Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Using The Survey Of Inmates Of State And Federal Correctional Facilities To Compare Female And Male Inmate Characteristics., Jacqueline Anita Black

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the differences between female and male prison inmates using the Survey of Inmates of State and Federal Correctional Facilities, 1997. Variables examined included current offense, criminal history, drug use history, victimization history, program participation in the institution, disciplinary infractions in the institution, family history, and interaction with family while in prison. Results indicate that male inmates have worse criminal histories and longer sentences than female inmates. Female inmates have more extensive drug use histories, greater victimization histories, more program participation in the institution, and more criminality in their families of origin than …

Police Officers' Perception Of The Validity Of The General Theory Of Crime., William Jaison Giesler

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study measured police officers perception of the validity of General Theory of Crime. Using a sample of 117 officers and an adapted version of the Grasmick et al. (1993) self-control scale, this study measures the level of agreement officers exhibit that low self-control traits are present in property and violent offenders. Measurement is also performed to determine variation in officers agreement based on the personal characteristics gender, age, education, experience, and rank.

Findings indicate officers show agreement with self-control items across the six dimensions of self control traits, as well as significant variation in agreement with the property offender …

The Combined Effects Of Criminal Justice Intervention On Domestic Violence: A Re-Analysis Of The Minneapolis Intervention Project., Nadia A. Bebawy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Over the past 20 years, a plethora of research has been conducted on the effects of arrest in reducing recidivism of domestic violence offenders. The findings of such research have been varied. This study uses data from the Minneapolis Intervention Project to test the effectiveness criminal justice sanctions (i.e., arrest, jail, counseling, and the combination) on reducing recidivism of male domestic violence offenders. Results from bivariate analysis found that the criminal justice sanction of arrest and jail was related to recidivism. However, criminal justice sanctions could not predict recidivism.

Oleoresin Capsicum: An Analysis Of The Implementation Of Pepper Spray Into The Law Enforcement Use Of Force Continuum In A Selected Police Department., Lydia Denise Adkins

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study focused on the use of oleoresin capsicum (OC) as a means of force and also tested the effectiveness of OC.

A medium-size police agency was studied from 1991-2001. The following reports were collected for analysis: excessive force reports, reports of officers injured during arrests, use of hands-on restraint, and use of police baton.

This study revealed an increase in reported incidents of excessive force and a reduction in the number of officers injuired making arrests while using various defensive techniques.

Implementing OC into the force continuum remains a solid decision in review of this research. This study has …

The Determinants Of Policing Unfounding And Prosecutorial Case Rejections In San Diego, California Sexual Assault Cases, Elizabeth M. Keller

Student Work

The vast amount of research that has been done on sexual assault in the past thirty years has yielded a great amount of knowledge bout the phenomenon of sexual assault and the way the criminal justice system responds to it. One hypothesis that emerges from this literature is that certain cases of sexual assault may be treated differently by police and.prosecutors because of characteristics of the victim, the suspect, or of the case itself This study tests that hypothesis, using data·collected by the San Diego Police Department's Sex Crimes Unit over a multi-year period in the 1990s. This study. specifically …

The Effectiveness Of The Secondary Weapon Of The West Virginia State Police, Jesse Andrew Davis

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The present study examines the effectiveness of the West Virginia State Troopers’ secondary weapon, Oleoresin Capsicum (OC) pepper spray (CAP-STUN®), as a means of alternative use of force for non-cooperative subjects. The WV State Police have adopted OC in an effort to reduce the number and severity of injuries sustained by suspects. This method was adopted as an optional means to effect arrests through non-lethal force. The use of OC can control and restrain individuals while causing the least possible harm to the individuals without increasing danger to troopers or others. Questionnaires were sent to West Virginia State Troopers for …

Identity Theft Awareness In North Central West Virginia, Gwendolyn Lea Goodrich

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Identity theft occurs when an individual "takes over" the identity of another without that person's consent or when someone uses bits and pieces of information about an individual to represent himself or herself as that person for fraudulent purposes. The simplicity of gathering personal identification through technology enhancements has made identity theft reportedly the fastest growing crime in the U.S. The latest report indicates, through a national survey, that 20 percent of Americans are victims of identity theft. However, the impact of this growing crime has not been assessed in North Central West Virginia, where this study occurred. The theory …

Implementation Failure Of Truancy Statutes In The Fourth Judicial Circuit Of Florida: A Case Study In Street-Level Bureaucracy, Carrie Lynn Tullos

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research utilizes the case study method to examine the effectiveness of truancy statutes recently implemented in Florida's Fourth Judicial Circuit prior to the 1999-2000 school year. The statutes were implemented state wide, but this study concentrates on the Fourth Judicial Circuit. The Fourth Judicial Circuit in Northeast Florida consists of Duval, Clay, and Nassau Counties. The legislation examined requires individual schools to conduct an initial truancy intervention when a student has accumulated 5 unexcused absences in a calendar month or 10 unexcused absences in any 90-day period.

An exploratory case study was conducted that consisted of interviews with school …

Patterns Of On-Campus Theft Victimization Among Undergraduate Students And Their Impact On Satisfaction At A Higher Education Institution, Giuseppe Michael Fazari

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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Attributions Of Criminal Responsibility Of Children : An Exploratory Study Of The Role Of Wrongdoer Age, Victim Harm And Perceptions Of Intent And Consequence, James Mccue

Theses : Honours

Recent cases, such as that of James Bulger, have provided anecdotal evidence of children's capacities to commit illegal acts. Currently however, the public's attributions of children who engage in antisocial and criminal behaviour, and whether they should be held criminally responsible for their actions, has received little attention in terms of empirical research. The aim of the present study was to examine these attributions and establish whether they concur with the guidelines for criminal responsibility set down by the Western Australian criminal justice system. Two independent variables were manipulated using vignettes and included the age of the wrongdoer (7, 10 …

Racial Profiling And Mandatory Data Collection In Nevada: How Will Law Enforcement Respond?, Gregory M. Roehm

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Selected Nevada law enforcement officers participated in the mandatory collection of traffic stop data in the calendar year 2002. The requirement was a temporary one-year study mandated by the 2001 Nevada Legislature. The primary objective of this paper is to provide insight into the behavioral response of law enforcement with respect to mandatory data collection. Data for this study was obtained from the use of a self-administered mail survey from law enforcement officers from five of the nine Nevada police agencies required to collect traffic stop data. Responses from 399 Nevada law enforcement officers surveyed (A response rate of 65 …

A Comparative Review Of A College Education's Effect On Law Enforcement Officers Relating To Internal Affairs Complaints, Bill Griffin

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

The purpose of this research is to determine if a relationship exists between higher education levels and misconduct allegations for Deputy Sheriffs. Official documentation from 128 internal affairs reports were collected from the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office. Significant relationships were found to exist between higher education levels and the misconduct allegations. While some college exposure may be beneficial for job performance, a four-year degree may not yield the desired results.