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Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons™
Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
- Keyword
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- Forensic science (2)
- Mass incarceration (2)
- Contamination (1)
- Crime based television (1)
- Criminal profiling (1)
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- DNA profiles (1)
- Deinstitutionalization (1)
- Determinate sentencing (1)
- Elderly (1)
- Gentrification (1)
- Housing patterns (1)
- Individual privacy (1)
- Juror bias (1)
- Juvenile rights (1)
- License plate readers (1)
- Mandatory minimum sentences (1)
- Mass death (1)
- Mental health (1)
- Miranda v. Arizona (1)
- Penal system reform (1)
- Police interrogations (1)
- Prison reform (1)
- Private prison (1)
- Serial killers (1)
- Surveillance (1)
- Terminally ill (1)
Articles 1 - 10 of 10
Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
Guilty By Reason Of Insanity: Unforeseen Consequences Of California's Deinstitutionalization Policy, Jen Rushforth
Guilty By Reason Of Insanity: Unforeseen Consequences Of California's Deinstitutionalization Policy, Jen Rushforth
Themis: Research Journal of Justice Studies and Forensic Science
Beginning with the passage of the Lanterman-Petris- Short Act in 1969, deinstitutionalization in California has had a devastating effect on the mentally ill. Instead of affording the mentally ill with more rights and protections, the process of shutting down state psychiatric hospitals and impeding psychiatric care for those in need caused a cascade effect leading to an increase of homelessness and incarceration. Over the past four decades, prisons and jails in California have become the de facto state mental hospitals, with severely mentally ill individuals having nearly a four-to-one chance of ending up in jail or prison over a psychiatric …
The Surveillance State: Do License Plate Readers Impinge Upon Americans' Civil Liberties?, Jourdin Hermann
The Surveillance State: Do License Plate Readers Impinge Upon Americans' Civil Liberties?, Jourdin Hermann
Themis: Research Journal of Justice Studies and Forensic Science
The boundaries that delineate public from private sphere have challenged our political system’s foundations since its origination. License plate readers (LPRs), a tool used by law enforcement and private businesses, cause citizens and their government to question the criteria separating public and private information. While police and repossession agencies contend that license plate readers aid their work, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) argues that surveillance equipment interferes with an individual’s right to privacy. Addressing such privacy concerns requires the public to hold its government accountable by petitioning for limits on LPR use and data retention. LPRs also pose unique …
Reducing Contamination In Forensic Science, Carly Balk
Reducing Contamination In Forensic Science, Carly Balk
Themis: Research Journal of Justice Studies and Forensic Science
The sensitivity of modern forensic techniques has drastically increased, with sensitive technology detecting even the smallest traces of DNA evidence left behind. This has made it possible to detect DNA profiles deposited through contamination. When DNA contamination occurs in forensic science, it has the potential to change the outcome of a criminal investigation and may have significant social and financial repercussions. A compilation of global research shows that DNA evidence transfer can occur during forensic product manufacturing, the fingerprinting process, or even autopsy and crime lab examinations. These vital areas of the forensic investigation are vulnerable to contamination, and national …
Justice Reform: Who's Got The Power, Yevgeniy Mayba
Justice Reform: Who's Got The Power, Yevgeniy Mayba
Themis: Research Journal of Justice Studies and Forensic Science
As the US prison population continues to rise despite the significant decrease in crime rates, scholars and social activists are demanding comprehensive reforms to the penal system that disproportionately affects minorities and the poor and has become a significant burden on the taxpayers. This paper examines some of the processes that contributed to the rise of the modern day carceral state, such as the determinate sentencing reform and the proliferation of mandatory minimum sentencing. It also explores the unintended consequences of these penal developments and traces the reaction and subsequent resistance to these sentencing schemes from the judiciary, as well …
There Goes The Neighborhood: Exposing The Relationship Between Gentrification And Incarceration, Casey Kellogg
There Goes The Neighborhood: Exposing The Relationship Between Gentrification And Incarceration, Casey Kellogg
Themis: Research Journal of Justice Studies and Forensic Science
