Digital Commons Network^™

The Influence Of Demographic Information On Public Attitudes Towards Individuals Who Commit Sexual Offenses, Emily Bogdan

Student Theses

Research exploring the factors that shape public attitudes towards individuals who commit sexual offenses is needed to inform policy and reduce stigma that these individuals face as they reenter society. Prior research has explored demographic factors of those who offend and have been victimized, but few have studied how these variables may interact with one another to shape attitudes toward people who commit sexual offenses. The current study explores whether offender gender, victim gender, and victim age shape the public’s attitudes towards these individuals. Participants were presented with a vignette describing the offense and then they were asked to respond …

Unmet Healthcare Need Due To Cost Concerns Among U.S. Transgender And Gender-Expansive Adults: Results From A National Survey, Luisa Kcomt, Kevin M. Gorey, Betty Jo Barrett, Dana S. Levin, Jill Grant, Sean Esteban Mccabe

Social Work Publications

This study examines past-year unmet healthcare need due to cost experienced by transgender and gender-expansive (TGE) adults in the United States in the context of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). It also aims to estimate the importance of having health insurance among TGE Americans (transgender men, transgender women, nonbinary/genderqueer people, and cross-dressers). Data were from the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey (N ¼ 19,157 adults, aged 25 to 64 years). Multivariable logistic regression models were used to determine the adjusted odds ratios (AOR) and 95 percent confidence intervals (CI) of TGE individuals’ past-year unmet healthcare need due to …

Sexual Violence In Rural Places: Policy Implication For First-Responding Law Enforcement Officers, Viviana Lizarraga, April Terry

Academic Leadership Journal in Student Research

Sexual violence is a public health issue impacting many Americans, with girls and women disproportionately victimized. While sexual offenses remain underreported, media has recently spotlighted high-profile cases. However, understanding sexual assaults in rural areas remains absent in mainstream conversation. Studies show rural communities are not smaller versions of their urban neighbors as they harbor old-fashioned values, maintain secrecy, and rely on informal social controls that influence how citizens respond to sexual violence, including law enforcement. Yet, existing literature on law enforcement responses to sexual violence are mostly centralized in urban areas with a focus on the investigative process—ignoring rural dynamics …

Pinpointing Patterns Of Violence: A Comparative Genocide Studies Approach To Violence Escalation In The Ukrainian Holodomor, Kristina Hook

Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal

This article utilizes the case study of the 1930s Ukrainian Holodomor, an artificially induced famine under Joseph Stalin, to advance comparative genocide studies debates regarding the nature, onset, and prevention of large-scale violence. Fieldwide debates question how to 1) distinguish genocide from other forms of large-scale violence and 2) trace genocides as unfolding processes, rather than crescendoing events. To circumvent unproductive definitional arguments, methodologies that track large-scale violence according to numerically-based thresholds have substituted for dynamics-based analyses. Able to address aspects of the genocide puzzle, these methodologies struggle to incorporate cross-cultural contextual variation or elicit ripe moments for specific, real-time …

Urban Mayors Press-Fall 2021, John S. Watson Institute For Urban Policy & Research At Kean University

Urban Mayors Policy Center

The Urban Mayors Press is a digital newsletter created to highlight the impactful work of New Jersey Urban Mayors Association (NJUMA) members and to provide resourceful information to municipalities throughout New Jersey from federal, state and local agencies.

#Blacklivesmatter: From Protest To Policy, Jamillah Bowman Williams, Naomi Mezey, Lisa O. Singh

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

In summer 2020, mass protests spread across the globe challenging police brutality and racial injustice and demanding change. Fueled by the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement in the wake of the police murder of George Floyd, these protests drew 15 million to 26 million participants in the United States alone to participate in late May and June of 2020. The sheer scale of these protests made them the largest movement in U.S. history. While there has been some consensus that this unprecedented protest movement pushed social awareness and changed the national conversation around race, existing research has yet to clearly …

“And The Next Day, You Are In Charge”: Policy Recommendations Stemming From A Qualitative Investigation Into The Professional Development Of Early Career Peer Support Specialists In Kentucky., Diane Zero

