Sociology Commons^™

Validation Of The Risk And Needs Assessment Used In The Classification For Parole And Probation Of Virginia's Adult Criminal Offenders, George Michael Yacus

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Management

This study analyzes the effectiveness of risk-needs assessment used in the classification of probation and parole for adult criminal offenders in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The use of risk-needs classification instruments dramatically increased in the 1980's and 1990's, but some research has indicated that these instruments do not have universal applicability and must be validated to the population to which they are applied. The research selected a useable cohort (n = 13,011) of probationers/parolees in the Commonwealth of Virginia from the 20, 647 cases opened in 1994 and tracked them for three years, using Virginia Department of Corrections records, to …

A Study Of Child Abuse: Race Gender And Family Structure, Linda Wyatt Faircloth

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

Using 1989-1994 data collected from the Portsmouth Department of Social Services in Portsmouth, Virginia, this study looked at severity and recidivism of child abuse in Portsmouth from 1989-1994. Analyses of data from the Portsmouth Department of Social Services indicated that children living in single parent families are more likely to be severely abused than children living in two parent families but no differences were observed for race and age.

Factors Affecting Leadership Styles Of Prison Wardens: A Case Study Of Public Adult Prisons Within Virginia, Nancy Elizabeth Santiago

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Management

This study attempts to identify the leadership styles of Virginia prison wardens within public adult prisons, and to determine which factors contribute to the development of their leadership styles. The two instruments used in this study to assess leadership style were the Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI, which measures "transformational" leadership), and the Leader Behavior Analysis II Self (LBAII Self, which measures "transactional" leadership). Both instruments have been used in prior research with correctional personnel, and comparisons of this research study is made with previous dissertations utilizing the LPI and LBAII.

Also developed for this study was a set of questions …