Digital Commons Network^™

Patient Satisfaction With Substance Use Disorder Rehabilitation Services, Trupti Dhumal

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background: Patient satisfaction is considered as an important indicator in the evaluation of healthcare quality across an array of treatments and services. It is deemed vital especially in the field of substance use disorder (SUD) research due to an increased emphasis on understanding patients’ perceptions regarding their treatment and the attributes that drive their progress towards recovery. Despite the potential value, gaps have been recognized in the exploration of these satisfaction-related assessments among patients undergoing SUD treatment in residential rehabilitative settings. Thus, there is a need for understanding the dimensions contributing to satisfaction which would facilitate the development of …

"Frontline In Mental Healthcare": A Discourse Analytic Clinical Ethnography Of Crisis Intervention Team Trainings For Corrections, Daniel Gruner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Throughout the criminal justice system operates a discourse of corrections-reform. This responds to prisoner trauma and resistance by converting them into reforms that strengthen prisons and the larger carceral system while discounting issues of race and class that might undermine institutional legitimacy. The recent adoption of Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Trainings in corrections is exemplary of corrections-reform discourse. ‘Crisis’ comes from the Greek krinein, meaning ‘to decide.’ The crisis in mental health in prisons involves deciding when to implement what “services” or “programming” for whom.

In this discourse analytic clinical ethnographic study, I focus on the trans-disciplinary corrections …

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of A Community-Based Youth Non-Profit Organization At Increasing Prosocial Behavior And Decreasing Antisocial Behavior Among Young Boys: A Pilot Study, Molly A. Miller

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Community-based youth non-profit organizations (NPOs) have become increasingly popular for the provision of youth prevention and intervention services, yet many youth NPOs lack the resources to undergo formal evaluation. Further, most existing program evaluations do not consider individual characteristics of the child or the child’s exposure to stressors. The current pilot study sought to evaluate the extent to which boys participated in 1:1 mentoring and other program activities at the Son of a Saint (SOAS) NPO, an organization seeking to provide positive male role models for fatherless young boys. In addition, the current study examined the effects of program involvement …

How Gun Control Laws Affect Homicide, Abbey Maloney

Honors Theses

Homicide is an ever-prevalent problem in the United States (U.S.). One solution that is often turned to is the implementation of stricter gun control laws. This causes much divide as many citizens are not in agreement about whether or not these laws do what they are intended to. The aim of this study was to determine whether or not gun control laws have an effect on homicide, and, if so, what this effect is. The U.S. states were evaluated in several different categories to determine how strict or lax their gun laws were. They were scored using the number of …

The Promise Of Happy Cows: How American Milk Brands Persuade Consumers Regarding Farm Animal Welfare Conditions And How Consumers Respond To Incidents Of Being Misled, Chelsea Newson

Student Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to examine how American dairy companies employ language and imagery in brand communications (marketing, advertising, and public relations) to persuade consumers regarding farm animal welfare (FAW) conditions on supplier farms, and to examine how consumers respond in instances in which conditions on supplier farms are shown to be counter to what is depicted in brand communications. In other words, it examines how the dairy industry communicates its FAW-related values and promises to consumers and investigates consumer tolerance for being misled regarding FAW conditions. This project is thus intended as an exploration of the intersection …

Social Networks, Supportive Behaviors, And Perceived Social Support As Predictors Of Drug Court Completion, Tasha M. Ramirez

AYSPS Masters Theses

Purpose: The understanding of sociodemographic variables and drug court completion is well documented in the drug court literature, but the application of theoretical predictors is often neglected, leading to a gap in theory and practice. To fill this gap, this study examined the utility of social support theory in explaining the differences between those who complete the drug court program and those who fail to do so. Using Cohen’s definition, social support was conceptualized as social networks, supportive behaviors, and perceived support.

Methods: Participant survey data and drug court data from the National Institute of Justice’s Multi-Site Adult …

Criminalizing The School: An Investigation Of How Current School Safety And Disciplinary Policies Contribute To The Overrepresentation Of Traditionally Marginalized Students Within The Criminal Justice System, Dia Clark

Educational Policy Studies Dissertations

This study focuses on the nature of school discipline policies and their impact on student sentiments about how they are viewed by school staff. The study follows the research to illustrate a connection between unremitting surveillance and discipline and corresponding higher levels of violence, drop-out rates, and student, as well as teacher, dissatisfaction. The study concludes that while violence must be met with consequences, too often the perception of potential student violence or criminal behaviors is influenced by racial bias. I contend that hostile school environments in which trust is lacking between school staff and students develops poor student self-perceptions …

Revolutionary Departures: Reimagining The World Of Black Fatherhood, Clinton Boyd Jr.