This paper seeks to demonstrate that there is a deliberate and intentional link between residential housing patterns and crime and mass incarceration, and that government plays a strong role in allowing and formalizing this link. Using historical examples, this paper attempts to document the role of government and policy in furthering residential segregation through the processes of gentrification and disinvestment. By contributing to the destruction of low-income communities and the invasion of gentry through covert partnerships with the private sector to develop land and design cities, government has prioritized commercial interests over the needs of the community at all income …
Did They Ever Stand A Chance? Understanding Police Interrogations Of Juveniles, Brian Werner
Did They Ever Stand A Chance? Understanding Police Interrogations Of Juveniles, Brian Werner
Themis: Research Journal of Justice Studies and Forensic Science
The Miranda v. Arizona (1966) decision was a pivotal case in the United States. It afforded rights to suspects and defendants against self-incrimination and representation during police interrogations. Miranda ensured police read individuals in custody their rights before interrogations. However, what happens when individuals being read their rights do not fully comprehend the significance of what the police are telling them, whether it is because of lack of comprehension due to brain development, or susceptibility to the influence of those questioning them? The courts have examined these direct issues when it comes to “voluntary” confessions made by juveniles. Several cases …
Prison Privatization: Driving Influences And Performance Evaluation, Carla Schultz
Prison Privatization: Driving Influences And Performance Evaluation, Carla Schultz
Themis: Research Journal of Justice Studies and Forensic Science
United States conservatism and neoliberalism have created a market for prison privatization. The business of making money from incarcerated bodies is in direct conflict with the goals of the justice system. Driving economic and political forces are examined and used to explain the rising prison-industrial complex. Private prison performance is measured by recidivism, cost, inmate rights, and quality of confinement. This paper suggests that prison privatization must be reformed or abolished to improve the corrections system in the United States.
The Use Of Criminal Profilers In The Prosecution Of Serial Killers, Chelsea Van Aken
The Use Of Criminal Profilers In The Prosecution Of Serial Killers, Chelsea Van Aken
Themis: Research Journal of Justice Studies and Forensic Science
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the concept of criminal profiling in terms of serial killers in the United States. The research provided in this paper was found using the most recent research available on the topic. The FBI’s Behavioral Unit, or National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime (NCAVC), is the current leading law enforcement agency that investigates these types of crimes. They utilize definitions, typographies, and motives to create a criminal profile to investigate serial killings. Ultimately, these profiles are inadequate because they are inconclusive and exclude multiple suspects that are potentially dangerous. Therefore, criminal …
From The Warehouse To The Deathbed: Challenging The Conditions Of Mass Death In Prison, Ernest K. Chavez
From The Warehouse To The Deathbed: Challenging The Conditions Of Mass Death In Prison, Ernest K. Chavez
Themis: Research Journal of Justice Studies and Forensic Science
The purpose of this project is to analyze the crisis of mass incarceration by placing the conditions faced by elderly, terminally ill, and dying prisoners, as its main point of focus. Much of this crisis was built through post-1970s American penal policies which set in place tough sentencing laws, increased prosecutorial power, and ultimately, led to a significant growth in the prisoner population. Today, elderly and terminally ill prisoners make up the fastest growing population inside of prisons. Few of these prisoners are approved for early release, and instead die while incarcerated. This has resulted in a condition of mass …
The "Csi Effect" And Its Potential Impact On Juror Decisions, John Alldredge
The "Csi Effect" And Its Potential Impact On Juror Decisions, John Alldredge
Themis: Research Journal of Justice Studies and Forensic Science
The “CSI Effect” was first described in the media as a phenomenon resulting from viewing forensic and crime based television shows. This effect influences jurors to have unrealistic expectations of forensic science during a criminal trial and affect jurors’ decisions in the conviction or acquittal process. Research has shown the “CSI Effect” has a possible pro-defense bias, in that jurors are less likely to convict without the presence of some sort of forensic evidence. Some studies show actors in the criminal justice system are changing their tactics, as if this effect has a significant influence, causing them to request unnecessary …