Quantitative, Qualitative, Comparative, and Historical Methodologies Commons^™

A Tale Of Two Gentrifications: Reconceptualizing Gentrification Using Third Places, Demolition And Hierarchical Linear Modeling, Kylil R. Martin

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

A growing body of research points out that communities in the most need of assistance are often the ones established by racially biased processes and have not been invested in for generations – with little to no attention ever positively directed toward these spaces. Instead, because of policies and tactics used to label areas as problematic and divest from them, public actors are reluctant to consider the lived-lives, both good and bad, of the residents of these communities when discussing needed changes. Criminologists have long been interested in neighborhood change and its relationship with crime. There has also been theoretical …

The Strength Of Social Bonds In Preventing At Risk Youth From Engaging In Delinquent And Law Violating Behavior, Christopher A. Falcone

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of the study is to assess whether social bonds (i.e., attachment, commitment, involvement, and belief) are associated with a decrease in delinquent and law violating behavior among at-risk youth in various geographical locations. According to Travis Hirschi's (1969) social bonding theory, delinquent acts occur when an individual's bond to society is weak or broken. Hirschi stated that humans by nature are deviant, and that the value individuals place on their relationships prevent them from engaging in such behavior. Using data from the 2000 ICPSR Evaluation of the Children at Risk Program in Austin, Texas; Bridgeport, Connecticut; Memphis, Tennessee; …

Texting While Driving: A Test Of Self-Control Theory, Charles R. Gray

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

The consequences of texting and driving have never been more pertinent concerns than they are presently. As reports of injuries and death increase and are paralleled by direct and indirect emotional and financial costs, it is important to uncover why, even in the face of such escalations, individuals choose to engage in this behavior. This study examines texting while driving behavior in the context of self-control theory and postulates that low self-control is a significant predictor of the conduct.

An online questionnaire was distributed via email to all enrolled students at Old Dominion University, located in Norfolk Virginia, during the …

A Cross-National Analysis Of The Impact Of Conscription On Crime Rates, Nicolette G. Rose

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

This paper examines the relationship between conscription laws (mandatory military or social service) and crime rates across countries. This cross-national study focuses on three major crimes: burglary, robbery, and homicide. In addition to conscription laws several control variables have been included in the analyses are: percent of the labor force that is military, level of civil liberties/freedom, level of industrialization, illiteracy rates, percent of urban population, unemployment rates, percent under the international poverty line, income disparity (measured using the Gini index), and population.

This study assesses the impact of conscription on crime rates by formulating and testing three hypotheses. First, …

Exploring Police Shootings And Officer Survivability: A Case Study, Amanda Leigh Farrell

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

Police shootings are incidents that have lasting effects on the officers involved, the department to which they belong and the community at large, yet these events are rarely discussed holistically with consideration given to the multiple parties impacted. Given the significant impacts, officer survivability and resilience in the aftermath of a shooting incident have become a topic with which most modern police agencies are concerned. While this number of lethal incidents may seem surprisingly low, there is often a narrow focus on the shooting incident itself, with little attention paid to pre-event factors or to the long and short term …

Patriarchal Ideology And Violence Against Women: A Theoretical Contribution Using Longitudinal, Individual-Level Analyses, Jesse Robert Mckee

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

Feminist researchers have recently highlighted the need to revive patriarchy as a theoretical tool in regards to violence against women. Patriarchy is typically considered to be a structural concept, but a theory of patriarchy for violence against women must also include an individual-level component of patriarchal ideology. Patriarchal ideology has not been clearly conceptualized and is rarely operationalized. Very little research has assessed patriarchal ideology as a dependent variable and almost none has done this longitudinally. This research aims to fills these gaps. The current study also seeks to identify significant predictors of change in patriarchal ideology, an issue of …

There Are No "Innocent Victims": The Influence Of Just World Beliefs And Prior Victimization On Rape Myth Acceptance, Rebecca Lynne Vonderhaar