Sociology Dissertations

The term “Deadbeat Dad” is often associated with Black fathers, suggesting they have relinquished their parental responsibilities. While research has emerged in recent years examining the social institution of Black fatherhood, many of these studies have yet to interpret their findings through an analytical lens that prioritizes race, gender, and social class status. To fill this gap, I utilize the theories of systemic racism and controlling images to explore how race, gender, and class-based oppression affects the fatherhood experiences of low-income, Black men. Further, I draw on these theories to explore how low-income, Black fathers challenge the credibility of the …

Getting Out: Bruce Bryant’S Climb To Redemption Inside Prison, Rachel M. Rippetoe, Sean Sanders-Mills

Capstones

Bruce Bryant, 50, was convicted of the murder of 11-year-old Travis Lilley in June 1996. Bryant maintains he never fired a weapon that day in 1993. But he recognizes that his lifestyle as a young person — he started dealing drugs when he was 14 — contributed to an environment in which a stray bullet could take a young life. And for that reason, he’s spent most of his 25 years in prison working to help young people.

With at least 12 more years on his sentence, Bryant is now asking the governor for early release, with the hope that …

Event-Specific And Individual Factors Impacting College Students’ Decisions To Intervene During A Potentially Risky Scenario: A Vignette Study, Chrystina Hoffman

AYSPS Dissertations

Sexual victimization on college campuses is a widespread issue in the United States. Institutions of higher education have attempted to address the issue of sexual violence through various prevention programs, including bystander intervention initiatives. Unfortunately, much of the extant literature on bystander intervention has focused on the relationship between bystander characteristics, group size, group membership, and willingness to intervene. Little is known about how situational characteristics (e.g., victim and offender characteristics) affect a bystander’s likelihood of intervening during sexual violence. It is imperative to understand and investigate the potential impact of incident-specific factors as these variables have the potential to …

Becoming His Own Boss, Reginald A. Blake Jr.

Capstones

Sports and Academics have long been linked. If an athlete's grades aren’t up to par they can’t play, but when an athlete practices in the morning and at night, travels for games, how much learning can they actually do? There are cases however when an athlete uses sports as their ticket for higher education because their grades wouldn’t cut it. 16-year-old Deon McLaughlin is one of those students. For all his success on the court he’s battled with maintaining his school’s rigid academic standards. As good as he is, he knows the NBA isn’t a possibility, for him basketball is …

Voter, Jefferson S. Arak

Capstones

Ron Pierce, on parole in New Jersey, fights for a state bill that would re-enfranchise himself and 100,000 other New Jerseyans with criminal convictions.

Taught at a young age that voting is a duty to one's community, Ron works tirelessly to make sure that the fundamental right to vote does not leave New Jersey's neediest without a voice.

Meanwhile, state lawmakers may need to compromise their efforts to restore the right to vote in the face of political opposition.

Evaluating The Effects And Social Validity Of Detect, Practice, And Repair For Three Students With Emotional And Behavioral Disorders, Jason Gordon

Doctoral Dissertations

Many students lack basic computational fluency skills that form the foundation for learning algebra in high school. This is particularly true for students with disabilities. Students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) have experienced slower achievement growth rates throughout the pivotal middle grades when compared to other students with and without disabilities. Given the academic challenges for students with EBD, specifically in the area of mathematics, there is a need for researchers to identify and for practitioners to apply research-based best practice in academic intervention and remediation. The purpose of the current study is to examine the effects of a …

Living On The Move: The Digital Nomad Mobile Phenomenon Identity And Practice, Virginia Rachele Smercina

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The following exploratory project used a qualitative mixed method approach by means of a preliminary blog analysis of thirty-seven blogs and twenty-five semi-structured interviews for data collection on individuals known as digital nomads. The theoretical foundations of this study are centered on practice theory, structuration theory, as well as discussions surrounding cultural identity. The project’s aim is to increase our understanding of the digital nomad phenomenon by asking four research questions: Who are the digital nomads? How is digital nomadism practiced? Why choose to live on the move? Is digital nomadism sustainable? The discussion includes how the digital nomad identity …

