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A Review Of 'Body Farm' Research Facilities Across America With A Focus On Policy And The Impacts When Dealing With Decompositional Changes In Human Remains, Brittany M. Wolff Dec 2015

A Review Of 'Body Farm' Research Facilities Across America With A Focus On Policy And The Impacts When Dealing With Decompositional Changes In Human Remains, Brittany M. Wolff

Criminology & Criminal Justice Theses

In the current research study, the use of content analysis and secondary data analysis provided the exploratory research on the “body farm” research facilities across the United States. Open-ended survey questions were also utilized and sent to the six research facilities across the country. The use of open-ended survey questions in combination with a small sample size, resulted in only one institution participating in the survey and one facility actively declining to participate. To resolve this limitation, the use of secondary data and content analysis from facility publications and websites were utilized to complete some of the gaps resulting from …


Measuring The Level Of University Student Knowledge On The U.S. Drug Policy And Harms Associated With Illicit Drug Use: A Replication Study, Ashley E. Williams May 2015

Measuring The Level Of University Student Knowledge On The U.S. Drug Policy And Harms Associated With Illicit Drug Use: A Replication Study, Ashley E. Williams

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The purpose of this thesis project is to measure the level of knowledge that university students have regarding state and national illicit drug classifications in the United States and associated penalties with these classifications, as well as the harms resulting from consuming illicit drugs. This particular study, which is to be conducted as a replication study to Higson’s campus-based study on the UK drug policy, focuses on a different campus population in regards to the U.S. drug policy. Replication studies such as these are beneficial to previous studies because such additional research will not only strengthen the findings and correct …


Correlation Between Crime And Vegetation : A Case Study Of Jefferson County, Kentucky., Yi Ling Chan May 2015

Correlation Between Crime And Vegetation : A Case Study Of Jefferson County, Kentucky., Yi Ling Chan

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Honors Theses

Conflicting evidence exists about environmental determinants of crime. While scholars agree there is a relationship between environmental factors and crime, there is not consistency among measures of associations. Looking specifically at the influence of vegetation, there is disagreement as to whether vegetation promotes or deters crime. Some studies show criminals use vegetation as a tool to conceal themselves, while others show vegetation serves as a territory marker, which discourages criminals. My research explores these factors within Jefferson County, Kentucky’s largest and most urban, using NDVI as a proxy for vegetation cover and spatially explicit crime densities aggregated to the census …


"The Classical School, Deterrence Theory, And Zero Tolerance" An Analysis Of A Mandatory Zero Tolerance Sanctioning Policy In Relation To The Classical School Of Criminology And Deterrence Theory, Adam Saeler Jan 2015

"The Classical School, Deterrence Theory, And Zero Tolerance" An Analysis Of A Mandatory Zero Tolerance Sanctioning Policy In Relation To The Classical School Of Criminology And Deterrence Theory, Adam Saeler

School of Criminal Justice Theses and Dissertations

Mandatory sentences, and especially those that promote severe detention lengths, have become a popular mechanism in the fight against crime, but are they effective? Certain Sanctions, an adult probation-based sanctioning mandate, is an example of one such mandatory policy that emphasizes harsh sanctions in order to promote reduced future criminality. The philosophy behind such a device fits well into the theoretical framework of deterrence theory in that quick, severe sanctions ought to reduce future criminality. However, little research exists regarding the effectiveness of such a mandatory probation-based sanction policy with regards to the reduction of future criminality. Furthermore, the impact …


Critical Champions Or Careless Condemners? Exploring News Media Constructions In Cases Of Wrongful Conviction, Katherine Rozad Jan 2015

Critical Champions Or Careless Condemners? Exploring News Media Constructions In Cases Of Wrongful Conviction, Katherine Rozad