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

Approximately 209,000 women report being raped every year. Of those 209,000 rapes, only 19,491 arrests were made (U.S. Department of Justice 2011). Furthermore, reports estimate that one out of every three women will be raped at some point in her life (Amir, 1971). The prominence of rape in the United States, as well as the disparity between documented rapes to the police and victim reports of rape, is problematic for researchers in fully understanding the breadth of the problem. Considering that rape occurs at such an overwhelmingly high rate and frequently goes unreported, it is important to understand the attitudes …

Correlates Of Marital Success A Homogamy Model, Sarah A. Raper

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

This paper examines the relationship between five demographic homogamy variables and marital success. Throughout this paper, several questions were examined that seek to give a better understanding of the factors that impact the stability and quality of American marriages. Is homogamy an important issue in modern society, or have cultural advancements in American society made homogamy irrelevant? Do both ascribed and achieved characteristics still impact marital success? Data from wave one of the National Survey of Families and Households was used for the analysis. First, correlations between the heterogamy variables and marital success were evaluated. Next, regression models were used …

"Does It Take One To Know One?" A Comparison Of Police Recruits' And Sergeants' Perceptions Of A Good Police Officer, Kara K. Hoofnagle

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

Police departments strive to hire good officers. However, there is difficulty in defining what constitutes a good police officer. The literature is rife in defining what constitutes a good police officer and characteristics indicative of a good officer. Past research suggests that characteristics of a good police officer may be more than the characteristic itself and that officers' may form their perception of what characteristics good officers harbor based on socialization, the police subculture, and the official police organization.

As such, this study sought to explore the following research question: What differences, if any, exist between police recruits' and sergeants' …

Comparing Domestic Assaults In Military And Non-Military Populations: A Test Of Social Learning Theory, Crystal S. Carey

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

This study examined factors relating to the severity of domestic assaults in military and non-military populations by examining a sample of 599 clients admitted to battered women's shelters over a 22-month period. This study addressed the following question: What differences, if any, exist between the severity of domestic assaults committed by military and non-military offenders, and what explains those differences?

The following factors as they may relate to severity of domestic assault are measured: batterer race, batterer income, victim income, batterer military status, and weapon involvement. Analyses reveal no significant differences in injury severity between assaults perpetrated by military and …

Social Capital And Religion: A Quantitative Analysis Of The Relationship Between Religious Participation And Social Capital, Kyshawn Smith

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to confirm the existence of a positive correlation between religious participation and social capital, and to show that such a correlation varies considerably when specific demographic variables, and denominational and organizational dynamics are accounted for. Beginning with the early theoretical works of James S. Coleman, The World Bank and Robert Putnam, research has shown the importance of studying the philosophy and science of social capital, and the significance of measuring interrelated concepts like community volunteerism, political involvement, and religious participation. However, much of this research surveys national audiences and either completely ignores or spends …

Euthanasia: An Exploration Of Public Opinion, Debra M. Babylon

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

The acceptance of euthanasia is examined using the 1972-2002 GSS cumulative dataset. The dataset contains a total of 43,698 respondents. The euthanasia question, "Should a terminally ill patient be allowed the right to die?" was asked beginning in 1977. The number of respondents answering the euthanasia question totals 22,039. The independent variables age, race, gender, political view, religious affiliation, and education were reviewed to assess their impact on support of euthanasia. Additionally, in order to test the "slippery slope" hypothesis, the abortion question, "Should abortion be allowed under any circumstance?" was added to the independent variable list. Cross tabulation was …

The Normative Structures Guiding Surfers' Perceptions About The Environment: An Exploratory Analysis Of Environmental Behavior And Environmental Concern, Jeffrey G. Toussaint