How Rights Claims Expand Carceral State, Narges Zahedipoor

Masters Theses

The production of prison is assumed to be a humane, reformist, and a radical step toward rooting out corporal punishments. Contrary to the common assumption, this study shows how liberal reforms worked actually within the judicial system as a state apparatus to distribute power among all state authorities. Rights, which are supposed to free individuals from state repression and the arbitrary use of power, function in a paradoxical way which can ultimately contribute to the carceral state. This study illustrates, through a genealogical perspective, how liberal rights by their universal characteristics fail to emancipate individuals from state coercion and violence, …

How Teachers Perceive Students’ Socioeconomic Background And Academic Performance In Charter Schools, Brittany Strickland

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

Teachers represent the frontline of education and many of them find themselves working daily with impoverished students. Teachers’ qualitative perceptions are useful for developing solutions to the problem of educating diverse students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds in charter schools. The purpose of this study was to understand teachers’ perceptions of a charter school environment and the association between low socioeconomic status (SES) students and their academic performance. A qualitative design and a case study methodology were used with two charter schools, including 45 participating teachers. Results from questionnaires and interviews ensured a sufficient understanding of the phenomenon. The collected information …

Bridging The Gap: The Collaboration Of Mental Health Services And The Juvenile Justice System, Gregory Medley

Educational Specialist, 2009-2019

Abstract

This paper explore the mental health needs of juveniles in the juvenile justice system. The need for mental health services in detention centers has been identified consistently throughout the United States. It is clearly noted in research that meeting the needs of youth in local community detentions centers are inadequate. With 65% to 70% of youth in contact with juvenile justice system having a diagnosable mental health disorder; over 60% of youth with a mental health disorder also having a substance abuse disorder (Mental Health and Juvenile Justice Collaborative for Change, 2015). As a result, I have created a …

Inequity And Resistance: Latinx Students And The College Readiness Process, Israel Velez

Doctoral Dissertations

This qualitative study used Youth Participatory Action Research and Community Cultural Wealth Framework (Yosso, 2005) to understand how Vamos a La Universidad (VALU), a high school bilingual college preparation program, impacts first-generation Latinx ninth grade students’ community cultural wealth and understanding about college. This study expands our understanding of how Latinx students interpret the college preparation process after participating in a college preparation program and emphasizes the importance of students’ cultural background and social contacts in their college readiness process. This study proposes new initiatives to add to Latinx students’ college learning process and increase the students’ interest in continuing …

The Rockaway Project - Townes, Diara Jepris D. Townes

Capstones

The Rockaway Project is a story-driven website that provides information on the government response to Superstorm Sandy recovery on the Rockaway peninsula in Queens, New York. Dozens of climate resiliency projects have been delayed or remain unfinished, despite millions of dollars in funding and six years of promises. The website hosts audio, visual and digital content, gathered through interviews and data collection.

Link to capstone project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAq2BeR4bS0&t=1s

Use Of Formative Research To Inform Family-Based Approaches To Prevent Prescription Opioid Misuse Among Mississippians, Mary Nelson Robertson

Theses and Dissertations

The United States is in the midst of an opioid epidemic, which is leading to approximately 130 deaths each day. While research on family-based approaches for substance misuse prevention, such as alcohol and tobacco prevention, has been conducted, few if any studies have focused on prescription opioid misuse prevention. Previous literature suggests that a comprehensive family-based approach can be effective in preventing substance misuse at the family-level. Considering the multiple age groups the sandwich generation cares for, the sandwich generation may have greater access to reaching multiple age groups to prevent prescription opioid misuse. Therefore, the purpose of this study …

Redefining Trauma: Utilizing Restorative Justice To Repair Care Systems, Emebet Aklilu

Master's Projects and Capstones

This project examined the ways in which restorative justice programming can improve trauma informed care among the African American population in Oakland, CA. With 23% of African American men and women living at or below the poverty line in the United States, this project assesses gaps in current trauma informed care practices as evident in the literature. Following a rigorous document review the author coded and organized key programming components following six factors detailed by Rowher, Schoones, and Young (2014). Further examination of these program components was conducted using Bloom’s taxonomy levels to assess program outcomes associated with specific modules …

Locked Out: Thanks To State Policies, Minorities Are Being Left Behind By The Cannabis Industry, Nikitha Sattiraju, Evelina Nedlund

Capstones

Locked Out: Thanks to State Policies, Minorities Are Being Left Behind by the Cannabis Industry

Social justice provisions in states with legal cannabis usually include a percentage of business licenses for minorities and expungements for those formerly incarcerated for cannabis possession so they can participate in the industry. But that isn’t enough for minority communities to successfully start cannabis businesses. Expensive start-up and operation costs, competition from corporate cannabis, lack of banking services for the industry, and fear stemming from decades of over-policing for cannabis use continue to be major roadblocks.

