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Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons

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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Overlooked Psychometrics: An Examination Of The Construct Validity Of The Level Of Service/Case Management Inventory (Ls/Cmi), Agnieszka M. Nogalska Apr 2024

Overlooked Psychometrics: An Examination Of The Construct Validity Of The Level Of Service/Case Management Inventory (Ls/Cmi), Agnieszka M. Nogalska

Student Theses

Construct validity is an important and under-examined source of evidence contributing to the psychometric properties of risk assessment instruments. This study assessed the construct and predictive validities of the LS/CMI examining a sample of 95 incarcerated male participants in the Northeastern United States. Results support a two-factor structure for the instrument, with the Criminal History, Education/Employment, Procriminal Attitude, and Antisocial Pattern subscales demonstrating convergence with other well-validated measures of these constructs. The results further suggest relatively weak discriminative ability for predicting recidivism (AUC = 0.67). Further research examining and integrating the construct and predictive validity of the LS/CMI specifically is …


Stigma Towards Offenders Diagnosed With Mental Illness, Christina N. Yocca Apr 2022

Stigma Towards Offenders Diagnosed With Mental Illness, Christina N. Yocca

Student Theses

Mental health stigma is a key factor to what makes members of the community who are diagnosed with mental illness feel like outcasts to the “normal” population. This study investigated the relationship between right-winged beliefs and offenders diagnosed with mental illness. Sigma as it relates to mental health, offenders, and right-winged beliefs have been studied separately before, but there is a lack of information on the stigma that the public has towards offenders who struggle with their mental health and the possible predictors of stigma towards this group. Overall, this study aimed to further research in the intersectionality of stigmatized …


The Influence Of Demographic Information On Public Attitudes Towards Individuals Who Commit Sexual Offenses, Emily Bogdan Dec 2021

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 …


Dosage Matters: What Is Dosage, Doyoung Kim Dec 2021

Dosage Matters: What Is Dosage, Doyoung Kim

Student Theses

To reduce recidivism, many correctional programs and interventions have been introduced to offenders. Though, the rate of recidivism remains exceedingly high. To improve program outcomes, it is important to match the dosage of a program to risk levels. However, there is not a standardized definition and measurement of program dosage. This thesis extends the study on identifying the definition and measurement of dosage and the effectiveness of the programs by conducting a systematic review of prior research. The results indicate that as a treatment dosage, treatment duration was more frequently used compared to treatment intensity to reduce recidivism rate of …


Evidence Based Practices At A New York City Youth Justice Services Organization, Betsy Delissa Cespedes Jun 2020

Evidence Based Practices At A New York City Youth Justice Services Organization, Betsy Delissa Cespedes

Student Theses

There has been a national push to establish evidence-based juvenile criminal justice policies and practices that are focused on reducing the risk of recidivism for juvenile offenses. The reason for this push is rooted in the growing recidivism rates of juvenile offenders in the United States (Weber, Umpierre, & Bikchik, 2018). More than half of all juveniles who are on probation nationwide are rearrested, indicating that each juvenile offender faces equal likelihood of reoffending or not (Weber et al., 2018). Further, approximately 66% of juvenile offenders, or nearly seven out of 10 offenders, are rearrested within two years of their …


Substance Use, Neurocognitive Deficits, And Criminal Recidivism, Emily H. Kim May 2020

Substance Use, Neurocognitive Deficits, And Criminal Recidivism, Emily H. Kim

Student Theses

Many offenders demonstrate substance use and neurocognitive impairments. Substance use directly impacts executive functioning due to poor impulse control, leading to impaired decision- making. Substance use and neurocognitive deficits also contribute to recidivism. Incarcerated individuals with substance use disorder have higher rates of recidivism, and executive dysfunction has been shown to contribute to recidivism due to low behavioral inhibition skills and deficiency with cognitive flexibility. There is a discontinuity in literature, however, since many studies only investigate either substance use or neurocognitive deficits to predict recidivism. However, it is important to examine the interaction of these factors to predict future …


Risk And Prevalence Of Personality Disorders In Sexual Offenders, Allison Sigler Jun 2017

Risk And Prevalence Of Personality Disorders In Sexual Offenders, Allison Sigler

Student Theses

Studies suggest that about seventy percent of incarcerated sexual offenders have been diagnosed with a mental disorder, with about fifty percent meeting diagnostic criteria for a personality disorder. Personality disorders have been shown to increase the risk of recidivism in offenders overall. However, little is known about how a personality disorder diagnosis increases this risk for sex offenders. The current study aims to evaluate the prevalence of personality disorders in sexual offenders, whether this varies by offender type, and how these relate to recidivism risk. Archival records from a large sample of convicted sex offenders who were incarcerated in a …


Treatment, Supervision, And Recidivism Of Individuals Convicted Of A Sex Offense In The United States: A Pilot Study, Gabriele F. Trupp Jun 2017

Treatment, Supervision, And Recidivism Of Individuals Convicted Of A Sex Offense In The United States: A Pilot Study, Gabriele F. Trupp

Student Theses

Although, previous research has shown that treatment programs for individuals convicted of a sex offense have the potential to lower sexual recidivism rates (Hanson & Bussiere, 1998; Hanson et al., 2002; Losel & Schmucker, 2005), there is some pause as to the methodological strength of these studies (Furby, Weinrott, & Blackshaw, 1989; Rice & Harris, 2003). Additionally, the literature is mixed regarding which elements of supervision for individuals convicted of a sex offense contribute to lower sexual recidivism (Aos, Miller, & Drake, 2006; Aytes, Olsen, Zakrajsek, Murry, & Ireson, 2001; Buttars, Huss, & Brack, 2016; McGrath, Cumming, Hoke, & Bonn-Miller, …