Digital Commons Network^™

Involvement In Sports And Engagement In Delinquency: An Examination Of Hirschi's Social Bond Theory., Randy Hass

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Sports have been proposed as a means of reducing participation in delinquency. One criminological theory that would support this hypothesis is Travis Hirschi's social bond theory. The involvement element of that theory proposes that engaging juveniles in non-delinquent activities reduces engagement in delinquency. However, the relationship between sports and delinquency has not been adequately tested. Data from the first wave of the National Youth Survey were examined by ordinary least squares regression to determine if there was evidence supporting school sponsored sports programs as a means of reducing delinquency. No evidence was found to support the research hypothesis. Involvement in …

Psychiatric Diagnosis And Inmate Profiles In A Metropolitan County Jail, Teg W. Mcbride

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

In recent years, there has been an increase in public and professional concern regarding the mentally ill offender in the criminal justice system. Several researchers have identified the need for further investigation of the mentally ill in correctional environments. This research was pai1 of a program evaluation in a large metropolitan county jail. Four main question were investigated: 1. Do inmates identified as mentally ill differ from the general jail population? 2. How consistent are the diagnoses of those identified as mentally in the correctional computer database (SWIS) compared to the diagnoses recorded in the medical records? 3. Is there …

A Dissertation On African American Male Youth Violence: "Trying To Kill The Part Of You That Isn’T Loved", Joy Degruy Leary

Dissertations and Theses

This dissertation is based on Sociocultural Theory, Social Learning Theory and Trauma Theory, as well as a new theoretical framework (Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome) which takes into account multigenerational trauma. Five research questions involving independent variables believed to predict violent behavior in African American male youth were investigated. The first three questions addressed stressors experienced by African Americans: violence witnessing, violence victimization, and daily urban hassles. The fourth and fifth questions concerned the sociocultural characteristics of racial socialization and prosocial attitudes toward respect. Participants were 200 African American male youth residing in inner Northeast Portland, Oregon who were recruited from …

Patterns Of Sentencing Reform Adoption In American States, Keith E. Clement

Doctoral Dissertations

The first dissertation research objective is the identification and description of state sentencing reforms through May 2000. Policies included for analysis are Victim's Rights Amendments, Megan's Laws, habitual offender laws, mandatory minimums, determinate sentences, abolished discretionary parole release. Sentencing Guidelines, Sentencing Commissions, Three Strikes Laws, and Truth in Sentencing Laws. Data, including year of policy adoption, was gathered on state sentencing practices and reforms from electronic databases, state codes and statutes, and a variety of federal and state documents. Over the study period, these reforms were adopted a total of 328 times. Reforms are common as states adopt an average …

Media Rape:Press Coverage Of Sexual Assault Cases, Megan M. Murphy

Theses and Dissertations

In 1989, a female jogger was raped, beaten and left for dead in New York City’s Central Park. Two years later, a woman was attacked on a beach in Palm Beach, Florida. She reported to police that she had been raped. Both cases were covered extensively by the media, but the press treated the victims very differently. Throughout their analysis, reporters painted the Central Park jogger as an innocent victim, while the woman who accused Smith of rape was depicted as a deserving tramp.

Assuming a primarily qualitative approach, this research used frame analysis to examine The New York Times …

New Teachers’ Perceptions Of Discipline-Related School Problems And Teacher Satisfaction, Amy L. Kavanaugh

Dissertations

Satisfaction The public is concerned with school safety because of recent school shootings resulting in multiple deaths. Educators are concerned that perceptions of school safety may affect new teacher attrition.

Three questions were examined in this study: (1) What is the trend of new teachers’ perceptions of discipline-related school problems? (2) Do new teachers’ perceptions of school problems vary by teacher gender, school level, size, location, and percentage of minority students?, and (3) Are new teachers’ perceptions of school problems related to their professional satisfaction?