Cannabis legislation across the country is failing to address …

Discipline Or Destiny: A School-To-Prison Pipeline Story, Trayonna Hendricks, Kourtney Webb

Capstones

The school-to-prison pipeline is a phenomenon by which students, mainly students of color, are pushed out of schools and into juvenile detention centers and through the criminal justice system. This documentary series explains and displays what "the school-to-prison pipeline looks like through a personal story.

https://readymag.com/u1985351703/1646028/

After 31 Years In Prison, Lee Chalk Asks For Forgiveness., Jeffery Harrell, Brenda Leon

Capstones

Lee Chalk has spent more than three decades in state prison, and is now applying for executive clemency to have his sentence ended early. He is guilty of a crime, being involved in an armed robbery turned deadly which killed two people. Our project explores the potential for transformation and rehabilitation inside prison, and the personal and political ramification of mass incarceration and extreme sentencing.

https://medium.com/p/738d1cb28532/edit

A shorter version of the capstone was also published with Gothamist here: https://gothamist.com/news/ny-prison-clemency-parole-cuomo

Finding Justice, Hannah Miller

Capstones

Finding Justice tackles the devastation caused by wrongful conviction through the journey of Jeffrey Deskovic. After serving 16 years in prison for a murder he didn’t commit, Deskovic has strived to rebuild his life. The film follows him as he finishes law school and runs a foundation that frees the wrongfully convicted, all while dealing with lingering trauma.

Ny State Marijuana Law Clears The Records Of Thousands, But Will It Help Immigrants?, Jaime Longoria, Harsha Nahata

Capstones

In July 2019, Governor Cuomo signed legislation that would clear criminal records for over 200,000 people with marijuana related convictions and reduce punishment for possession. But, there’s one group of New Yorkers who are left out — and that’s immigrants. With over 4 million immigrants in New York State, the lives of those with prior marijuana convictions are still in limbo. Harsha Nahata and Jaime Longoria spoke with immigrants and advocates to find out why. The full story can be found here: https://jaimelongoria.github.io/nys-marijuana-law/

Feminism: Arrested Development In The #Metoo Era, Síle Anne E. Moloney

Capstones

This paper compares two different policy approaches to prostitution law reform in New York State i.e. full decriminalization versus partial decriminalization, and attempts to outline the rationale for each approach, taking into account the legal positions adopted by a few selected countries.

Reimagining Gender Violence: Understanding Community-Based Organizations’ Use Of Restorative And Transformative Justices As Social Change Strategies, Ahjané D. Billingsley

Open Access Dissertations

Currently, the “violence against women” (VAW) frame that informs dominant responses to gender violence has had limited success. This frame often excludes victims who are men, gender diverse, and those of sexual minorities, and the omissions have resulted in collateral harms to victims and communities. Scholars and community psychologists have noted the need for multilevel, ecological, and multidimensional gender violence interventions and preventions. Some community-based organizations are responding to the limitations of the VAW frame by using restorative justice and/or transformative justice/community accountability social change strategies within social settings to understand and address gender violence. This study used interpretive phenomenology …

“Tell Me, Bambi Or Yogi Ever Hunt You Back?” The Windigo Myth: A Metaphor For Imperialism And Mental Illness, Christine Carlough

Senior Capstone Theses

The Canadian indigenous myth of the windigo, originating from Algonquian-speaking tribes of the subarctic Northeast like Ojibwe and Cree, is a manifestation for a multitude of fears. This myth originated hundreds of years ago in order to explain the horror and lack of understanding of a mental illness, which would later be known as Windigo Psychosis. Windigo Psychosis is a culture-bound syndrome for an insatiable desire to consume human flesh. A culture-bound syndrome is recognizable and unique only within a specific society or culture, so in other words, Windigo Psychosis is specific to this area in Canada due to a …

Fabricated Forensics: Examining An Undergraduate Population’S Ability To Detect Fallacies In Crime-Based Media, Conner Davis

Senior Capstone Theses

My research examines the effects of general education on students’ perspectives of the CSI effect. The CSI effect is a phenomenon in which people’s perceptions of criminal investigation are distorted from the truth because of the media’s portrayal of criminal investigation. The study sample includes undergraduate students enrolled in a Mid-Atlantic University. To quantify the degrees in which subjects are susceptible to the CSI effect, the subjects will be measured on their ability to identify basic forensic investigation flaws portrayed in three different television series. Subjects were given a worksheet, exposed to a fifteen-minute video compilation, and were told to …