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to understand the relationship among surfers and their behaviors and concerns towards the environment. The sample included 94 respondents to a survey posted through the Eastern Surf Association (ESA) website. This study proposed that respondents who reported that surfing was their primary outdoor recreational activity would have more environmental behavior and environmental concern than respondents who did not have surfing as their primary outdoor recreational activity. Demographic and other causal factors, were used to assess the effects on the level of a surfer's environmental behavior and concern. From these hypotheses, several other relationships are …

Perceptions Of Police Abusive Behavior: Factors Influencing Citizens' Attitudes Toward The Police Use Of Excessive Force, Debra P. Laville-Wilson

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

This study analyzed several factors to determine their influence on the public's perceptions of the police use of excessive force or police brutality. Conflict theory and cognitive consistency theory were used to conceptualize the perceptions of police brutality. Based on these theories, five hypotheses were predicted. Secondary data from a 1995 National Opinion Survey of Crime and Justice were re-analyzed. The data provide 1,005 respondents for the analyses. Analyses were performed at the bivariate and multivariate level.

Findings from the bivariate analysis show that Blacks were three (3) times more likely than Whites to perceive the police use of excessive …

Comparative Study Of Economic Adjustment And Housing Quality Of Migrants And Natives In The State Of Virginia, Bayram Unal

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

This research has directed attention towards comparing and understanding the characteristics of both native and migrant populations and both recent and long-term migrant populations in the state of Virginia. The research question is: how does migrant population differ from native population? And how do recent migrants differ from long-term migrants in terms of their employment status, occupation, income, home ownership, quality of housing and amount of rent. This study utilizes data from the 5 percent sample of the U.S. 1990 Census. Cross tabulation and analysis of variance are used to compare migrant with native population and recent migrants with long-term …

An Exploratory Study Of The Correlates Of Drug Use Among Juveniles: Analysis Of Regional Variations In The United States, Denise D. Nation

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

Research on substance use and abuse has increased exponentially over the past twenty-five years. However, research focusing on regional differences in drug use seems to be very limited. The purpose of this study is to examine the correlates of drug use among juveniles in the four major geographic regions of the United States: the Northeast, the North Central, the South and the West. Here, drug use is defined in terms of alcohol and marijuana use for the age group 12-19. Four research hypotheses are proposed. The 1996 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse data was used to assess and analyze …

Medicaid Fraud: Medical Students' And Physicians' Attitudes And Perceptions, Kristin M. Byars

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to determine the attitudes and perceptions of medical students and physicians concerning Medicaid fraud. The primary tool was an anonymous survey distributed to both medical students and physicians in the Hampton Roads area. Previous research suggests that physicians would be more likely to view Medicaid fraud as less serious and less justifiable than medical students would. Since little research looks specifically at the attitudes and perceptions of medical students and physicians two theories, Differential Association and the Theory of Organizational Misconduct, were used because they best fit the research already out there. The analyses …

When The "Blues" Come To Call: Police Officers' Attitudes Toward And Responses To Domestic Violence, Christine Reneé Crossland

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

As a result of the growing popularity of arrest in domestic assault cases, many studies have focused on the relationship between police arrest policies and incidence rates of domestic violence. However, few actually assess direct input from police officers concerning their attitudes and perceptions of these policies, or how they feel about dealing with domestic violence. Since police officers are the first point at which domestic disputes are brought to the public's attention, the information provided by police officers concerning domestic violence can provide essential knowledge which could impact future policies and training on domestic violence. This study addresses the …

A Comparative Study Of Black And White Girls' Delinquency, Kenya Larae Covington

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

In this research, I examined the similarities and differences between black and white female delinquents. A secondary analysis of the Survey of Youth in Custody, 1987 data was utilized to answer the following research questions: (1) What factors contribute to each group's delinquency the most? (2) Are the factors that contribute to black girls' delinquency significantly different from those factors that contribute to white girls' delinquency? The study was guided by previous research on race and female delinquency, girls' victimization, the role of the family and school performance. The independent variables victimization, family structure, family function and school performance were …