National data gathered by the National Center for Education Statistics through the Schools and Staffing …

From Arrest To Trial : The Experience Of Being A Family Member Of An Accused Felony Offender, Patricia Lynn O'Connor

Doctoral Dissertations

This qualitative body of work was designed as an exploratory, instrumental, collective case study, using multiple cases to provide insight into an infrequently researched area of inquiry concerning the issue of what happens with the family members of accused felony offenders during the time period from arrest to trial. The participants interviewed were 11 individuals from 8 families, and their demographics included a representative sample of a cross-section of races, ages, gender, socio-economic status, felony charges, and family roles of offenders and interviewees. Particular variables in each of the families' cases were different, but their similar experiences unified them as …

Meeting The Mental Health Needs Of Adolescents With An Ebd Label: An Exploratory Study, Melanie Rivers

Theses and Graduate Projects

This is an exploratory research study focusing on identifoing and meeting the needs of middle school and high school students who have been given a label as being emotionally and/or behaviorally disabled (EBD). St. Paul Public Schools' Social workers serving EBD students were surveyed in order to provide insight into the characteristics and needs of this group, Adolescents with an EBD label (emotionally and/or behaviorally disabled/disordered) may be the most vulnerable group of the "at risk" youth population. The goal of this study was to identify gaps in the current system designed to service this population. The information was collected …

Examining Corrections Policy And Practice In Response To In Diana's Zachary's Law: A Regional Analysis, Janine A. Ralston

Masters Theses

This study provides an analysis of a criminal justice agency's policy and practice to examine if they reflect specific objectives of Indiana registry and notification laws. Prior research suggests that for objectives of sex offender registry and notification laws to be realized, they be reflected system-wide, and in policies and practices of criminal justice agencies. The agency selected for this study is the Indiana Department of Correction. A combination of policy and statistical analysis, interviews with key agency personnel, and compilation of agency documents provides a triangulated approach to addressing this inquiry.

This study found that while some policies and …

A Systems Approach To Designing An Internship Model That Benefits The Sponsoring Organization, Peter-Comelius Dams

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

A Case Study Of The Twenty-Year History Of Performance Funding At The University Of Memphis, Dewitt Austin Latimer

Doctoral Dissertations

This case study was undertaken to provide a description of the impact of Tennessee's Performance Funding Policy on The University of Memphis over the past twenty years since its inception. Answers to three research questions were sought:

1. To what extent has performance funding penetrated The University of Memphis with regard to the awareness of the policy and its purposes?

2. To what extent has performance funding affected educational decision-making at The University of Memphis with regard to the programs and/or programmatic decisions of the institution in relation to the policy?

3. Based on professional experience and opinion, what strengths, …

An Analysis Of Rorschach Aggression And Interpersonal Variables In Forensic And Clinical Samples, William A. Benoit

Masters Theses

This study sought to compare the effectiveness of selected Rorschach aggression and interpersonal variables from three different scoring systems (Exner, 1993; Gacono & Meloy, 1994; Holt, 1977) in discriminating between protocols of individuals from each of three groups (n=23; 19 male, 4 female): those who have committed violent crimes, those who have committed nonviolent crimes, and clinical control participants. Approximately 78% of the violent group and 57% of the nonviolent group met criteria for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4^th ed., text revision [DSM-IV TR]; American Psychiatric Association, 2000) diagnosis of Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD). All …

Performance Evaluation Of Fast Ethernet, Atm And Myrinet Under Pvm, Priyanka Dasgupta

Masters Theses

Congestion in network switches can limit the communication traffic between Parallel Virtual Machine (PVM) nodes in a parallel computation. The research introduces a new benchmark to evaluate the performance of PVM in various networking environments. The benchmark is used to achieve a better understanding of performance limitations in parallel computing that are imposed by the choice of the network. The networks considered here are Fast Ethernet, Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) OC-3c (155Mb/s) and Myrinet. Together, they represent an interesting range of alternatives for parallel cluster computing. A characterization of network delays and throughput and a comparison of the expected costs …

Characteristics Of Recidivism Among Intensive And Regular Probationers., Jennifer Joseph

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined characteristics of 100 intensive probationers and 100 regular probationers to have a better understanding of why some probationers recidivate and others do not. Logistic analysis was used to analyze the following variables: age, race, gender, employment status, level of education, convicted offense, prior misdemeanor arrests, prior felony arrests, history of drug abuse, and type of probation. It was discovered that age, prior misdemeanor arrests, and offender category were significant variables correlated to recidivism. These findings are consistent with prior research and provide information that can be helpful to probation and parole officers in their supervision of offenders …

Design For Public Service, Cristine Beckley

Theses

This thesis is aimed to use graphic design to increase volunteerism and aid in the alleviation of homelessness in Rochester, N.Y.