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Over the last twenty years, the peer support segment of the behavioral health workforce has grown rapidly. However, few researchers have studied the effects on individuals from transitioning into the role. Likewise, there is limited research examining the professional development process of early career peer support specialists. To begin to fill these gaps in the literature, I conducted a qualitative research study examining workforce development experiences of peer support specialists in Kentucky. This dissertation reports on its findings and includes a policy paper with recommendations for improving policy and practice. Chapter one offers an introduction to the peer support workforce …

Crime And Safety In United States Schools : Selected Findings Regarding The Relationship Of Interventions On The Rate Of Student Removal From The Educational Setting For Disciplinary Reasons, Heather Chadwell Dennis

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Providing students with equitable and safe learning experiences is a fundamental right; however school districts grapple with balancing student learning and student safety. In the Brown vs the Board of Education (1954) decision, the court identified education as a basic public responsibility and a principal instrument to facilitate understanding cultural values and adjusting to a normalized environment in pursuit of later professional training (Justia Law, 1954). The court went so far as to indicate that the chance of a child succeeding in life is not likely if they are denied an education (Justia Law, 1954). The purpose of this quantitative …

Yes, Allegheny Co. Da Zappala Should Resign Or Be Impeached. No, He Shouldn't Be The Target Of Legal Discipline, Bruce Ledewitz

Newspaper Columns

Collected biweekly contributions to the Pennsylvania Capital-Star, a nonpartisan, nonprofit news site.

Barriers, Racism, Discrimination, And Stereotypes Against An Adult Immigrant Pursuing Adult Education: A Case Study, Kendra Mccracken

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Barriers, racism, discrimination, and stereotypes are experienced by immigrants every day. These problems are especially important when immigrants are seeking education. Education is critical for immigrants because it allows for integration, which is vital to an immigrant’s life in the United States. The study asked a participant, who had come to the United States for a degree, for a description of their experiences in the United States. The study confirmed that barriers, racism, discrimination, and stereotypes are experienced by immigrants when pursuing education in the United States. Taking a pedagogy approach may improve learning outcomes in immigrants. Education on racism, …

“Acts Of Pure Evil”: The Portrayal Of Mass Shooting Events On Online Media Platforms, Elizabeth Twitty

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

As media continues to integrate into everyday life, it is essential to critically examine the media and the messages that are forwarded to the public, who often lack personal knowledge of crime and justice issues, and thus rely on news media to glean information. This effort, also called media criminology, seeks to understand the media and the effect it has on understanding societal issues. This project forwards media criminology by examining online news articles, as media criminology has historically focused on traditional media formats, such as newspaper and television. Online news has surpassed these traditional formats and has become a …

Child Protection Policies And Practices In Mennonite Church Usa Congregations: A Follow-Up Study, Jeanette Harder, Elisabeth Wilder

Social Work Faculty Publications

While congregations have a spiritual mandate to be open and welcoming, they must be aware of the risks involved in ministry and be prepared to protect children from all types of abuse and neglect. In 2010 and again in 2018, Dove’s Nest, a nonprofit organization, conducted an online survey to determine the characteristics, practices, and experiences of Mennonite Church USA congregations with and without written child protection policies. The research questions for this study were: (1) What are the characteristics, practices, and experiences of congregations in regard to child protection, and how have they changed since 2010? (2) What is …

Vocation Or Victimization: An Analysis Of Legal Models Addressing Prostitution, K'Reisa J. Cox

Honors Projects

This discussion of legal models addressing prostitution evaluates the three predominate models currently implemented worldwide: criminalization, legalization/full decriminalization, and partial decriminalization (also termed the Nordic Model). Specific focus is given to each model’s capacity to maintain nations’ human rights obligations to people in prostitution, specifically the right to free choice of employment, and the right to safe working conditions free of exploitation and coercion. Along with evaluating the origins, structure, strengths, and weaknesses of each, case studies of all three models in practice are incorporated to transition from theoretical to practical evaluation. Each model’s unique design, purported outcomes, and various …

The Threat Of Social Media To Society And National Security: A Call For Social Media Policy And Legislation, Frank Hernandez

Helm's School of Government Conference - American Revival: Citizenship & Virtue

In the Constitution, We the People affirm ourselves to domestic tranquility, our common defense and general welfare to secure the blessings of Liberty. As such, statesmen are charged with developing policy to ensure social media is safe, accessible and usable to all. Currently, social media companies and use of their platforms pose a threat to national security and the societal fabric of our nation. No longer just a communication tool to bring communities and people together, social media is now leveraged to disrupt and diminish faith in our democratic republic, its people, systems and institutions. Citizens, public and private organizations, …

