Digital Commons Network^™

The Perceptions And Attitudes Of Hispanics Toward Law Enforcement Officers, Brittany N. Pugh

Honors Theses

Relationships between racial / ethnic minorities and law enforcement officers in the United States have long been a topic of concern. Given that Hispanics represent the largest racial / ethnic minority population in the United States, the nature of their collective and individual relationships with law enforcement is a topic worthy of empirical examination. Surprisingly, however, there is limited research specifically focusing upon the beliefs, perceptions and attitudes of Hispanics regarding law enforcement officers. This exploratory study examines the beliefs, perceptions, and attitudes of 101 Hispanics in South central Mississippi toward local law enforcement agencies and officers. Furthermore, the study …

Newspaper Endorsements Of Candidates: Through The Looking Glass, Caitlin Burkes

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Invisible And Incarcerated: Women In A Male Dominated U.S Prison System, Emily Spidle

Honors Theses

This paper investigates how the contemporary U.S. penal system impacts women given that female imprisonment rates have skyrocketed over the last several decades. Notably the U.S. has increased the rate of female incarceration at double the rate of male incarceration. However female prisoners have been rendered largely invisible under the umbrella of the criminal justice system in both scholarly discourse and policy. Drawing on the broad characteristics and trends that encapsulate the female prison population it is examined that women face unique challenges within the system. Pathways of crime illustrate the interlocking nature of poverty abuse mental illness and drug …

The Nature Of Revenge, Stephanie Digiorgio

Honors Theses

We are often taught that revenge is morally wrong and retributive punishment is morally right. Many philosophers also hold that revenge is fundamentally different from retributive punishment. The purpose of this paper is to argue that: 1.) retributive punishment is not fundamentally different from revenge; and 2.) revenge is just.

The Genealogy Of The Right To Counsel— From Magna Carta To The American Constitution, Elias Medina

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

When Deception Gets Personal: An Exploration Into Personality's Link To Deception, Jason T. Weber

Honors Theses

Most of our understanding of deceptive behaviors comes from cognitive (Vrij, Fisher, & Blank, 2015) or social psychological (Ekman, 2009) perspectives, and furthermore comes from forensic deception detection research and strategies (Vrij, 2008). One psychological domain that has not had as much investigation in relation to deception is personality. The present study examines the connection between personality traits and one aspect of deceptive behaviors – motivations to lie. College students completed self-report surveys online regarding personality, their lying habits, and basic demographic questions. Additionally, participants read several lying scenarios and rated the likelihood of lying. In a sample of 292 …

Irrational In Its Rationality: A Critique Of The All Lives Matter Movement And One-Dimensional Society, Elliot Newell

Honors Theses

In his book One-Dimensional Man, Herbert Marcuse argues that modern society has lost the ability to critique itself. Contradictions are hidden through manipulative language and protest is suppressed. As a result, Marcuse asserts that our society has become rational in its irrationality, so that contradictions appear logical and even beneficial. Though published in 1964, Marcuse's theory is still relevant today, and is seen in the All Lives Matter movement. As a response to Black Lives Matter, All Lives Matter makes the seemingly rational claim that everyone in America is valued equally, and that racial prejudice is a thing of the …

African-American Perceptions Of Community-Oriented Policing Programs, Adrian L. Griggs

Honors Theses

Reports of police killings of unarmed African-American men have been commonly featured on the news in recent months. Protests in response to those incidents have occasionally turned into riots, and the tension between the minority community and police remains unchanged. There is always a racial variable implicit whenever the African-American community policing debate arises. Researchers have conducted studies on this challenge and have examined differences in perceptions of police officers between African Americans and other racial groups. Studies have been conducted that examine why there might be less satisfaction with police among African Americans but have not considered how these …

An Analysis Of Visitor Safety In The Natchez Trace Parkway, Devin S. Mcgee

Honors Theses

The following study focuses on the safety of visitors travelling the Natchez Trace Parkway and their general safety while on Parkway property. The aim of the study was to conduct qualitative research in order to assess the hazards and risks that may befall the visitors of the Natchez Trace Parkway and how to combat these risks in the most direct way possible. A sample of recreational and law enforcement rangers took part in a questionnaire regarding their opinions of the level of safety at the park, and a diluted risk assessment was conducted while travelling through the section of the …

Misleading Information In Social Media News: How Bias Affects Perceptions, Amber Jackson

Honors Theses

Correcting misinformation is challenging because of the difficulty in changing biases (Ecker et al., 2013). Biased decisions are learned behaviors. People choose information that they are more frequently exposed to and from which they gather rewards (Sali, Anderson, & Courtney, 2016). Social media has become a new reward system for biased information (Neubaum et al, 2016). The difficulty of correcting misinformation multiplies as people have begun choosing social media as their preferred news platform. Social media news has recently focused its reporting on police (Sela-Shayovitz, 2015). Among participants who saw a misleading clip before a longer video of a police/suspect …

Increasing Shared Attention In Children With Developmental Delays, Shelby Esman

Honors Theses

Joint attention behaviors may be essential to the development of language and social interaction skills (Whalen and Schreibman, 2003). Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often lack these behaviors which may explain the difficulty many of them have communicating appropriately with others (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Previous research has shown that prompting procedures and social reinforcement have been successful in teaching children with ASD to shift their eye gaze between an adult and the object of interest when prompted to do so (Taylor and Hoch, 2008). This present study set out to create and test a procedure designed to teach …

The Impact Of Public Defense Spending And Caseload On Jury Trial Rates, Holly Travis

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Comparing Attitudes And Perceptions Of Adolescent Mothers With Older Mothers, Lindsey Nicole Landry

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Reformation: An Apparel Design Collection, Biagia Rosinia

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

You Have The Right To…What? A Study Of Knowledge Of Americans’ Rights In Criminal Proceedings, Anna Marchiony