The Impact Of Structural Context On Local Crime Control Strategies And Media Attentiveness To Crime, Dani Allred Smith

Doctoral Dissertations

A neo-Marxist approach has been utilized to explain variation in local crime control strategies and media attentiveness to crime. The present study has argued that increased crime control and media attentiveness to crime result from perceived threats to the economic and social order by subordinate classes rather than from increases in the crime rate. The entire analysis has required two seperate methodologies. First, a panel design and residual change regression analysis were used to examine 396 cities from 1950 to 1970. This analysis was used to determine the effect of changes in social and economic variables on changes in police …

Race, Criminal Embeddedness, And The American Dream, Kent Ryan Kerley

Doctoral Dissertations

The most dominant cultural theme in the United States, one that impacts political, social, and personal aspects of individual lives, is the American Dream. In the race toward the American Dream, individuals' starting positions significantly influence where they finish. Stratification researchers have consistently found that race, social class, and family background have an impact on the economic, educational, and social statuses that individuals reach in adulthood. In addition to background factors, many major life events that individuals experience serve to limit or enhance their ability to achieve various economic and social goals.

One major life event that is infrequently studied …

Reducing Juvenile Graffiti Vandalism: A Study Of Community Policing Problem-Solving In San Benito, Texas, Yolanda Lopez

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

In 1997, in the small rural community of San Benito in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, at the southern tip of Texas, graffiti vandalism was the target of a community-police partnership. Supported in part by the Community-Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Offices, U.S. Department of Justice, the San Benito Police Department took action against graffiti and in doing so elicited the community's participation.

This thesis provides a brief overview of American policing with emphasis on an innovative and strategic management concept known as community-oriented policing and on problem-solving approaches. These efforts were undertaken by individual officers and community organizers to address …

An Examination Of Juvenile Delinquency And Victimization Using An Integrated Model Approach., Kimberly Dawn Dodson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The theories of social bond, differential association and routine activities were synthesized into one theoretical model to determine its predictive utility in the explanation of juvenile delinquency and victimization. Using cross-sectional data obtained from the Gang Resistance Education and Training (G.R.E.A.T.) survey, a sample of 1,555 middle school students was examined. The results of the Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regressions indicate that the integrated model explains between 33% and 37% of the variation in delinquent behavior (i.e., property crime, violent crime and alcohol and illegal drug use). The analysis also indicates that the integrated model explains between 15% and 27% …

The Cyclical Nature Of Moral Entrepreneurship., Yvonne L. Wolf

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The primary focus of this study was to determine how "moral entrepreneurs" were able to convince the American public to support their anti-drug crusades.

The methodology section consisted of information gathered from primary and secondary sources, and described why these sources were used.

Harry Anslinger and Richard Nixon were used as models to demonstrate how a cycle of moral entrepreneurship existed throughout the twentieth century.

By testing for a cycle of moral entrepreneurship through content analysis of various sources, including descriptive statistics, the same pattern was identified as dominating Reagan's and Bush's anti-drug rhetoric.

Lastly, possible limitations of the study …

Socioeconomic Status And Media Exposure As Factors In Empathic Development., David E. Cox

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The current study examined the empathic attainment of young children (mean age 7 years) as a function of the child's socioeconomic status. Further, the potential intervening variable of violent media representations within product advertisements is assessed within and between the observed socioeconomic status groups. Three critical dimensions of empathy were assessed: cognitive, affective and behavioral. Participants were 200 volunteers recruited from public and private schools in a small region in southern Appalachia. Respondents were rated on their response to animated video clips depicting an individual in emotional distress. Results suggest that media exposure has significant effect on measures of affective …

The Impact Of Structural Context On Local Crime Control Strategies And Media Attentiveness To Crime, Dani Allred Smith

Doctoral Dissertations

A neo-Marxist approach has been utilized to explain variation in local crime control strategies and media attentiveness to crime. The present study has argued that increased crime control and media attentiveness to crime result from perceived threats to the economic and social order by subordinate classes rather than from increases in the crime rate. The entire analysis has required two seperate methodologies. First, a panel design and residual change regression analysis were used to examine 396 cities from 1950 to 1970. This analysis was used to determine the effect of changes in social and economic variables on changes in police …

Increasing The Speed And Efficiency Of Search In Fbi/Codis Dna Datadase Through Multivariate Statistical Clustering Approach And Development Of A Similarity Ranking Scheme, Puneet Yadav

Masters Theses

A new method has been developed to create and maintain a search tree-structured index to multidimensional data using naturally occurring patterns and clusters within the data, and thereby allows the implementation of efficient search and retrieval strategies in a database. This method was applied to a DNA database, which was developed by the FBI for forensic uses. A set of 10,000 DNA/STR profiles based on the STR allele probability distribution density for the Caucasians has been generated for the sixteen loci. The resulting allele distribution has been analyzed using Multivariate Statistical analysis, in specific; the Principal Component Analysis (PCA) approach …

The Low-Income Housing Tax Credit : A Case Study Of Policy Learning, Coalition Building, And Paradigm Expansion, Terri Hinson Silvis

Dissertations and Theses

The goals of policy analysis include understanding the objectives of public policies, ascertaining how to structure policies to influence behaviors and fulfill stated policy objectives, and creating improved policy-making processes. Identifying underlying values that influence the behaviors and attitudes of policy makers and stakeholders is crucial to fully understanding public policies, and analysis procedures that seek to explore values should be operationalized within policy-making processes.