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Countless incidences occur throughout the world each and every day. However, only a few of these occurrences are deemed newsworthy by the media. One area of information quite often categorized as “newsworthy” is that surrounding crime. Within crime-related news coverage are occasionally cases of wrongful conviction – miscarriages of justice in which the innocent are labeled “guilty” and wrongly punished. Despite decades of research in both the areas of crime and media, as well as wrongful conviction studies, no research to date has examined the way that cases of wrongful conviction are constructed in the media from the beginnings of …


Criminology On Crimes Against Humanity: A North Korean Case Study, Megan Alyssa Novak Jan 2015

Criminology On Crimes Against Humanity: A North Korean Case Study, Megan Alyssa Novak

Theses and Dissertations

In the last century, modern technology has significantly increased human interaction across the globe. The growing globalization of our society has created new areas of interest for many academics. This thesis explores the topic of international crime—specifically, state perpetrated crimes against humanity. Criminologists have become increasingly interested in large-scale atrocities and several theories on the topic have been perpetuated in the last few decades. Through a case study, this research determined that current theories are capable of explaining crimes against humanity in North Korea. Additionally, the findings suggest that international institutions should create programs that utilize restorative justice techniques.


Gender Differences In Risk Factors And Mechanisms For Adolescent Offending, Emma Venell Espel Jan 2015

Gender Differences In Risk Factors And Mechanisms For Adolescent Offending, Emma Venell Espel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

From 1985 to 2009, the juvenile justice system processed 86% more offending cases for females, with only a 17% rise in male cases (Puzzanchera et al., 2012), highlighting the urgent need for understanding of gender differences in etiological factors of offending. Specifically, there is an essential need to understand mechanisms of the relationship between risk factors and offending behavior. The current work combines two studies with a gender-sensitive approach and an aim to investigate gender differences in a subset of modifiable mechanisms, such as anxiety and impulse control, which link interpersonal risk and offending. The first study tests gender differences …


Methods Of Policing: Deviation From The Standard Model Of Policing And Measured Effectiveness, Elena Stamm Jan 2015

Methods Of Policing: Deviation From The Standard Model Of Policing And Measured Effectiveness, Elena Stamm

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The Standard Model of Policing is the original method of crime control put into place to increase the effectiveness of policing. However, there have been questions about whether or not the standard model has proven to be of any real effect. Since that time, researchers have sought a different model of policing that would prove more effective in crime reduction. This research seeks to analyze whether or not the methods developed are actually shown to be effective, through their study.


Police Opinions Of Digital Evidence Response Handling In The State Of Georgia: An Examination From The Viewpoint Of Local Agencies’ Patrol Officers, Tanya Macneil Jan 2015

Police Opinions Of Digital Evidence Response Handling In The State Of Georgia: An Examination From The Viewpoint Of Local Agencies’ Patrol Officers, Tanya Macneil

CCE Theses and Dissertations

This research examined opinions of local law enforcement agencies’ patrol officers in the State of Georgia regarding preparedness and expectations for handling of digital evidence. The increased criminal use of technology requires that patrol officers be prepared to handle digital evidence in many different situations. The researcher’s goal was to gain insight into how patrol officers view their preparedness to handle digital evidence as well as their opinions on management expectations regarding patrol officers’ abilities to handle digital evidence. The research focused on identifying whether a gap existed between patrol officers’ opinions of digital evidence and the patrol officers’ views …


Paying For Your Crime: The Pay-To-Stay Jail Program In California, Carla Sue Schultz Jan 2015

Paying For Your Crime: The Pay-To-Stay Jail Program In California, Carla Sue Schultz

Master's Theses

Many California cities have recently implemented pay-to-stay jail programs at the local level. Pay-to-stay programs provide a safe and private incarceration experience for those who can afford the nightly fee. This study provides a theoretical analysis of the pay-to-stay jail program in relation to mass incarceration and the ever-expanding prison economy. It examines pay-to-stay programs as a new method of stratified punishment, reproducing race and class oppression within the U.S. penal regime. A case study of the Fremont pay-to-stay program offers insight into the implementation, operation, and application process for inmates seeking segregation from general county jail populations. This study …