Undergirding this concern was the belief that this mitigation effort might place child abuse victims and offenders within proximity for extended periods of time. While this was a significant concern, it has rarely been analyzed empirically. To address this gap in the literature, this thesis investigates how school closures impacted the characteristics of child sexual abuse (CSA) reports …


Sheprep: Examining The Influence Of The Messaging And The Messenger Associated With Prep Uptake Among African American Women, Christian C. Spears Jan 2023

Sheprep: Examining The Influence Of The Messaging And The Messenger Associated With Prep Uptake Among African American Women, Christian C. Spears

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

African American Women (AAW) make up less than 15% of the female population in the United States but account for over 50% of new HIV diagnoses among females. This largely preventable health disparity can be mitigated by advocating and prescribing Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), a preventive HIV medication, to persons at risk. Despite advances in medication options, there are less than 13% of Black people who could benefit from having been prescribed PrEP, and limited research and promotion on the effectiveness of PrEP for AAW. The “ShePrEP Study” aimed to assess awareness, perceptions, and receptivity toward PrEP among AAW. This study …


The Perspective Of Riverkeepers And Environmental Groups On Poor Water Quality In Georgia, Jacob A. Crawford Jan 2022

The Perspective Of Riverkeepers And Environmental Groups On Poor Water Quality In Georgia, Jacob A. Crawford

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Riverkeepers and environmental groups currently face the complex task of defending watersheds. In Georgia, these efforts are complicated by the vast geographical and racial diversity within the state. This study examined the riverkeepers and environmental groups need to improve advocacy abilities to defend communities they serve from poor water quality, what communities in Georgia are being impacted by poor water quality, what disconnects exist between riverkeepers, environmental groups, and governmental agencies, and how COVID-19 has challenged the riverkeepers and environmental groups. Using qualitative interviews with eleven riverkeepers and environmentalists, the findings suggest that collaboration with riverkeepers, enforcement of current policy, …


A Content Analysis Of Institutions Of Higher Education's Sexual Assault Policies: Assessing Response To Sexual Assault In Georgia, Brianna Williams Jan 2020

A Content Analysis Of Institutions Of Higher Education's Sexual Assault Policies: Assessing Response To Sexual Assault In Georgia, Brianna Williams

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Sexual assault is a public health concern that must be systematically addressed. The existence of a comprehensive sexual assault policy and compliance with federal regulations can guide institutions of higher education in responding to and preventing sexual assault on campus. Federal laws hold institutions accountable for providing a safe environment for students. The purpose of this qualitative content analysis was to assess compliance with federal policy and assess the response to sexual assault by IHE in Georgia. Data from the National Center for Education Statistics was utilized to identify Georgia's institutions receiving federal aid during 2018-2019. Using a proportionate stratified …


An Evaluation Of Georgia Southern University Public Safety Department's Community Policing Program: A Residence Hall Partnership Program, Charles P. Bowen Jan 2020

An Evaluation Of Georgia Southern University Public Safety Department's Community Policing Program: A Residence Hall Partnership Program, Charles P. Bowen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Residence Hall Partnership Program (R.H.P.P.) is the first major department wide community policing effort by the Georgia Southern police department. This study is an evaluation of that program’s first year of implementation. The evaluation process consists of a series of two mostly quantitative surveys of the residence hall students and officers of the Georgia Southern police department. The first survey was distributed at the beginning of the program during the Fall 2019 semester, the follow-up survey at the end of the Spring 2020 semester. The theories being examined are that community policing programs will improve student’s perceptions of police, …


Barriers And Access To Services For Female Victims Of Violence In The Dominican Republic, Catalina Hooper Armenteros Jan 2020

Barriers And Access To Services For Female Victims Of Violence In The Dominican Republic, Catalina Hooper Armenteros

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Violence against women has presented a challenge for those tasked with addressing crime and victimization. It is a complex phenomenon that exists between the private and public spheres of society affecting nearly all aspects of a victim’s life, as well as those close to them. The Dominican Republic began to address domestic and gender violence in the past few decades, and victim services have emerged in efforts to assist Dominican women and girls escaping abuse. This study reviews the existing literature regarding violence against women and girls, and service provision in global, regional, and national contexts, and analyzes qualitative data …