Vision Zero And The Bay Area Response: Traffic Fatalities And Perceptions Of Pedestrian Safety In Local Politics And Public Policy, Christopher Farrell

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In this study, I examine how the "Vision Zero" traffic safety plan has been implemented in the cities of San Francisco and San Jose and, employing qualitative interviews, I explore the perceptions of local elected officials and community leaders of local advocacy groups to understand their emergent appraisals of how effectively the policy is working, as well as assess the political implications and impact of the initiative. I find that local elected leaders have a range of perceptions, but the majority of local elected leaders and community leaders agree that getting more cars off the road, improving public transportation, and …

The Harmful Prioritization Of “Sex Trafficking” In U.S. Anti-Trafficking Discourse, Spencer Pennybacker

Honors Theses

In recent years, the issue of “human trafficking,” or what some have deemed “modern slavery” has become increasingly salient in the United States. No doubt, human trafficking is a major humanitarian crisis, with the International Labor Organization estimating some 5.4 victims caught in trafficking networks for every 1,000 people in the world. And yet, the dominant discourse in the US tends to allude solely to the sex trafficking of women. This sex trafficking hysteria in the United States is the backdrop of my research.

This Senior Thesis examines how anti-trafficking organizations leave out survivors by addressing human trafficking through selective …

Examination Of The Effects Of Speech Disorders On Juvenile Delinquency And The Potential Benefits Of Speech Therapy For Offenders, Katie Paparelli

Senior Honors Projects

In the United States, there are currently over 50,000 juveniles housed in youth confinement facilities for delinquent acts ranging from truancy to murder. To decrease that number, it is pertinent to identify possible risk factors of juvenile delinquency, but also to establish impactful preventative strategies as well as reactive solutions. Speech disorders and speech differences have been identified as potential risk factors for juvenile delinquency. Having a speech disorder/difference has an undeniable impact on a child’s life, with potentially negative impacts ranging from poor engagement with school and bullying—both risk factors in themselves for juvenile delinquency. Unsurprisingly, researchers have found …

A Case Study Of The Perspectives Of School Administrators In Ontario On Policies And Practices Addressing Disproportionality In Student Discipline, Annastasia Onyinyechukwuka Oraegbunem

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this case study was to understand the perspectives of school administrators in Ontario on policies and practices addressing disproportionality in student discipline and suspension rates for minority students. The problem is that minority students get school suspension at significantly higher rates than non-minority students. The theory guiding this study is the Black identity development theory. There are four research questions with a central research question is, what are school administrators' perspectives on policies and practices addressing disproportionality in student discipline and suspension rates for minority students in Ontario? This single qualitative case study design purposefully sampled 10 …

Law School News: The View From The Statehouse 04-27-2021, Michael M. Bowden

Life of the Law School (1993- )

No abstract provided.

Reconceptualizing Cannabis, Julia Peoples

Honors Theses

Inflammatory rhetoric and increasingly punitive drug policies dominated marijuana politics in the past. Today, as 36 have legalized cannabis in some form and 17 states have legalized recreational marijuana, the federal government continues to perpetuate policies of the past. The following analysis investigates rhetoric and policies that led to the War on Drugs as well as their outcomes, the dramatic shift in public opinion as states began to legalize marijuana, and the successes and failures of state cannabis programs to identify gaps within the MORE Act, the ideal policy, and politically viable incremental change. State programs are incapable of …

When Your Identity Is Inherently "Unprofessional": Navigating Rules Of Professional Appearance Rooted In Cisheteronormative Whiteness As Black Women And Gender Non-Conforming Professionals, Shannon Cumberbatch

Journal of Civil Rights and Economic Development

(Excerpt)

Several years ago, I attended my first large-scale career fair as a recruiter where I screened a mass of aspiring lawyers for staff attorney positions at my legal organization. During our brief break from marathon interviewing, my white colleagues shut down their tables to enjoy their downtime and as I prepared to do the same, I looked up to find a critical mass of Black women excitedly converging upon my interview station. Forming a half circle around my table, they began exclaiming how enamored they were by my appearance and how it countered much of the counseling they had …

Rwu Law News: The Newsletter Of Roger Williams University School Of Law 04-2021, Michael M. Bowden, Barry Bridges, Political Roundtable

Life of the Law School (1993- )

No abstract provided.