The intent of this study is to explore the potential for infusing value considerations in the policy assessment process by analyzing the federal low-income housing policy known as the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit [the Credit]. …

Globalization And The Paradox Of Incorporation And Marginalization: An Exploratory Note On Sub-Saharan Africa, Charles R. Lartey

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

Globalization has of late become the lingua franca of the study of the international political economic system. As its ideological counterpart, globalization has elevated neoliberalism to the status of an international theology. To harness the benefits of a globalizing world economy, conventional wisdom consider the dictums underlying neoliberal policies as “immutable laws” that must be adopted by both the developing and the developed world.

Utilizing a structured, focused analysis based on a case study of Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), this research challenges the orthodox notion that the new international context of development that is instigated by the imperatives of globalization, and …

Institutionalized Discrimination And Sectarianism In Northern Ireland, Darlene E. Hall

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this research and subsequent thesis is to explore the issue of institutionalized discrimination, sectarian and political harassment, and victimization in the North of Ireland.

Understanding the situation in the North of Ireland will contribute to an understanding of how minority groups experience oppression and domination from the power elite groups. Extralegal, improper, or unwarranted force by police and security force members receives special attention. Conflict theorists such as Bailey (1996), Skolnick and Fyfe (1993), Quinney (1970) and Chambliss (1994) are reviewed regarding the misuse of force by police. A review of literature reveals that discrimination and sectarian …

A History Of Public Radio In An Urban Community: Its Impact Upon Education, Culture, Public Opinion And Policy, Barry K. Graham

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

In a relatively short history, Public Radio in Hampton Roads has emerged as a most important cultural and educational asset to the urban community. The dynamic growth of the Hampton Roads urban infrastructure is the result of several political, economic, and cultural factors. Public Radio has been one of these factors and has served as a catalyst for change and growth in the community. This case study focuses upon Public Radio stations WHRO-FM and WHRV-FM and the elements which brought about their historical development.

The study presents a history of events that marked the beginning of Public Radio in Hampton …

Beneath The Black And Blue: The Child Abuse-Delinquency Connection, Heather M. Baltodano

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to examine the child abuse-delinquency relationship, as well as mediating variables that may influence that relationship, such as parental attachment, witnessing family violence, and negative life events. Much of the research on this topic utilizes official government statistics and substantiated child abuse cases, which research has shown to be an undercount of the actual incidents of child abuse. This analysis utilizes the data resulting from the 1992 National Youth Victimization Prevention Survey (NYVPS) in which 2000 children between the ages of 10 and 16 were interviewed by telephone. This research examines the impact of …

An Evaluation Of Washington State's First-Time Offender Waiver (Ftow), Marianne Galgon

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

Considering the current staggering number of people under various forms of government supervision, reducing recidivism is a serious concern of the criminal justice system. A possible solution to this problem may lie in intensive supervision programs (ISPs) that were implemented in every state by 1990. This thesis evaluates Washington State's First-Time Offender Waiver (FTOW) to determine whether it is a viable alternative to prison for eligible nonviolent offenders. Specifically, I want to know: (1) Is there is a bias in who is sentenced with FTOW based on demographic variables? (2) Do FTOW recipients recidivate more or less compared to eligible …

Perceptions Of Social Workers Concerning Possible Gaps In The Discharge Planning Process At Regional Treatment Centers, Kathleen A. Goblirsch

Theses and Graduate Projects

This exploratory study examined the possible barriers that social

workers encountered in both rural and urban regional mental

health treatment centers. Twenty-three social workers at four

regional treatment centers completed a questionnaire that was

used to determine perceived roles and decision-making processes

used by the respondents. Social workers evaluated and made

recommendations to improve the discharge process. Social workers

identified housing limitations, patient disagreement, waiting

lists, behavior problems, and lack of community services as

factors that limit patients from being discharged from regional

treatment centers. Social workers discussed the need for

community resources to be more accessible and the need …