Honors Theses

An exploratory questionnaire was developed to assess participants’ knowledge of American rights during criminal proceedings, their confidence in that knowledge, and whether their experiences, professional or recreational, are associated with that knowledge. Questionnaire items covered topics such as Bill of Rights, Miranda Rights, Interviews and Interrogations, Rights During Trial, and Post-Conviction Rights. Demographic variables assessed field of study/employment, encounters with the Criminal Justice System, and viewership of crime-based television shows. Responses were analyzed in an attempt to find patterns in knowledge. Results showed that participants were most knowledgeable regarding the Bill of Rights, rights during a criminal trial, and post-conviction …

The Promise Of Justice: Are Public And Private Defense Equal?, Alicia Linzmeier

Honors Theses

This thesis attempts to uncover whether or not differences in unclassified felony and first-degree felony case outcomes arise as a result of the type of counsel representing the defendant. The types of defense counsel addressed in this project include public defenders, appointed counsel, and private counsel. This research project specifically focuses on Butler, Greene, and Montgomery Counties in Ohio, in order to cultivate large enough samples for statistical testing. The felony cases that were examined include aggravated murder, murder, rape, voluntary manslaughter, and kidnapping. Existing research (Cohen, 2014; Levine, 1975; Hartley, Miller, and Spohn, 2010; and Williams, 2002) largely shows …

The Possibility Of Communal Biases In Alibi Evaluation: The University Of Dayton, Norbert Wessels

Honors Theses

Considering the lack of data surrounding its influences, the current study aims to investigate the influence of identification with a geographic community on the alibi generation process. It does this by examining three questions:

• Do geographic cues allow you to identify with an alibi generator, and therefore have bearing on the evaluation of said alibi?
• Does identification with the alibi generator lead to stronger alibi evaluations?
• Do the answers to the previous two questions indicate bias?

To do this, 104 students at the University of Dayton were asked to engage in an alibi evaluation scenario that judged their opinion on …

Educating The Whole Child: Using Positive Adult Relationships To Develop Noncognitive Skills In Students Facing Adversity, Virginia A. Saurine

Honors Theses

Under-resourced children often experience multiple stressors in their everyday lives that can negatively impact their performance in schools. However, numerous research studies have shown that the most significant protective factor for under-resourced children is a caring, adult relationship. This study focuses on what needs to happen in the teacher-student relationship in order for the teacher to be that protective relationship. Building the teacher-student relationship aids all children, not just under-resourced children, in developing the academic, social and emotional skills necessary to be successful in the classroom. Development and presence of academic perseverance and an academic mindset of students are the …

Why Isn’T There A Garden At School? Assessing Five River Metro Parks’ Green Schoolyards Program, Kaleigh Jurcisek

Honors Theses

School gardens have been shown to have positive effects on children’s academic performance and personal lives. Five Rivers’ Metro Parks has a program in place to encourage and assist schools, within the Dayton region, to implement school gardens and/or habitats. This research examines the efficacy of the Green Schoolyards program through surveys and interviews with teachers and staff of 15 schools where the program has made at least one contact. This research will help inform the Five Rivers staff by identifying perceived benefits and constraints related to implementing school gardens, and may facilitate the expansion of the Green Schoolyards program. …

Does Mindful Meditation Enhance Eyewitness Memory And Prevent The Misinformation Effect?, Lauren Price

Honors Theses

Engaging in a brief mindful meditation task prior to witnessing an event may enhance event encoding and reduce susceptibility to post-event misinformation. Participants in this study completed either a 3-minute mindful meditation exercise or an unrelated filler task (Sudoku). Half of the participants in each group were first told their task was beneficial to memory, while the other half were told nothing. After completing the task, all participants viewed a video of a fictitious crime. After viewing the video, they listened to a narrative that introduced misleading information about the video. Finally, they took a memory test on the video. …

Cicig In Guatemala: The Institutionalization Of An Anti-Corruption Body, Greg M. Morano

Honors Theses

When is the institutionalization of anti-corruption bodies possible in Latin America? Central America’s Cold War era internal conflicts destabilized the Northern Triangle’s governments and greatly weakened judicial institutions. The legacy of these conflicts led to the creation of parallel corrupt networks that infiltrated state institutions and perpetuated impunity and violence. However, in Guatemala, the institutionalization of the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala (Comisión Internacional Contra la Impunidad en Guatemala, CICIG) has improved the country’s ability to prosecute high-level corruption against the threat of powerful and corrupt state actors. A comparative analysis of the tenures of CICIG’s three commissioners reveals …

Intelligence Dissemination Among Local, State, And Federal Law Enforcement: The Necessity, Gaps, And Recommendations, Emily Holcomb

Honors Theses

The purpose of this study is to examine how intelligence is gathered in the Southern State Region, identify perceived gaps in the current policies used with this communication and offer potential solutions to intelligence communication flaws. An interview-based research of Southern State Region officers and agents and the support of peer-reviewed academic articles shaped the research in this paper. The results of this research indicated that (a) personal connections between law enforcement agents and federal agents are the backbone of the current process utilized in information sharing, (b) there are gaps when personnel leave their position in office because of …

An Analysis Of Entrepreneurial Education In The Criminal Justice System, Austin Powell

Honors Theses

Currently, American federal and state prisons release more than 600,000 offenders each year that contribute to the estimated 70 million or more Americans that have some form of criminal record. By holding a criminal record, successful reentry for offenders are difficult because the criminal record serves as a barrier to public benefits. There are many correctional education programs designed to help offenders while in prison to overcome these barriers. Entrepreneurial education programs are becoming more popular, due to the positive recidivism and post-release employment results. The purpose of this study is to compare entrepreneurial education to other programs while analyzing …