What Can Be Taught In College In Prison? Reconciling Institutional Priorities In Clashes Over Incarcerated Students’ Access To Instructional Materials, Magic M. Wade

Journal of Prison Education and Reentry (2014-2023)

This research was inspired by allegations of censorship of college curricula in an Illinois state penitentiary. This example highlights the confusion and controversy that may ensue when disagreements arise over what students in prison-based college programs are permitted to read and learn. Following this, my research considers these relevant questions: First, do many programs and prisons encounter disagreements over certain instructional materials? Next, to what extent are these rooted in clashing institutional values and priorities? And finally, what can be done to quell controversy, reduce confusion, and strengthen relationships between colleges and prisons? To shed light on these questions, I …

Better Broadband For Better Health, Jeremy Kourvelas, Katie Cahill, Carole Myers Phd, Jennifer Tourville, Sreedhar Upendram

SMART Policy Briefs

No abstract provided.

Education Faculty As Knowledge Brokers: Competing For Access To New York State Print Media And Policy Influence, Gary Anderson, Nakia Gray-Nicolas, Madison Payton

Publications and Research

In an environment in which new policy entrepreneurs and networks are influencing policy and public opinion, many university faculty are increasingly seeking ways to mobilize knowledge beyond academic conferences and journals. Using New York state as a case, we searched Access World News to compare the level of media access of academics with other knowledge brokering organizations (KBOs; e.g. think tanks, teachers’ unions, advocacy organizations, etc.). Our data shows relatively low levels of access for academics and provides profiles of those academics with high levels of access and what we might learn from them. We provide a discussion of the …

Urban Mayors Press - Winter 2021, John S. Watson Institute For Urban Policy & Research At Kean University

Urban Mayors Policy Center

The Urban Mayors Press is a digital newsletter created to highlight the impactful work of New Jersey Urban Mayors Association (NJUMA) members and to provide resourceful information to municipalities throughout New Jersey from federal, state and local agencies.

Harm Reduction Strategies & Law Enforcement’S Approach To The Opioid Epidemic, Johnathon Michael Sharp

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The opioid epidemic in the United States has increased in severity, lives lost, and associated costs for several decades. While legislation and criminal justice practices around the world regarding opioids have followed various avenues including alternative harm reduction approaches, U.S. responses have largely remained stagnant. However, one alternative harm reduction program, the Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) program, has been implemented in a few U.S. cities. This study examined law enforcement administrators’ familiarity and challenges with harm reduction strategies like the LEAD program. Using Kingdon’s multiple streams theory, this qualitative case study interviewed 10 law enforcement administrators from the Midwestern …

Algorithms In Business, Merchant-Consumer Interactions, & Regulation, Tabrez Y. Ebrahim

Faculty Scholarship

The shift towards the use of algorithms in business has transformed merchant–consumer interactions. Products and services are increasingly tailored for consumers through algorithms that collect and analyze vast amounts of data from interconnected devices, digital platforms, and social networks. While traditionally merchants and marketeers have utilized market segmentation, customer demographic profiles, and statistical approaches, the exponential increase in consumer data and computing power enables them to develop and implement algorithmic techniques that change consumer markets and society as a whole. Algorithms enable targeting of consumers more effectively, in real-time, and with high predictive accuracy in pricing and profiling strategies. In …

Privacy In Pandemic: Law, Technology, And Public Health In The Covid-19 Crisis, Tiffany C. Li

Law Faculty Scholarship

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused millions of deaths and disastrous consequences around the world, with lasting repercussions for every field of law, including privacy and technology. The unique characteristics of this pandemic have precipitated an increase in use of new technologies, including remote communications platforms, healthcare robots, and medical Al. Public and private actors alike are using new technologies, like heat sensing, and technologically influenced programs, like contact tracing, leading to a rise in government and corporate surveillance in sectors like healthcare, employment, education, and commerce. Advocates have raised the alarm for privacy and civil liberties violations, but the emergency …

Step One: Solving The Ncaa Sexual Assault Problem, Aaron Hernandez

Marquette Sports Law Review

No abstract provided.