Effects Of Mental Health Programs On School Violence, Lillian R. Gray Jan 2019

Effects Of Mental Health Programs On School Violence, Lillian R. Gray

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Bullying, defined as any unwanted aggressive behavior(s) by another youth or group of youths who are not siblings or current dating partners that involves an observed or perceived power imbalance and is repeated multiple times or is highly likely to be repeated, is becoming an epidemic in our schools, with rates of victimization rising (Donegan, 2012). This thesis examines mental health programs already established within schools, as well as schools where students do not have access to mental health resources and compares the amount of violence that is perpetrated within these schools. Next, this study explores the relationship between bullying …


The Role Of Shame: A Creative Look At Justice, Gabrielle Lory Jan 2018

The Role Of Shame: A Creative Look At Justice, Gabrielle Lory

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The current criminal justice system is often brought under scrutiny for its perceived lack of procedural justice, low rates of victim satisfaction and a pattern of sentencing disparities among populations of racial minorities and people of low socioeconomic status (Palmer, 2015; Hamilton, 2017; Cornwell & Waite, 2009). Alternative justice programs have been growing in number for decades, as well as continually developing their processes to improve outcomes for victims and ameliorate sentencing disparities. This study examines the extant literature on alternative sentencing programs, specifically restorative justice programs, to provide empirical evidence contributing to the development of a creative justice framework …


Examining What Factors Affect High School Students’ Educational Aspirations, Kalle T. Pray Jan 2017

Examining What Factors Affect High School Students’ Educational Aspirations, Kalle T. Pray

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study sought to examine the factors that influenced a high school student’s educational aspirations. This study used data collected by the High School Longitudinal Study (HSLS) 2009-2013 to examine how a student’s engagement, interest, attitudes toward math teacher, counselors helping with college materials, and meeting with a counselor influence a student’s educational aspirations. The findings suggest that student engagement, student interest and meeting with a counselor were significant predictors of higher educational aspirations even after controlling for being white, female, academic track, and family income. Counselors helping with college material was also a predictor of higher educational aspirations, however …


The Perspectives Of School Resource Officers On Job Responsibilities And Training, Sarah Parker Jan 2016

The Perspectives Of School Resource Officers On Job Responsibilities And Training, Sarah Parker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As school security measures are increasing, including the use of school resource officers (SRO) throughout the United States, there is a concern that these officers are being used as disciplinarians rather than being in the schools to ensure student safety. There is very little research that looks at the job expectations for SROs and if the training they receive reflects what is required of them. To address this issue, this study will provide the perspectives that SROs have on their job responsibilities, what they believe their responsibilities should be, and if the training they received reflects those responsibilities. This study …


Black Lives Matter? Public Accounts Of Police Officers' Use Of Lethal Force, Akiv Dawson Jan 2016

Black Lives Matter? Public Accounts Of Police Officers' Use Of Lethal Force, Akiv Dawson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study is to examine the manner in which, police application of lethal force is accounted for in the public sphere. The study examines opinion editorials from the New York Times, Washington Post, Contra Costa Times, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and the Salt Lake Tribune. The study applies Altheide’s methodology of ethnographic content analysis to opinion editorials written between July 2014 and September 2015 about three specific cases involving the death of an African American male due to police use of lethal force. Each editorial was loaded into an NVIVO 10 project and coded line by line. This …


Analyzing Predictors Of Drinking And Driving Among Gender Cohorts Within A College Sample, Justin Hoyle Jan 2016

Analyzing Predictors Of Drinking And Driving Among Gender Cohorts Within A College Sample, Justin Hoyle

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The current study focuses on predominant predictors associated with each gender cohort’s engagement in driving under the influence (DUI). Aker’s social learning theory, Gottfredson and Hirshi’s low self-control theory, and Agnew’s strain theory are utilized to explore differences within two separate step-wise logistic regressions; one set of regressions contain a male only sample (n = 855), while the other model contains a female only sample (n = 968). This study uses self-report measures of DUI from a survey administered at a large Southeastern university focusing on risk-taking behaviors. Results indicate that social learning variables differential association and imitation are significant …